Sierra Medical Services Alliance (SEMSA) was established in 1986 as a private, not-for-profit (501c3), Nevada based corporation.  At that time, it was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority (REMSA) who provided a wide array of emergency medical services (EMS) including air and ground ambulance services in Reno, Nevada.  Dick Bernard, CPA, was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of both REMSA and SEMSA while Patrick Smith served as President and CEO of both organizations.  In 1985 the Board of Supervisors of Lassen County, California approached REMSA about doing an emergency take-over of their failing ambulance service, which they did.  A year later, REMSA was asked to bid on a new ten-year contract in Lassen, County.  It was determined that to protect the REMSA franchise, it would be most appropriate to make their bid as part of a new corporation to be known as SEMSA that would focus on services outside of the REMSA franchise.  SEMSA, operating in Lassen County since 1985 is currently in the process of bidding on an additional 10-year contract as it continues to be the County’s exclusive provider of ambulance services.

 

In 2005, Kraig Riggs, the sole owner of RIGGS Ambulance Service in Merced County, California approached SEMSA about taking over the day-to-day management of his company.  SEMSA did and developed RIGGS into a model high-performance ambulance service that was awarded a new 10-year contract to be the exclusive provider of ambulance services in Merced County commencing in January, 2015.  Upon commencement of that contract, SEMSA became the sole owner of RIGGS.

 

In 2014, while operating both SEMSA and RIGGS, SEMSA severed its relationship with REMSA and became its own independent private, not-for-profit corporation that remains a Reno based entity.  SEMSA has its own Board of Directors made up of prominent business leaders from around Northern Nevada and continues to be led by Chairman of the Board Dick Barnard.  Its only President and CEO is Patrick Smith and its only Medical Director has been Dr. Joe Ryan, MD.  In 2014, the company expanded significantly and their principal officers now include V.P. and COO Mike Williams and V.P. of Central California Operations Steve Melander.  Together, this leadership team represents almost 150 years of EMS experience at all levels and in all system delivery models.

 

SEMSA has created a model whereby it will operate and manage ambulance services throughout Nevada, Central and Northern California but not own them.  They also offer a wide array of administrative support services to ambulance providers including billing and collections, dispatching, purchasing and logistics, human resources, deployment modeling, data collection and analysis, consulting, education and training, continuous quality improvement, medical direction, safety and risk management, and other areas essential to successful ambulance services.  Their focus remains on rural and small metropolitan markets that struggle in the current reimbursement environment and bring their wide-array of experience and expertise to organizations that otherwise could not afford to do them themselves.

 

SEMSA is also considered one of the preeminent EMS consulting services in the nation.  For example, in 2014 SEMSA provided the Air Methods Corporation, the largest provider of air ambulance services in North America, a consultant’s report on their national dispatch and transfer center.  As a result, Air Methods is adopting the recommendation in this report and has partnered with SEMSA to provide a new model of air ambulance service being implemented in Merced County.   That model has Air Methods providing the helicopter, pilots and mechanics along with the FAA part 135 while SEMSA provides the medical staff, medical direction, and day-to-day operations management and dispatching in an exclusive operating contract with Merced County.  This model was first done in Northern Nevada under the SEMSA leadership team in their operation known as Care Flight.

 

Also in 2014, SEMSA partnered with the Nevada Department of Veteran’s Affairs, the Nevada EMS Office, and Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval with funding from the National Governor’s Association to build a “bridge” program that allows military medics, based on their military training, to become state certified EMT-Advanced.  This program, developed by SEMSA, provides a concentrated 120-hour course, which allows current, separated and retired military members to be employed as civilian EMS professionals within the state following their departure from military service.

 

In 2006, SEMSA established its International Center for Prehospital and Disaster Medicine (ICPDM).  ICPDM’s focus was on providing distance and on-site education in tactical and disaster medicine.  In 2007, it became a regional training center for the National Disaster Life Support Foundation and continues to teach NDLS core, basic and advanced classes to healthcare providers under contracts with the States of Oregon and Washington.  Also that year, ICPDM partnered with the military’s Defense Medical Readiness Training Institute in San Antonio to teach their Homeland Security Medical Executive Course.  ICPDM has also partnered with the University of South Florida’s Global Center for Disaster Medicine and Humanitarian Assistance along with the University of Nevada School of Medicine and the Medical College of Georgia to offer other relevant courses to the medical communities around the country.

 

SEMSA is a proud member of the American Ambulance Association, serves on the Board of Directors for the California Ambulance Association, participates on the EMS Committee for the World Association of Disaster and Emergency Medicine, serves on multiple committees of the National Disaster Life Support Foundation, the Special Operations Medical Association, serves on the Disaster Committee of the National Association of EMS Physicians, and the National Association of EMT’s.