22-05-2025
No more ARPA money to award, but expect more announcements
PENFIELD, N.Y. (WROC) — Standing shoulder to shoulder in the Penfield Volunteer Emergency Ambulance bay Wednesday Monroe County legislators and EMS leaders applauded the dispersal of just under $900,000 to four local ambulance agencies.
At the podium, Monroe County Executive Adam Bello, a Democrat, detailed the funding, all of which is coming from the $144 million in American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, money the federal government sent to Monroe County to help respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
$894,957 is going to Penfield Volunteer Emergency Ambulance, Irondequoit Ambulance, Honeoye Falls-Mendon Volunteer Ambulance and Gates Volunteer Ambulance Service for various programs and equipment (more detail on where the money is going below).
Should anyone wonder why pandemic relief money would be doled out now, in 2025, Bello says most funding was committed closer to the crisis and all of it was earmarked by the end of last year, but the process to get it to the various groups, agencies and organizations takes time.
'We actually went out to the public, had a number of public input sessions, talked to a lot of elected officials, community partners to make sure we had as much support as possible when investing these dollars so we knew we were investing them in the right place,' Bello said.
The county has until the end of next year to allocate the funds so the community can expect more press conferences like the one Wednesday.
Rick Milne, Republican legislator from Honeoye Falls, largely approves of how the ARPA funds have been awarded and managed, the Community Resource Collaborative scandal notwithstanding, but does acknowledge the one-time nature of the funding and stresses the need for long-term planning to meet future needs.
'What are those priorities and how do we make that work with a smaller pot of money in the future,'Milne said. 'So it's a challenge.'
Here's a list of the projects funded through the allocation announced Wednesday:
Honeoye Falls-Mendon Volunteer Ambulance – $83,891 o Upgrading computer and pager systems, new CPR training kits for staff, and the purchase of two Stryker Powerload Systems—enhancing safety for patients with limited mobility.
Irondequoit Ambulance – $236,000 o Purchasing a new ambulance and installing advanced air and surface disinfection systems in the existing fleet, helping to reduce disease transmission and improve patient and provider safety.
Penfield Volunteer Emergency Ambulance – $347,065 o Acquiring a new, fully equipped ambulance featuring a LifePak monitor capable of tracking multiple vital signs including SpO2, CO2, ECG, blood pressure, and temperature, as well as a hydraulic power gurney to assist with patient lifting and transport.
Gates Volunteer Ambulance Service – $228,000 o Purchasing a new ambulance to expand emergency response capabilities in the region.
The news conference was held during EMS Week.
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