Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) in 2020

Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA)
Tulsa/Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
647 Staff | 228 Quarantined in 2020

EMSA serves over 1.1 million residents in central and northeastern Oklahoma. EMSA (Emergency Medical Services Authority) is Oklahoma’s largest provider of pre-hospital emergency medical care. Established in 1977, the Authority has provided ambulance service to Oklahoma residents for over 40 years. Oklahoma residents can take comfort in knowing that a diverse team of dedicated healthcare providers – including paramedics, emergency medical technicians, specially-trained medical dispatchers, and others – stand ready to respond to their emergency medical needs.

2020 has been a challenging year, to say the least, but EMSA EMTs and Paramedics have risen to the occasion to continue to deliver superior care to Oklahoma residents in new and innovative ways. Educational demonstrations have gone virtual and new emphasis on hand washing and cleanliness top the list of things our team members are discussing in our communities. Our communities have embraced and shown their love for our first responders with treats, care packages, snacks, and delivering cases of water.

Emergent Health Partners in 2020

Emergent Health Partners
Ann Arbor, Michigan
940 Staff | 200 Quarantined in 2020

Emergent Health Partners is a nonprofit, community-owned agency operating six ambulance services across southern Michigan: Huron Valley Ambulance, Jackson Community Ambulance, LifeCare Ambulance, Monroe Community, Lenawee Community Ambulance and Albion Community Ambulance.

Emergent Health has 900+ employees whose paramedics and EMTs provide medical 9-1-1 coverage for more than 1 million Michigan residents and respond to about 200,000 medical emergencies annually. Our dedicated teams deliver high-quality prehospital care to 14 counties and 178 municipalities in southern Michigan.

Originating as Huron Valley Ambulance, our first service was founded in 1981, operating with six ambulances. We have since grown to include five more agencies that operate 100+ ambulances in the communities we serve.

Beyond our ALS/BLS operations, Emergent Health has other specialty care including Community Paramedicine and Critical Care. We also have several Special Response Teams that include an Honor Guard, HazMat, Technical Response and Tactical EMS. We are thought-leaders in out-of-hospital emergency medicine and have built a culture based on safety, quality, compassion, and professionalism.

As an organization, we quickly stood up an Incident Command (ICS) Team to make quick, informed decisions on COVID-19 safety measures and new protocols. This structure has been key to adjusting our daily operations that mitigate the spread of COVID among patients and staff and making sure we have the PPE and resources necessary to weather the COVID pandemic.

Our HazMat and Special Pathogens Response Team Coordinator served as our Safety Officer. His expertise, along with several current and former county Emergency Managers on our team, helped us get a jumpstart on fighting the pandemic and shaping our response.

We developed special decontamination teams and streamlined processes to keep our ambulances and equipment clean. We implemented training for our staff on safety measures, and our wheelchair vans were converted to help transfer medically stable positive patients or double as decontamination crews during downtime.

Our employees and the community have been amazing. We have had many employees step up to support our operations, their fellow team members, and patients during this tough time. We have also seen steady support and donations from the community.

Acadian Ambulance Service in 2020

Acadian Ambulance Service
Lafayette, Louisiana
5,000 Staff | 750 Quarantined in 2020

Since 1971, Acadian Ambulance Service has earned a reputation as one of the nation’s most respected and largest privately held medical transportation companies.

Acadian was founded in response to a sudden crisis, as communities around the country found themselves without emergency medical transportation when federal regulations caused funeral homes to stop using hearses for emergency transport.

We began Louisiana operations on September 1, 1971, with three young cofounders, two ambulances and eight medics covering 279 square miles.

We have steadily added parishes and states to our service area over the years, addressing challenges along the way. Our fleet currently contains more than 600 ground ambulances, helicopters and fixed-wing airplanes.

Acadian currently covers more than 70 parishes and counties that are home to more than 24 million residents in Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas.

Our company is one of a very select few agencies in the United States to achieve accreditation with both the Commission on the Accreditation of Ambulance Services for our ground operations and the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems for our air operations.

