Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

Governor Hochul today announced an agreement with the Legislature to make medical aid in dying available to terminally ill New Yorkers with less than six months to live.

This comes after careful reflection and deliberation with the bill’s sponsors, advocacy organizations, and most importantly, everyday New Yorkers who shared personal experiences with the Governor. The bill, with the agreed-upon amendments, will be passed and signed in January, and the law will go into effect six months later.

“New York has long been a beacon of freedom, and now it is time we extend that freedom to terminally ill New Yorkers who want the right to die comfortably and on their own terms,” said Governor Hochul. “My mother died of ALS, and I am all too familiar with the pain of seeing someone you love suffer and being powerless to stop it. Although this was an incredibly difficult decision, I ultimately determined that with the additional guardrails agreed upon with the legislature, this bill would allow New Yorkers to suffer less–to shorten not their lives, but their deaths.”

The bill, as passed by the Legislature, had a number of protections in place to ensure that no patient was coerced into utilizing medical aid in dying and no doctor or religiously affiliated health facility was forced to offer medical aid in dying.

With today’s agreement, the Governor announces a number of additional guardrails that the Legislature has agreed to enact aimed at ensuring the integrity of the patient’s decision and the preparedness of medical institutions to appropriately administer medical aid in dying. Today’s agreement memorializes a shared path forward on this bill, with additional key guardrails, including:

• A mandatory waiting period of 5 days between when a prescription is written and filled.
• An oral request by the patient for medical aid in dying must be recorded by video or audio.
• A mandatory mental health evaluation of the patient seeking medical aid in dying by a psychologist or psychiatrist.
• A prohibition against anyone who may benefit financially from the death of a patient from being eligible to serve as a witness to the oral request or an interpreter for the patient.
• Limiting the availability of medical aid in dying to New York residents.
• Requiring that the initial evaluation of a patient by a physician be in person.
• Allowing religiously-oriented home hospice providers to opt out of offering medical aid in dying.
• Ensuring that a violation of the law is defined as professional misconduct under the Education Law.
• Extending the effective date of the bill to six months after signing to allow the Department of Health to put into place regulations required to implement the law while also ensuring that health care facilities can properly prepare and train staff for compliance.

Senior Campaign Director for Compassion & Choices NY/NJ Corinne Carey said, “This law will represent the culmination of more than 10 years of determined, consistent effort by hundreds, no, thousands, of New Yorkers who advocated for this law… This law is about compassion, family, love, and respect for bodily autonomy. New Yorkers deserve nothing less. I am grateful that Governor Hochul listened to the voices of people whose lives and deaths were directly affected.”

Editor’s Note: Rob Ortt, Republican leader in the State Senate, issued this statement:

“The Governor continues to make poor decisions that endanger New Yorkers. Her latest act legalizes assisted suicide, allowing some of our most vulnerable populations to end their lives under the guise of compassion, with limited oversight.

“True compassion means investing in hospice, palliative care, and mental health services so patients and families can face end-of-life challenges with dignity. New York should be strengthening care and improving the lives of New Yorkers struggling with serious health issues.”

Press Release, Mercy Flight, Inc.

BUFFALO – Mercy Flight, Inc., a leading nonprofit provider of air and ground medical transport services headquartered in Buffalo, announced today that it has signed a purchase agreement to acquire Finger Lakes Ambulance EMS, Inc., a long-standing and well-established emergency and interfacility transport provider serving communities across the Finger Lakes region.

The acquisition will become final pending approval by the Finger Lakes and Monroe-Livingston Regional EMS Councils, and the New York State Department of Health.

For the past five years, Mercy Flight and Finger Lakes Ambulance have worked collaboratively to strengthen emergency medical services in their respective operational, clinical, and administrative areas through improved coordination, operational alignment, and shared clinical priorities.

Throughout this partnership, both agencies – like EMS organizations nationwide – have navigated increasing challenges related to staffing shortages, rising call volume, escalating operating costs, and unstable reimbursement structures.

Through ongoing discussions, both leadership teams recognized that a unified, forward-looking model could better address these shared challenges. As a result, the organizations have agreed to pursue a plan to combine under Mercy Flight’s nonprofit EMS structure—a model believed to be the first of its kind in New York State, bringing together a nonprofit and a for-profit EMS agency under a single nonprofit system.

“This opportunity allows us to offer access to safe, reliable, and compassionate ground medical transport services through our not-for-profit ground/air integration model,” said Margaret Ferrentino, president of Mercy Flight. “By integrating Finger Lakes Ambulance’s experienced teams and established operations into our nonprofit system and enhancing our existing working relationship with Mercy Flight Central (an unrelated nonprofit air ambulance provider headquartered in Canandaigua), we can ensure continuity of care while furthering our commitment to clinical excellence and community partnerships in rural communities. Because we already share such a patient-focused mission, this consolidation is a natural fit.”

Bob Woodhouse, chairman of the Board at G.W. Lisk, added: “G.W. Lisk cares deeply about the health and wellbeing of the people of Clifton Springs and surrounding communities. It is important to us that the high standard of EMS care in the region continues under a trustworthy partner that puts patients first. We believe Mercy Flight, with its nearly 45-years of service to its community, is the right organization to take on this responsibility. We look forward to seeing the combined leadership of these agencies and the accomplishments this partnership will bring.”

All of Finger Lakes Ambulance’s current employees—including EMTs, paramedics, dispatchers, and support staff—will be welcomed into Mercy Flight’s nonprofit mission. Operations will continue without interruption throughout the transition.

“We are proud to join an organization whose values so closely align with our own,” said Al Kalfass, executive director of Finger Lakes Ambulance. “Our teams are dedicated to caring for our communities, and we look forward to the continued growth and advancement of that work within Mercy Flight’s nonprofit framework.”

As a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, Mercy Flight reinvests all net resources into patient care, safety, clinical excellence, and strengthened community service. The addition of Finger Lakes Ambulance’s service area will expand its regional coverage and improve coordination between air and ground EMS resources.

Mercy Flight foresees no changes to its air ambulance service in Western New York as a result of this ground ambulance service expansion, and expects to continue to collaborate closely with Mercy Flight Central, a completely separate nonprofit helicopter ambulance service that covers the Finger Lakes region.

About Mercy Flight Inc.

Mercy Flight is an independent, nonprofit provider of air and ground medical transport services, dedicated to providing rapid and cost-effective lifesaving care to communities across Western NY and beyond. Since 1981, Mercy Flight has delivered compassionate, high-quality medical transport services without regard to a patient’s insurance status or ability to pay. Today, the organization operates helicopter bases in Buffalo (headquarters), Olean, Springville and Batavia.

Mercy Flight’s ground ambulance division, Mercy Flight EMS, provides service for Genesee County, Niagara County, Orleans County, the Town of Hamlin, and the Town of Concord and Village of Springville. Together, the organization’s employees, now 300 strong, support the mission of being “A BEACON OF HOPE…WHEN MINUTES MATTER”. For more information, visit www.mercyflight.org.

About Finger Lakes Ambulance

Finger Lakes Ambulance began operations in 1955 under Walter’s Ambulance. It expanded significantly after merging with Geneva Town Ambulance in the 1980s and has operated under its current name since 1988. With approximately 100 staff members and a service area exceeding 1,200 square miles, Finger Lakes Ambulance plays a vital role in the regional EMS system, providing emergency and interfacility care across the Finger Lakes.