What's Happening in Westbury, NY…

The village of Garden City, near Westbury, has a new ambulance service provider as of the beginning of January.

Trustees of the village signed a two-year contract with NYU Winthrop. Under the terms of the agreement, the ambulance service provider will be available 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Two new ambulances are being introduced to the area, both of which will have completely new equipment. Each ambulance will be staffed by a paramedic and an emergency medical technician.

When towns and villages introduce a new service for residents, they can use flyer printing to advertise the change and explain the details.

The ambulances will be stationed at St. Paul's and will be in radio contact with the village's police department. If residents should need an ambulance, they can call either the police department or 911.

Billing for the ambulances will be through an individual's insurance provider. NYU Winthrop is responsible for charging a person's insurance company directly. If there's a difference between the cost of the ambulance ride and the amount insurance will pay, people won't be charged the difference.

Garden City's previous ambulance contract was with Nassau County and only provided access to a single ambulance. As part of the agreement, a police officer had to travel with the ambulance from the scene of the incident to the hospital. The village's board has made finding a new provider a priority since 2017.