Empress EMS to purchase Northern Dutchess Paramedics

Empress EMS to purchase Northern Dutchess Paramedics

The Northern Dutchess Paramedics station on Route 22 south of the Village of Millerton.

Aly Morrissey

MILLERTON — Northern Dutchess Paramedics, the private emergency medical service provider contracted by North East, Amenia and Dover, is set to be acquired by Empress EMS, Town Supervisor Chris Kennan said at a special workshop meeting of the town board on Tuesday evening, Aug. 26.

Kennan shared what he called “breaking news” shortly after calling the meeting to order.

“We just learned that Northern Dutchess Paramedics has entered into a sales agreement with Empress, which serves most of Dutchess County,” he announced at the start of the meeting, which was originally scheduled to fine-tune zoning language for the town’s commercial district.

Empress EMS is part of PatientCare EMS Solutions, a provider of emergency medical services that operates throughout the country under several brands, including Sunstar Paramedics, Med Fleet Ambulance, FleetPlus and School of EMS. PatientCare is owned by A+M Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in Greenwich, Connecticut, which provides the company with financial backing and corporate oversight.

Kennan said he received a call from NDP owner Ed Murray with the news on Friday.

In a phone call with The News on Wednesday morning, Aug. 27, NDP Chief Operating Officer Mark Browne confirmed that while the acquisition “is on-schedule to happen,” the paperwork is not yet final.

While a potential shift in ownership could bring a variety of changes to North East and Millerton, including EMS response time, cost and the health and safety of the community, Supervisor Kennan said he received a verbal indication that Empress would honor the town’s existing contract with NDP, which was renewed for three years in December.

In 2025, the town is paying $511,558 for contracted services with NDP and the cost is expected to increase to $746,345 by 2027.

“In the short term, we should not be impacted by this change,” Kennan said. He added that the current contract with NDP has a stipulation that any new owner must honor the existing contract.

The news comes after Kennan and other towns have criticized the high costs of emergency medical services, which makes up a sizable chunk of the town’s budget and burdens taxpayers. Along with the Association of Towns, Kennan has urged New York Governor Kathy Hochul to sign a bill that has passed in the Senate and the Assembly and would exempt EMS services from the state’s property tax cap, giving local governments more flexibility to manage costs and sustain their EMS programs.

The bill would allow municipalities to better respond to EMS price hikes in their budgets, but it otherwise does not address those rising costs or poorer-than-typical service in rural communities like North East, Amenia and Dover.

Based in Yonkers, Empress EMS has a hub in Poughkeepsie and operates in Dutchess, Westchester, Rockland, Ulster, Putnam, Sullivan and Orange counties, as well as the Bronx. The company’s acquisition of NDP marks its continued expansion north – in 2021 Empress purchased EMStar and Mobile Life, pushing its way deeper into the Hudson Valley.

In January, Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino announced that Empress won the bid to become the primary provider of supplemental EMS services, a move made by the county in an effort to address long wait times for 911 calls. While successful in more densely populated areas, rural areas like North East, Amenia and Dover saw no visits from the supplemental services in quarter two of 2025.

According to the 2025 second quarter EMS report published by Dutchess County, all but one town in the county is serviced by either NDP or Empress. The merger would make Empress the sole EMS provider in the county except for the City of Beacon.

While there is no confirmed timeframe for the transition, Kennan said NDP owner Ed Murray indicated it was “moving quickly.”

Latest News

Alfred Lyon Ivry

Alfred Lyon Ivry

SALISBURY — Alfred Lyon Ivry, a long-time resident of Salisbury, and son of Belle (Malamud) and Morris Ivry, died in Bergen County, New Jersey, on Feb. 12 at the age of 91, surrounded by family members. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he was a graduate ofAbraham Lincoln High School and Brooklyn College, where he earned a B.A. in English literature and Philosophy and served as drama critic for the school paper.

Alfred earned a PhD in Medieval Jewish Philosophy from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts in 1963 and in 1971 was awarded a D. Phil in Medieval Islamic Philosophy from Oxford University, Linacre College.

Keep ReadingShow less

Alice Gustafson

Alice Gustafson

LAKEVILLE — Alice Gustafson (née Luchs), 106, of Lakeville, Connecticut, passed away on March 2, 2026. Born in Chicago on Dec. 15, 1919, Alice was raised between New York City, Florida and Lime Rock, where she graduated from Salisbury High School in 1937.

Alice’s career spanned roles at Conover-Mast Publications in New York City, The Lakeville Journal, the Interlaken Inn, and as a secretary to the past president of Smith College. In 1948, she married Herbert “Captain Gus” Gustafson at Trinity Church in Lime Rock.

Keep ReadingShow less

Larry Power

Larry Power

LAKEVILLE — Larry Power passed away peacefully at home on March 9, 2026.

Larry was born at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City in 1939.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

Carol Hoffman Matzke

Carol Hoffman Matzke

KENT — Carol L. Hoffman Matzke passed away peacefully with family by her side on Feb. 22, 2026.

She was a beloved mother and stepmother, daughter, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, community member, and friend.Her presence will be deeply missed. She had a beautiful way of loving, accepting, and supporting all the many members of her vast family, and of welcoming others into her family circle. She was intelligent and well-informed about history and current events, and she took a genuine interest in knowing and understanding everyone she met, from friends and family right down to the stranger who stood next to her in line at the grocery store. Kind and generous, her family and friends knew that she would do anything in her power to help and support them.

Keep ReadingShow less

In remembrance: Grace E. Golden

In remembrance:
Grace E. Golden

As we reflect on the first year of our mom’s passing we can be grateful to God for having the best mother and grandmother of all.

We miss you every day and still struggle with your loss.

Keep ReadingShow less
Cornwall signs contract for new fire trucks

From left, is First Selectman Gordon Ridgway, Dick Sears and CVFD Chief Will Russ signed the contract for two new fire trucks March 3.

Provided

CORNWALL — Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department and the Board of Selectmen signed the contract for two new fire trucks Tuesday, March 3.

The custom rescue pumper and mini pumper will be manufactured by Greenwood Emergency Vehicles, located in North Attleboro, Massachusetts.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.