The History of HVA

HVA was owned for eighteen months by St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, and on July 1, 1983 the other four community hospitals joined as owners (University of Michigan Health System, Peoples Community Hospital Authority [then Oakwood Hospital Beyer Center before it closed in April 2000], Chelsea Community Hospital, and Saline Community Hospital [now St. Joseph Mercy Saline Hospital]).  The five hospitals owned HVA until January 1, 1985 when the company was turned over to community ownership.  As a part of this process, the hospitals put community leaders on the HVA Board of Trustees and forgave the intial start up costs.

Milestones

• January 26, 1982:  HVA began providing Advanced Life Support paramedic service, with two ALS paramedic units stationed in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.  This was only 6 weeks after HVA's start up, and was the first time that ALS was provided in Washtenaw County.
• July, 1982:  HVA begins providing pre-arrival medical self help instructions to callers requesting emergency medical assistance.
• July, 1985: All of Washtenaw County now served by Advanced Life Support.
• July, 1986:  HVA begins serving the City of Belleville, and the Townships of Van Buren and Sumpter in Wayne County, after Taylor Ambulance pulls out of town on one month's notice.
• October, 1986:  HVA EMS dispatch operations moved into the new County Central Dispatch Center in the Washtenaw County Service Center.
• July, 1987:  HVA builds new administration and central support facility in the Washtenaw County Service Center.  $400,000 is raised for the project through community donations.
• January, 1989:  HVA is invited to provide paramedic ambulance service to the City of Plymouth, replacing Community EMS.  Within 18 months, HVA begins serving Plymouth and Northville Township as well.
• January, 1990:  HVA provides management to South Lyon's city run ambulance service, which also covers Lyon Township in Oakland County, as well as part of Green Oak Township in Livingston County.  The service is merged into HVA in July, 1990 but continues to run under the South Lyon Ambulance name.
• August, 1991:  HVA becomes the first private agency in Michigan to have fully featured enhanced 9-1-1 telephone equipment.  Primary PSAPs now begin transferring 9-1-1 calls to HVA for prearrival medical self help instructions.
• March, 1995:  HVA is selected to provide paramedic ambulance service in the City of Tecumseh, and Townships of Tecumseh and Clinton in Lenawee County.  The service is operated under the name Lenawee Community Ambulance, or LCA.
• November, 1996:  HVA, in partnership with Foote Hospital in Jackson, Michigan, purchases Jackson Emergency Medical Services, Inc.  A new corporation, Jackson Community Ambulance (JCA) begins operating in Jackson County, and in the City of Adrian and Townships of Cambridge, Franklin, and Rome in Lenawee County.  HVA and Foote each own 50% of the new company, with HVA being the managing partner.
• September, 1998:  HVA, in partnership with JCA and Trillium Hospital, began management of Albion Area Ambulance Service under a two year management agreement.
• January, 1999:  Albion Area Ambulance Services ceases operations and turns EMS services in the community over to Jackson Community Ambulance.  JCA now operates in the community as "Albion Community Ambulance", with 2 ALS ambulances, 1 BLS ambulance and 1 wheelchair van.
• May, 1999:  Our Call Center begins nurse-based triage services, with a major agreement with Foote Hospital.  Registered nurses with critical care experience are hired for the HVA Call Center.
• January, 2000:  The HVA and JCA Board of Trustees adopts a Corporate Compliance Plan, to insure that our organization follows federal, state and local laws and regulations.
• July, 2000:  HVA creates Alliance Mobile Health to serve Oakland County, in partnership with Medstar Ambulance (of Mt. Clemens) and Mobile Medical Response (of Saginaw).  Alliance begins operation in October.
• August, 2000:  HVA renews its partnership with the University of Michigan Holden Hospital for neonatal ambulance service.  HVA, in collaboration with UM, puts into operation a new, $150,000 neonatal transport vehicle.  A very big ambulance for very small infants.
• December, 2000:  HVA begins its 20th year of service to the community.
• July, 2001:  HVA purchases 57 new 12-lead ECG monitor/defibrillators at a cost of $850,000 and trains its staff in 12-lead ECG recognition.  We become the first large scale, regional 12-lead ECG program in Michigan.  The community contributes over $600,000 to help offset the cost for HVA.
• Spring, 2002:  Our LCA unit opens a new two-bay ambulance station on West Maumee Street in the City of Adrian.
• October 1, 2003:  Subsidiary Alliance Mobile Health begins 9-1-1 paramedic service in the City of Troy, in Oakland County.  This is Alliance's first 9-1-1 agreement.