HOLYOKE — Cataldo Ambulance Service hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of a new base in Holyoke on Oct. 2.
The new Holyoke base is located at 1280 Dwight St., and the event allowed the public to take a peek inside the new facility before the ribbon-cutting in front of the base garage. The company was awarded the 911 emergency medical services contract by the city of Holyoke in 2022 and has been expanding services in the area since.
“We are proud to serve the Holyoke community and of the partnerships we have developed with Holyoke Medical Center and the city,” said Dennis Cataldo, president and CEO of Cataldo. “This new base is an investment in these partnerships as well as in our Western Massachusetts operation and team members.”
In addition to the 911 emergency medical services contract, Cataldo Ambulance Service provides wheelchair van and medical transportation services to area skilled nursing facilities and hospitals. The Cataldo SmartCare division also provides mobile integrated health services in partnership with multiple area hospitals.
“The new Holyoke base centralizes several key operational functions into one location including ambulance operations, human resources, new hire orientation and training, and dispatch,” said Regional Director of Operations of Cataldo Ambulance Service Frank McNeil. “This allows our team the ability to be more collaborative and efficient not only in Holyoke, but as we continue to expand our services across the region.”
Cataldo said he was appreciative for the turnout for the grand opening of the new base and said it was probably the biggest crowd he remembers seeing.
“We’ve been in the Holyoke area now for the last two or three years and we are remarkably appreciative of the relationships we’ve been able to establish with the community,” Cataldo said. “We’re happy to invest here in the community and I hope that it represents how committed we are to the community itself, to the area and the type of organization we are.”
Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia told Cataldo not to be surprised by the crowd as it was reflective of the partnership made in a short period between Cataldo and the Holyoke community.
“This is an organization that works closely with all our community partners,” Garcia said. “The partnership that Cataldo has responding to the needs of our community has been second to none which is important because we need to make sure that when people are in the time of their most need that we have caring and compassionate folks responding to that and taking care of their medical concerns.”
The new ambulance base has a garage that will house about six emergency vehicles. It also has offices, a crew area, a training and communications center and a lounge space.