The COVID-19 pandemic and seven tropical cyclones that impacted our service area have presented operational and economic challenges to Acadian Ambulance. Our team has responded by working together, finding solutions and taking care of our patients and communities, while ensuring the health of our employees.

When cases began rising in the spring and stay-at-home orders were enacted, we saw patient volume drop and costs escalate.

Throughout the pandemic, we have worked hand-in-hand with other EMS agencies and first responders, working under state contracts and staffing surge units.

Our four-state service area was also impacted by a very active hurricane season, enduring effects from Cristobal, Marco, Laura, Sally, Beta, Delta and Zeta.

Hurricane Laura made landfall in the heart of our SE Texas and SW Louisiana service areas and impacted Central and North Louisiana. More than 100 of our employee-owners suffered substantial or total loss of their homes and property, and some of our company facilities saw severe damage.

We have faced many challenges over the years, and each one has helped us to adapt and continue living out our mission of Knowing Life Matters.

Mobile Medical Response in 2020

Mobile Medical Response
Saginaw, Michigan
539 Staff | 30 Quarantined in 2020

Mobile Medical Response is a Michigan-based, non-profit ambulance service provider that operates out of Saginaw County. We specialize in pre-hospital care and medical transportation through basic, advanced, and critical care ambulances, wheelchair vans, and medical dispatching services. We are the largest agency of its kind geographically speaking in the state covering 15 counties. Every day we strive to uphold our mission in providing the communities we serve with unrivaled access to medical care.

Mobile Medical Response has maintained a state of readiness for all communities we serve with emergent and non-emergent service, despite revenue shortfalls due to declined ambulance transport volumes. During this time, MMR also responded to New Jersey with a strike team of two ambulances and associated personnel assist with an influx of patients due to COVID-19. The ability of our EMS professionals to function in adverse conditions and situations is astounding and we are proud of the great work they do every day.

While navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, MMR has continued to work with opioid response initiatives and other initiatives to respond to the needs of our communities. MMR has had a positive impact in our communities during this time with the provision of EMD surveillance tools, COVID-19 transport services, and other vital pieces of a comprehensive response.

MMR is an integral part of the emergency response system in our communities as well as a resource for other initiatives. With the dedication and commitment of our staff we have been able to meet the challenges that COVID-19 has presented while also continuing to serve our communities.

Pafford Medical Services in 2020

Pafford Medical Services
Hope, Arkansas
1,500 Staff | 98 Quarantined in 2020

Founded in 1967, Pafford Medical Services provides over 80 communities across 8 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands with the latest, most sophisticated level of pre-hospital care. As a family-owned and operated company, Pafford is staffed 24/7/365. Over 1500 members of Team Pafford can be found operating the fleet of 200 ambulances, 4 communications centers, 3 medical fixed-wing aircraft, 3 rotor-wing aircraft to provide communities with proper 911 ambulance coverage.

In addition to the day-to-day operations, the company has become known nationwide for its Special Response Taskforce which assists during national disasters. As the company evolves to cater to the citizens it serves, Pafford took notice of the needs of industries and businesses during the global pandemic and now operates OnSite Healthcare Services in order to safeguard workforces as the world resumes operation amidst COVID-19. Another pillar of the company’s mission is its promise as a contributive community partner by providing educational resources, medical equipment, and scholarships along with medical standby for special events.

With the novel Coronavirus, EMS personnel would need to be properly trained to combat the transmission of the virus. Along with obtaining PPE for their medics, Pafford Medical Services provided additional training while increasing health surveillance, screening, and tracking of employees with the activation of their Emergency Operations Center.

Pafford remained a leader in community discussions and decisions related to COVID-19. Thanks to the diligent work and daily communications with their leadership teams, all of Pafford’s systems remained fully operational.

