June 22, 2022
The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) has issued a Certificate of Necessity (CON) to Priority Ambulance Yavapai to provide emergency and nonemergency ground ambulance service to the majority of Yavapai County and portions of Coconino and Maricopa counties.
In state-regulated ambulance markets such as Arizona, companies seeking to operate emergency or interfacility ambulance service must obtain a certificate of necessity (CON) to establish a community need before entering the market. In its CON application, Priority Ambulance Yavapai stated that multiple community options for services and pricing ultimately will improve the quality of pre-hospital medical care for area residents and other constituents.
“Thank you to the Arizona Department of Health Services for approving Priority Ambulance’s certificate of necessity to serve new communities in Northern Arizona,” said Bryan Gibson, Priority Ambulance CEO. “The patients and citizens are the ultimate beneficiaries of this decision. Competition in a CON-regulated market such as Arizona fosters improved quality and cost control. In five years of operation, Priority’s Maricopa Ambulance operation has built a foundation of excellent performance and competition in Arizona, and we are excited to expand our service to new areas in Yavapai, Coconino and Maricopa counties.”
The Priority Ambulance Yavapai CON service area encompasses more than 7,000 square miles, including the Quad Cities in Yavapai County, as well as portions of municipalities in metro Phoenix in Maricopa County and Sedona areas in Coconino County. In total, Priority Ambulance Yavapai is expanding ambulance service to communities representing more than 140,000 Arizonans.
The City of Prescott and the Central Arizona Fire and Medical Authority (CAFMA) provided letters to ADHS in support of issuing a CON to an additional ambulance service provider in their area.
Priority Ambulance Yavapai is now hiring EMTs and paramedics in the North Central Arizona region. More information and an online application can be found at www.PriorityAmbulanceAZ.com.
“Priority Ambulance’s national and state leadership team has decades of experience in Arizona EMS,” said Gibson. “We have made significant investment in the state over the past five years in vehicles and EMS professionals. We are ready to expand that investment with the resources needed to effectively provide ambulance service to the Priority Yavapai service area.”
In Arizona, Priority Ambulance also operates as Maricopa Ambulance after receiving a certificate of necessity (CON) from the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) to provide ambulance service to the majority of Maricopa County in 2016. In five years, Maricopa Ambulance has cumulatively cared for more than 325,000 patients in the Valley with 911 response and interfacility contracts with hospitals and health care facilities. Maricopa Ambulance serves approximately 80,000 patients annually with more than 75 ambulances and employs more than 500 EMTs, paramedics, dispatchers and support staff.
Maricopa Ambulance is the 9-1-1 ambulance service partner for the cities of Scottsdale, Surprise, Glendale, Goodyear and Chandler. Maricopa Ambulance provides 9-1-1 ambulance service response to communities representing 1 million people.
Maricopa Ambulance is recognized as a Premier EMS Agency by the Arizona Department of Health Services and is a member of the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association, the Arizona Health Care Association and the Arizona Ambulance Association.
Priority Ambulance is one of the largest and fastest-growing national ambulance companies with 830 ambulances and 4,100 employees in 13 states.
For more information, visit www.priorityambulance.com.