Foxwall EMS subscription drive is underway

Foxwall Emergency Medical Service has launched its annual subscription drive.

The advanced life support ambulance company serves Fox Chapel and Aspinwall.

It has a mix of paid staff and volunteers with at least two people available each shift, each and every day.

Subscriptions are one way of making ends meet.

“It helps us maintain our operating costs for the year,” Chief Tony Cuda said. “It allows us to provide the services to the community.”

Subscriptions are $40 for seniors, $50 for individuals and $70 for families.

They are for a year and run April to April.

Subscribers receive unlimited emergency ambulance services at no out-of-pocket cost. Foxwall would accept reimbursements from the patient’s insurer.

Businesses are also eligible for subscriptions with prices dependent on number of employees.

“Ambulance bills are pretty expensive,” Cuda explained. “For a more complicated case, it can be over $1,200. Insurance generally pays 80% of their allowed rate … If you have multiple trips to the hospital over the year that amount can really start to stack up.”

The average ambulance trip is about $800, according to the company’s website.

Subscriptions are also tax deductible. Foxwall is a 501c nonprofit organization.

Foxwall responded to 1,500 calls last year. It has 13 paramedics and 27 emergency medical technicians.

Cuda said the annual cost to run the company is about $565,000. Subscriptions generate about $60,000.

Mailers recently went out to about 3,300 households in the area.

Cuda said Foxwall routinely gets about a 25% return.

“That’s a typical drive,” he said. “We’re hoping for more. We appreciate the support the community gives us.”

More mailers are expected to be sent out within the next few weeks.

Those who have not received one can request it by calling 412-963-6611.

People can also register online at foxwall.org.