Daniel Zuckerman is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Greene County Legislature in December unanimously approved resolutions in support of a state Senate bill that would classify EMS services as essential for the purpose of state aid, and in support of an increase in Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements for the treatment and transport of patients. “It was a very EMS-heavy month in the legislature,” Legislator Aidan O’Connor, Democrat of Durham, said. “I presume we are the first county in New York state requesting essential services.” O’Connor estimates it costs the county between $6.5 million and $7 million a year to provide Emergency Medical Service, with much of the funding coming from property taxes and private insurance. Medicaid and Medicare cover a small amount of the expenses, he said. If those reimbursements were increased, it would help EMS providers be more strategic with their budgets, Connor said. Also in December, the legislature approved the purchase of automated defibrillators for placement in all Greene County Sheriff's patrol vehicles and on each floor of the county office building. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.