Tower Health announced today that TowerDIRECT, the system’s non-profit ambulance company, has been awarded three-year contracts to provide emergency 911 response services in both Amity and Union Townships. The contracts began on March 15, 2023.
One Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance will be stationed at 824 East Benjamin Franklin Highway, Douglassville, in Amity Township, to support the estimated 1,700 medical calls per year. The TowerDIRECT team anticipates responding to approximately 200 calls annually in Union Township, which will be serviced by TowerDIRECT ALS units from Amity or Birdsboro.
As part of the contract, Amity will provide “Ambulance Membership” for all residents. This means township residents will not incur out-of-pocket expenses for emergency services consistent with the details of their insurance coverage. Township residents will also receive discounted transportation for using TowerDIRECT for non-emergency patient transports.
Earlier this year, TowerDIRECT entered into similar contracts with the Boroughs of Phoenixville and Birdsboro. In addition, TowerDIRECT relocated its ALS ambulance from Gibraltar Fire Company, to 318 W Main Street, Birdsboro, to provide a more timely response to the growing community covered by TowerDIRECT EMS.
P. Sue Perrotty, Tower Health President and CEO, said, “As we continue to expand services to the communities we care for, we’ve also grown the TowerDIRECT team. Since the beginning of the year, we have added three new ambulances and a total of 28 new EMTs, paramedics, and pre-hospital nurses. We are so pleased these professionals made the choice to join our team and provide high-quality care to our patients in Amity and Union townships.”
The Berks County 911 Communications Center will dispatch TowerDIRECT services. In addition to responding to 911 calls, the TowerDIRECT team will also provide medical care at community events such as parades, football games, and other large public gatherings.
Herbert Schiffer, DO, Medical Director at TowerDIRECT, shared, “When patients are having a medical emergency, EMS providers are often the first on the scene. Their expertise is critical, as they assess patient conditions and begin treatment in the field, so they can safely transport the individual to the hospital.”
TowerDIRECT services include:
- Emergency 911 responses to municipalities
- Inter-facility transport services
- Critical care transport services
- EMS outreach
- Community paramedicine
Tower Health continues ongoing recruitment efforts for additional providers and team members at all TowerDIRECT locations. Visit Careers.TowerHealth.org and search the keyword “#Direct” to learn more.
About Tower Health
Tower Health is a regionally integrated healthcare system that offers compassionate, high-quality, leading-edge healthcare and wellness services to communities in Berks, Chester, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties. With approximately 11,500 employees, Tower Health consists of Reading Hospital in West Reading; Phoenixville Hospital in Phoenixville; Pottstown Hospital in Pottstown; and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, in partnership with Drexel University. Tower Health is strongly committed to academic medicine and training, including multiple residency and fellowship programs, the Drexel University College of Medicine at Tower Health, and the Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences in West Reading. The system also includes Reading Hospital Rehabilitation at Wyomissing; home healthcare provided by Tower Health at Home; TowerDirect ambulance and emergency response; Tower Health Medical Group; Tower Health Providers, our clinically integrated network; and 25 Tower Health Urgent Care facilities across our service area. For more information, visit towerhealth.org.