ACADIAN AMBULANCE TO ASSUME AMERICAN MEDICAL RESPONSE AMBULANCE SERVICE OPERATIONS IN NEW ORLEANS

Contact: Steve Kuiper, VP of Operations, < 5pm - 504-365-2160 or >5pm - 985-637-0691

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, November 22, 2004

Acadian Ambulance Service has announced an acquisition that will strengthen and increase the company’s services and presence in the Greater New Orleans area. Acadian began operating in the New Orleans area in February of this year. Steve Kuiper, Vice President of Operations, says the company has reached a tentative agreement to acquire American Medical Response Ambulance Service and plans to assume AMR’s operations on Wednesday, December 15, 2004.

“American Medical Response and its employees have our deep respect as a leader in the pre-hospital care delivery system. We are excited of the addition of these professionals to our team” said Kuiper. Each employee will receive at least equal to, if not greater, salaries. Acadian is an “Employee Stock Ownership Plan” company with 75% of the company’s stock owned by the employees. “As future employee owners of Acadian Ambulance, their contribution to success will bring rewards incomparable in the ambulance industry.

“This agreement will help both companies fulfill their overall missions and be more successful while taking care of AMR’s team in South Louisiana. This agreement is a ‘win-win’ for Acadian, AMR, the employees, our customers and the community at large,” said Kuiper.

Acadian is currently the sole provider of emergency and non-emergency service in St. Bernard Parish,” Kuiper said. “In Orleans and Jefferson Parishes, we do primarily non-emergency work and act as a backup resource to the 911 services. We take the overflow from the government-operated systems when their emergency call volume exceeds their availability. In Orleans Parish, primary emergency ambulance services are operated by the Orleans Parish Health Department, and in Jefferson, by the Hospital District.”

According to Kuiper, the acquisition will result in approximately 30 more transports per day, and plans to add 3-4 units to its fleet. “Currently, we transport approximately 735 patients a day throughout the state by our fleet of 200 ambulances, 7 Air Med helicopters and two fixed-wing airplanes.”

Kuiper said that the New Orleans area benefits from the advanced technology that has gained Acadian recognition by the Smithsonian Institution and by high tech guru Bill Gates. It includes Global Positioning System (GPS) ambulance tracking technology, a mobile data terminal on each ambulance, and advanced cellular communications.

With more than 30 years of experience, Acadian is the largest private rural ambulance service in the nation with more than 1900 employee owners, serving an area that encompasses 23,000 square miles with a population of over two million. The service area includes more than 50 percent of Louisiana. Acadian Industrial Medical Services (AIMS) provides medics for offshore oil and gas installations in the Gulf of Mexico and internationally.

Acadian has twice been voted the best ambulance service in the nation by the Community Services Committee of the American Ambulance Association, and has received the U.S. Senate Innovation Award for being on the cutting edge of the EMS industry. It is one of only 90 ambulance services in the country, and the only one in Louisiana, that have received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services.

“Since our entrance into the New Orleans market, we are proud to be associated through contractual agreements with Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District (Superdome Commission), the New Orleans Saints, the New Orleans Voo Doo, the New Orleans Hornets, Tenet Healthcare, VA Hospital, as well as numerous nursing homes. We are eager to provide New Orleans with prompt, professional, and courteous service, and look forward to the expansion of the Acadian family with the AMR team,” Kuiper said.

Kuiper says that those having emergencies in the three parishes should continue to call 911. For non-emergency purposes, calls should be made to 1-800-259-1111 or 511.