YuLin Zhen, Photography Editor

This month, Yale New Haven Health System, or YNHHS, entered into an agreement to acquire Nelson Ambulance and its affiliates, including Access Ambulance. 

Nelson Ambulance, based out of the Fairfield and New Haven counties, provides a full scope of medical transportation, and has worked closely with YNHHS in the past. Through this acquisition, YNHHS aims to strengthen the health system’s transport capabilities within emergency medical services to create a more integrated experience for patients.

“We are very excited about becoming part of the state’s leading healthcare system,” said Philip Onofrio, vice president of Nelson Ambulance Service and Affiliate Transportation companies.  “By joining our resources and expertise, we can expand access to care by bolstering our transportation presence across the YNHHS network and ensure YNHHS transportation capabilities are responsive to the evolving needs of the Connecticut Healthcare community.”

While YNHHS uses other transportation and ambulance services, Nelson Ambulance has been the number one provider of ambulance transportation, according to Onofrio. Nelson Ambulance offers critical care transports, non emergency transports, emergency transports, wheelchair services and delivery services.

Onofrio also explained that since the inception of Nelson Ambulance, they have enjoyed a strong relationship with YNHHS, and have worked in partnership for over five years. 

“Nelson Ambulance is a critical part of the medical transport business across our state,” said Christopher O’Connor, the CEO of YNHH. “This acquisition will allow for more direct supervision of patient transport allowing for better coordination and more efficient integration with medical staff resulting in better, safer care from arrival to discharge.”

YNHHS anticipates closing the transaction within the first half of the 2025 calendar year, pending regulatory approval. The process can take anywhere from three to six months, according to Onofrio. 

Through the acquisition, Nelson ambulance also hopes to provide growth opportunities for their employees. By merging with a larger organization and gaining access to new resources, Nelson Ambulance hopes that employees will have access to better training and career opportunities, according to Onofrio.

“YNHH being the premier health care system in Connecticut, and the largest in Connecticut, it has some growth pathways for our employees to seek,” Onofrio said. “And whether it’s continuing on from being a paramedic into nursing or other types of jobs, they get to avail themselves to many other types of jobs in the system, being an employee of the Yale New Haven health system.”

YNHHS has also committed to making offers of employment to all Nelson employees within good standing. Onofrio believes that due to the longstanding relationship between the two groups, a smooth integration is likely to occur.

Yale New Haven Hospital is located at 20 York St.