`senior Eight' On Special Mission 
Longtime Trojan Teammates Eye Final Burst Of Glory

A Grieving Mother Offers A Message 
Last May, Edna Vivian Learned A Cruel Lesson About The Criminal Justice 
System.

By TOM OBRZUT JR.; Times Leader Business Writer
 Tuesday, January 30, 1996 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





WILKES-BARRE -- Mercy Health System, Northeast Region, announced Monday it
has reached an agreement with a local provider for ambulance service, which
could threaten 20 jobs at Medic 301, the current provider. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The deal between Mercy Health System and Charles J. Spellman Ambulance
Service, Wilkes-Barre, takes effect sometime in February, a hospital spokesman
said. Spellman, who was responding to an out-of-town ambulance call, could not
be reached Monday night. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Medic 301, which is based at Mercy's Special Care Hospital in Nanticoke,
provides advanced life support for a 100.1-square-mile area that covers 16
municipalities. Service extends from Shickshinny to Wilkes-Barre, and from
Interstate 81 at Ashley to the Interstate 80 junction, in Northeastern
Pennsylvania. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On condition of anonymity, several Mercy officials said the agreement could
eliminate the 20 jobs at Medic 301. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But Mercy spokeswoman Mary Ann Grandinetti was cautious. "We are not
prepared to comment on that portion at this point. We will announce later in
the week a plan to improve this level of service," she said. "Because of a few
regulatory details, we can't say anything." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A Medic 301 paramedic said the service responded to more than 2,500 calls
last year. As of late Monday, the hospital didn't inform the union of its
intentions. A call to District 1199P, the workers' union, was picked up by an
answering machine. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mercy, which employs about 1,034 people at its hospital in Wilkes-Barre and
121 people at its Nanticoke hospital, took over the operation of Medic 301 in
1986 because of financial difficulties. Before Mercy's takeover, Medic 301
used an all-volunteer staff. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Spellman will provide ambulance services at Mercy's hospitals in
Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, Grandinetti said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mercy's switch to the private sector for the operation and management of
medical transport is to maintain quality and reduce costs, she said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The possibility that Medic 301 could disband worries Nanticoke Mayor Wasil
Kobela. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They're local," he said. "If you wanted them, they were right on the
spot." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Kobela said if an ambulance dispatches from Wilkes-Barre, precious response
time would be lost. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It might take them five minutes to get here," he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

20 Jobs Hang On Mercy's Next Move 
While The Health System 
Chooses A New Ambulance Service, 
Employees Of The Current Provider 
May Find Their Jobs In Jeopardy

20 Jobs Hang On Mercy's Next Move While The Health System Chooses A New Ambulance Service, Employees Of The Current Provider May Find Their Jobs In Jeopardy