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Pittsford Volunteer Ambulance Service, Inc. (www.pittsfordambulance.org) is a non-profit ambulance service operating in the Town of Pittsford, NY, a community located in southeast Monroe County. PVA provides emergency medical services and loans some medical equipment to approximately 27,000 residents. It serves an area of 24 square miles and is part of the County EMS System supported by the Office of Emergency Communications. PVA has 85 members and responds to more than 2100 calls, annually, with additional calls served by its mutual aid partners. Pittsford residents highly value PVA's service. In March 2012, the PVA Board of Directors asked Gary Smith and Sue Corwin to develop a strategic plan. Gary and Sue reviewed several options for help. They met with Larry Feldman and Frank Reynolds and decided that Greater Rochester SCORE offered the experience, skills and credibility needed. A PVA team was formed and a goal of a plan for the board by June 1 was set. The team first created a SWOT analysis (a list of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats). Next it developed needs and challenges placing them along a timeline. It compared itself to other relevant organizations, benchmarking planning and performance. Critical success factors and useful metrics were identified. The team divided to gather qualitative and quantitative data. The Membership sub-team focused on PVA members, training, retention, reinforcement, and recognition. The Marketing and Communications sub-team focused on clients, patients, "the PVA brand," and a unifying tag line. During the planning process the team identified the opportunities to strengthen community outreach and add a prevention emphasis, while continuing to provide excellent emergency services. The organization's vision, "Vision 2020", and more strategic issues related to achieving it were created and documented. The results were captured in the draft of the Vision, Values, and Mission statements. The strategic planning team added strategies, specific goals, and recommended metrics. The work was presented to the Board of Directors on June 24th, and accepted. The result was then presented to the membership. PVA is now implementing strategies, achieving goals, and the improvements continue. The process developed will use an ongoing, robust evaluation process to update the plan annually. The SCORE mentors offered an open planning process, rather than a fixed linear process. It seemed chaotic at times, but the plan was achieved and approved. SCORE mentors continue to support PVA during the continuing work.     |
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