As the world stopped turning due to COVID-19, Mother Nature did not as hurricane season came out in full force. With 8 named storms and 2 major hurricanes, Pafford’s Special Response Taskforce deployed along the Gulf Coast to provide relief to the affected communities for 75 days.

“We’ll never be able to fully express our gratitude to not only our management teams, but to our boots on the ground who have been in the trenches remaining strong and vigilant,” says CEO, Jamie Pafford-Gresham. “Our men and women have gone beyond the call of duty–– suiting up, serving others, and their communities on the frontlines of healthcare.”

Harris County Emergency Corps in 2020

Harris County Emergency Corps
Houston, Texas
252 Staff | 72 Quarantined in 2020

As a premier mobile integrated healthcare organization, and the only Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) accredited agency with headquarters in Houston, HCEC operates as a 501c3 Non-Profit organization.

HCEC was the first EMS agency formed in the state of Texas and serves approximately 400,000 citizens within 76 square miles for Harris County Emergency Services District #1. HCEC operates 9 MICU ambulances 24/7 and 2 peak ambulances staffed 12 hours a day from 8 EMS stations strategically located throughout the territory to provide optimal response times.

HCEC also provides event medical coverage for many of Houston’s major sports teams and venues, trains clinicians with highly specialized classes, and leads Houston’s first Community Health Paramedic (CHP) Program. In addition, EMS and Fire dispatch services are provided for 11 agencies by our Communications Center recognized by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) as an Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE).

HCEC is committed to Professional Service, through Progressive Medicine, in order to continue Preserving Lives every day.

Disaster Response is nothing new to HCEC. Not only has our service area endured extraordinary damage from Hurricanes Rita, Ike, Harvey, and 2 major flooding events, but Harris County and the Houston area has also seen some of the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the State of Texas.

As part of our early response to the pandemic, the Communications center implemented new screening tools for identifying caller’s COVID-19 symptoms, and Part time event medics staffed dedicated PPE units. The Clinical team also created specific guidance and flowcharts for COVID-19 responses, transports, and exposures to keep our team healthy and safe.

To support our staff, the HCEC Management team hosted daily conference calls and connected with employees through virtual Town Hall meetings. Since in-person events were no longer possible for 2020, HCEC provided daily meals and contactless snack basket deliveries for our crews and showed our appreciation by posting recognition signs at their homes.

To support our community, HCEC volunteered with Gallery Furniture and Kroger to help distribute 2000+ meal kits to Seniors in and around our service area when access to stores were limited.

NorthStar EMS in 2020

NorthStar EMS
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
410 Staff | 51 Quarantined in 2020

NorthStar EMS (NEMS) began operations on April 1, 1992 with two ambulances serving Northport, Alabama. The goal was to provide “Excellence in Prehospital Medicine” to our community.” Since that time, NEMS has grown into Alabama’s premier ambulance service operating 80 ambulances and support vehicles with over 400 field, communications and support personnel providing ALS/BLS services throughout central Alabama. Our mission statement is to “Provide personalized and professional care to our communities.” This Mission along with our Core Values center on our patients and customers, thus serving as our compass, ensuring that the business of ambulance service and related care is delivered on a human scale — one person to another, with compassion and respect. Recognized as the first EMS agency in the State of Alabama accredited by both the Commission on the Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) and the International Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatch as an Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE), NEMS is at the forefront in helping shape the future of EMS in Alabama.

NEMS began 2020 preparing for CAAS re-accreditation when the year quickly devolved into an unprecedented national disaster, not witnessed in modern EMS system design. As COVID began to take root in the US, we were trying to understand how this virus might impact our Team and our ability to serve our communities. As acquiring Personal Protective Equipment became an issue, as suppliers were overwhelmed with orders, so too did incidents of exposure resulting in having to quarantine our providers. Our EMS model shifted from monitoring response-time standards to a more basic model of having units available for the request for service that seemed to grow exponentially. Not unlike disasters of previous years, our providers stepped up to the plate. Working with limited staffing, facing the daily risk of acquiring the virus, one-by-one patients were transported longer distances under more acute circumstances. Paramedics/EMT’s watched as their partners were stricken with Covid-19, some spending time in ICU, others experiencing lengthy hospital stays. Through all of this they continued to meet the needs of their community, responding to and transporting Covid positive patients daily.

