Who We Are: For over 90 years, the Volunteer Medical Service Corps of Lansdale (VMSC) now VMSC Emergency Medical Services has stood as a lifeline for Montgomery County, and today we proudly serve Bucks County, Northeast Philadelphia, Delaware County, and surrounding communities. Founded in 1933 by Dr. Frank Erdman Boston, a World War I Army veteran and pioneering African American physician who also established one of the first Black-owned hospitals in the United States, VMSC was created to meet the urgent need for timely, community-based emergency medical care. His vision of equitable access to healthcare and commitment to service laid the foundation for what has become one of Pennsylvania’s most trusted EMS agencies. Our history is deeply tied to innovation, equity, and service from our earliest days of community-driven rescue to our modern role as a leader in emergency medicine and community health.
Our Mission: Making a difference one day, one call, one life at a time.
Our Vision: Through compassion, innovation, and professionalism, we envision a future where every life can be saved, touched, and transformed by our care.
Our Values:
• Loyalty: Commitment to our community and to one another.
• Humanity: Putting people first in every situation.
• Mercy: Going beyond duty to serve with heart.
Our Programs and Services: VMSC Emergency Medical Services delivers the full spectrum of emergency medical services (EMS) and beyond. We respond from thousands of calls yearly ranging from routine Basic Life Support (BLS) to the most critical Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Critical Care transports. We are also among the top 1% of EMS agencies nationally authorized to carry and administer blood products during emergencies, a life-saving innovation that few pre-hospital providers can offer.
Beyond 911 response, VMSC is shaping the future of healthcare through Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) and Community Paramedicine. These programs extend care into homes and communities, addressing gaps in access, reducing unnecessary hospital visits, and helping vulnerable populations particularly seniors, children, and those with chronic conditions live healthier, safer lives.
Our programs are designed with a community-first lens and resonate with the missions of other nonprofits and local partners. We:
• Partner with municipalities, counties, schools, and community-based organizations to deliver health education, promote sports safety, and implement school-based wellness initiatives for children and families.
• Advance equity in healthcare by partnering with hospitals, clinics, and social service agencies to provide access for uninsured and underinsured populations, ensuring no one is left behind.
• Collaborate across the nonprofit and public sector on prevention, population health, and community wellness, recognizing that health is shaped by housing, food security, transportation, and social supports as much as by clinical care.
• Empower the next generation through workforce development pipelines and EMT and paramedic training academies, creating sustainable career pathways for young people and strengthening the healthcare workforce of tomorrow.
VMSC is more than an EMS provider we are a community health partner. Every call answered, every child fitted with a helmet, every training offered to a nonprofit partner, and every home visit to a high-risk patient reflects our promise: no one in our service area should be left behind due to lack of access to care. Our work saves lives, reduces costs to the healthcare system, and builds a healthier, more resilient future for our region.