To the editor:
Time is everything in an emergency. When someone calls 9-1-1, they have every right to expect help will arrive—and quickly. But without urgent and meaningful policy changes, that promise is slipping away from communities across Massachusetts.
As a certified paramedic with more than 35 years of experience, I’ve witnessed a system stretched far beyond its limits. Emergency medical services (EMS) are in crisis statewide: chronic staffing shortages, unsustainable reimbursement models, and record-long emergency department delays are putting patients and providers at risk.
On Wednesday, June 25, I had the honor of testifying alongside Representative Leigh Davis before the Joint Committee on Public Health in support of her EMS reform bills—H.4076, H.4118, and H.4120—as well as S.1513. These bills offer real solutions: designating EMS as an essential service, creating a statewide task force, and piloting innovative care models that meet patients where they are. Rep. Davis has been a tireless and informed partner in this fight, listening to frontline providers and translating our experiences into policy.
At Action Ambulance, we serve Pittsfield and more than a dozen other municipalities across the Commonwealth. Our 275 EMTs and paramedics show up every day, in every kind of weather, prepared to save lives. But they need the tools, support, and policy framework to do their jobs safely and effectively.
This is not just a rural problem. It’s not just an urban one. It’s a Massachusetts problem—and the Legislature has the chance this session to act.
Mike Woronka
President and CEO, Action Ambulance
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