EmergyCare in 2020

EmergyCare
Erie, Pennsylvania
280 Staff | 16 Quarantined in 2020

EmergyCare is one of the largest non-profit ambulance services in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, covering more than 2,100 square miles and protecting approximately 300,000 lives The service lines that EmergyCare provides include Emergency and Non-Emergency medical transportation at the Basic / Advanced / Critical Care Life Support levels, inter-agency paramedic intercept response, paratransit (wheelchair) / medical taxi transport solutions, tactical paramedic / SWAT Team integration, and community outreach which includes educational safety programs. The operations team consists of approximately 230 wheelchair transporters, EMTs, PHRNs and Paramedics, and a fleet of 70 vehicles including 33 ambulances stationed in Corry, Erie, Titusville, Warren, and Kane, PA. Organization-wide, EmergyCare runs approximately 65,000 transports annually. EmergyCare’s Critical Care Transport Team brings the hospital ICU to the bedside of the patient. EmergyCare’s Tactical Medic Team integrates with local law enforcement agencies to provide critical medical coverage in high-risk law enforcement situations.

Quickly after COVID-19 became an issue in Western PA, EmergyCare was identified as a hospital surge resource, was identified and authorized to be Novel Disease Transport Team utilizing PAPR respirators, and received authorization from the PADOH to use novel disease transport equipment for long-distance COVID patients. Our organization stepped up our efforts to mitigate the impact on our staff and patients. Through grants, we secured funding to purchase ozone foggers to decontaminate our vehicles for each of our stations. We were able to work with local organizations to secure additional PPE. Our Administrative and Clinical staff were segregated to mitigate the potential spread of the virus and we instituted remote work where possible. As the provider of EMS education, our EMT and Paramedic classes were quickly transferred to remote virtual learning.

As Pennsylvania was considered one of the Presidential Election key swing states, EmergyCare EMS and Tactical Medical Team was called upon several times over the course of the campaign to provide services for both presidential campaigns by the Secret Service.

Monroe Ambulance In 2020


Monroe Ambulance
Rochester, New York

Founded in 1975 by Eileen Coyle, Monroe Ambulance has entered its 45th year of dedicated service to the greater Rochester community. The family-owned and operated organization with headquarters in the City of Rochester, from which they provide all levels of ambulance service to Monroe, Wyoming, and Orleans Counties. Their providers, along with their clinical leadership and utilization of advanced medical technology has resulted in Monroe Ambulance becoming one of New York’s most admired and trusted pre-hospital care providers.

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, alongside our brothers and sisters in the New York EMS community at the epicenter of the crisis, Monroe Ambulance supported the needs of Rochester and surrounding communities ensuring each call for service was answered. Responding to the continued trend of diminishing numbers of new EMS providers into the system (despite an increase in the need for EMS), Monroe leveraged its agility to develop and deliver virtual EMT classes in an effort to ensure our communities will be served regardless of the challenge posed with another wave of the pandemic. As the current Chair of UNYAN and Monroe Ambulance’s CEO and President, Thomas Coyle maintained his involvement with UNYAN despite the increased pressure and demand for his time preparing and responding to local effects of the crisis. He led the organization in a push for legislation to recognize and address the needs of EMS for the entire state, and the voice was heard.

Visit our website: https://www.monroeambulance.com.

Louisiana Ambulance Alliance In 2020


Louisiana Ambulance Alliance
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The Louisiana Ambulance Alliance (LAA) is a diverse group of EMS providers who promote emergency medical transport as a distinct concern in Louisiana; serve as a forum for a unified voice for healthcare providers, public officials, healthcare workers, educators and consumers working to improve emergency medical transport in Louisiana; provide a forum for the exchange and distribution of ideas and information related to the improvement of emergency medical transport; serve as an advocate for emergency medical transport, promoting improved health status and improvements to the health system for residents of Louisiana; and encourage the development of appropriate health resources for Louisiana.

