It's a wrap.

Dramatic photographic advertising wraps on L.A. Metro buses are a common sight, but not often does a third-party ambulance decide to pay for one to promote one of its clients.

But this week Glendale Adventist Medical Center and its new patient transportation coordinator might launch a trend when they unveil a splashy new look for two non-emergency ambulances that will be dedicated to serving the hospital.

The project is the brainchild of PRN Ambulance president Avo Avetisyan, whose Los Angeles-based company keeps 28 ambulances and 15 wheelchair vans busy with contracts at 12 area hospitals.

Avetisyan, who launched the company with his brother Peter six years ago, said that when the hospital put out a proposal for bids, he saw an opportunity to move his 150-employee company beyond being a glorified shuttle service for discharged patients needing a ride home or a lift to a doctor's appointment. He hopes to one day have similar arrangements with other hospitals.

What PRN Ambulance offered Glendale Adventist was a means to bring order to an often chaotic ambulance dispatch process. Instead of nurses running down a phone list until they found an available private ambulance, they call a PRN dispatcher who will either dispatch one of the company's vehicles, or check with a network of other providers who have agreed to take referrals.

"There was a time when we might have ambulances from eight or nine companies here and we might not know which one had been called for which patient," said Lynn Kirman, the hospital's associate vice president for nursing, who also manages patient transportation. "Now we have a dedicated dispatch lounge for patients, one-call coordination of trips and these beautiful ambulances."

Hospital staff worked closely with Avetisyan on the wrap design for the ambulances, which will showcase different messages on both sides of each bus, said Kim Milstein, director of physicians and business development.

Nursing staff are particularly highlighted, with a group posing in front of the hospital's new patient tower, scheduled to open next year. With the region's chronic nursing shortage in mind, another scene features two more nurses and prominently displays the hospital's job recruitment hotline.

Respected hospital doctors, such as radiation oncologist Dr. Albert Mak and family practice specialist Dr. Narine Arutyouian, also agreed to have their faces plastered on the vehicles.