SHARON, Conn.—An informational meeting to discuss Sharon Hospital’s change in its emergency medical services model will be held Thursday, Jan. 8, from 5 to 6 p.m. in the hospital’s cafeteria.
The hospital’s decision to terminate its contract with Northern Dutchess Paramedic (NPD) in New York was announced Thursday, Dec. 11, when communities were informed that its service would end on Thursday, Jan. 1.
NDP has provided advanced and basic life support ambulance services to communities in Dutchess and Columbia counties, as well as parts of Litchfield County, Conn., for nearly three decades. It supplemented the aid delivered by community ambulance crews by providing advanced medical care, medications and inter-facility transports.
The replacement plan relies on a single paramedic covering multiple rural towns, which has led to fears of increased response times in emergency situations. Critics also worry about potential gaps in advanced care if multiple emergencies occur simultaneously and only one paramedic is available to cover the extensive region.
Sharon Hospital’s catchment area straddles the Connecticut/New York border, serving portions of Dutchess County and seven Litchfield County towns. Approximately 41,573 residents live in the catchment area, 35 percent in Connecticut, and 65 percent in New York.
Under the new arrangement, a single paramedic will cover the hospital’s catchment area, starting each 12-hour shift in New Milford before traveling to Sharon. If needed, the paramedic would be assisted by a paid EMT provided by Nuvance.
Kent’s emergency services transitioned to Nuvance Health’s paramedic service program in 2023, as did the towns of Bridgewater, Kent, Roxbury, Sherman, Warren, and Washington.
The change comes against a backdrop of ongoing financial pressures experienced by Sharon Hospital. The hospital, a part of Nuvance Health, was part of the May 2025 merger of Nuvance and Northwell Health that created one of the largest non-profit healthcare networks in the Northeast.
In a “Letter to our Community,” Sharon Hospital President Christina McCulloch sought to reassure area residents that the hospital’s emergency medical services are “not only continuing but strengthening.”
McCulloch asserted that Sharon Hospital, as part of Northwell Health, has extensive emergency transport and EMS capabilities across western Connecticut and the Hudson Valley. “As part of this system, Sharon Hospital is supported by a licensed and experienced paramedic program already operating in the Danbury and New Milford region, with the ability to extend those services to appropriately support the Sharon community,” she said.
“Sharon Hospital will ensure 24/7 emergency medical coverage for the community,” she wrote. “This includes support for emergency response, interfacility transport and critical care needs, backed by the depth, redundancy and clinical oversight of a larger health system. These capabilities are not theoretical—they are already in place and functioning successfully across our region.”
While she acknowledged that the change “may disrupt (North Dutchess Paramedic’s) business interests in the Sharon community,” she insisted that it will not represent a loss of emergency medical services for area residents. “We want to be clear: no EMS services are being eliminated, and no gaps in coverage are anticipated,” she wrote.
Those planning to attend the public information session are asked RSVP to Griffin.Cooper@nuvancehealth.org.
