TRIBE AND MCA SIGN AMBULANCE SERVICE AGREEMENT

AKWESASNE– The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe and the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to cover ambulance service on the southern portion of the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory. The agreement, signed in September, also commits the Tribe to building an ambulance sub-station on State Highway Route 37.  

The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne has operated its ambulance service that covers the entire Akwesasne Mohawk Territory for many years. MCA provides the ambulance service staffed with New York State certified Emergency Medical Technicians. In 2006, about one-quarter of the calls they responded to were from the southern portion of Akwesasne.

The agreement, which will be in effect for 2007, covers emergency ambulance transport to local hospitals in Malone, Massena and Cornwall.  Under the agreement, the Tribe is providing $225,000 for the service, a substantial increase over previous year’s contributions. Consistent with the MOA, the Tribe has also begun designing a new ambulance sub-station to be built next to the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Station.

 “This ambulance service agreement is a good example of community coordination at work,” said Tribal Chief Lorraine White.  “With the combined efforts of MCA and the Tribe, we can work together to problem solve and address the needs in our community.”

“There are plenty of opportunities to work together at Akwesasne,” said Tribal Chief Barbara Lazore. “Particularly when you are talking about healthcare and emergency situations. We can and will continue to look at ways to join forces between the Tribe and MCA.”

Tribal Chief James Ransom added, “We are grateful to the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne for providing this important community service for all of these years.  Fortunately, we are now in a position to more equitably share this responsibility and look forward to working with MCA under this agreement to benefit the entire community.”

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