During 2020, while struggling with the pandemic like the rest of the world, Lake Charles, LA was hit with one of the strongest hurricanes of the past 150 years. It left thousands devastated without electricity, clean water, or even a roof over their heads. Louisiana Ambulance Alliance deployed over 40 ambulances to the Lake Charles area before the hurricane to help evacuate the city and also in the following weeks to help with the ongoing relief effort. We are proud to have helped our home state during a time of need.

To learn more about LAA, visit www.LouisianaAmbulanceAlliance.org. For up-to-date information, news and updates, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Cape County Private Ambulance Service in 2020

Cape County Private Ambulance Service
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
61 Staff | 14 Quarantined in 2020

Cape County Private Ambulance was founded in 1968, responding to 911 emergencies and non-emergencies, transporting patients, and helping the community of 79,000 in 425 sq. miles of Cape Girardeau County Missouri. CCPA has 60 + full time and part time employees. We operate both ALS and BLS ambulances and crews. We provide emergency medical dispatch services taking calls from 3 separate 911 PSAPs.

To say 2020 has been an interesting and challenging year is really an understatement. We did not see a significant decrease or increase in call volume however the type of calls did take on a new look. We became quite proficient in donning and doffing our required PPE. Staffing and safety compliance began to take up more time and energy! We all learned to adapt to new ways of simply living and working in the COVID-19 environment. We volunteered to help with testing at several locations, and took PPE to facilities running short on the ever-important protective equipment. We had employees help with contact tracing through our local County Health Department. Overall, we felt the new normal never actually settled and each day brought different situations. Through all of this, we maintained our professional attitude and led by example in our profession. As difficult as this pandemic has been, we feel that our best was showcased in the health care arena. We hope to see an end to COVID-19 and will be ready to assist our community with whatever needs to be done to return to a virus free environment.

UT Health East Texas EMS | AIR 1 in 2020

UT Health East Texas EMS | AIR 1
Tyler, Texas
350 Staff | 129 Quarantined in 2020

Representing the very best in healthcare, UT Health East Texas EMS delivers an extensive network of emergency response resources covering 3.5 counties, over 4,800 sq. miles. With a fleet of over 55 ambulances, 4 EC-135 helicopters and 350+ caregivers and staff, our team handles over 80,000 EMS calls and over 57,000 emergency transports each year.

Licensed by the State of Texas for EMS transports since 1968; we support over 60 first responder agencies throughout East Texas with continuing education, training, medical control and medical supplies.

UT Health EMS is the only EMS service in East Texas to hold CAAS Accreditation (Commission on Accreditation Ambulance Standards). UT Health East Texas EMS earned CAAS accreditation in 2019 for the fourth time – most recently with a perfect score.
UT Health EMS was the first EMS service in East Texas to hold ACE Accreditation (Accredited Center of Excellence) from the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch while the UT Health East Texas AIR 1 program was the first in Texas to be CAMTS accredited.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UT Health EMS has experienced record 911 call volumes; with an increase of 10% 911 calls year over year.
UT Health EMS has been on the frontline for information; not only for the citizens we serve, but the multi-county first responder community. From the beginning, UT Health EMS has provided on-going medical updates and education to both city and county agencies through online webinars and teleconferences under the direction of our Medical Director, Yagnesh Desai, MD.
UT Health EMS trained, and later deployed, multiple COVID-19 Testing Strike Teams to address nursing home outbreaks at several hotspots throughout the region.

From the start, UT Health EMS was a main point of maintaining a supply chain and the distribution network of PPE resources to first responders, both in and out of our service areas. This included a distribution of over 970 gallons of sanitizer and hundreds of high-end respirators.
In addition, UT Health EMS sent ambulances and crews to assist with Tropical Storms Laura and Marco affecting the Texas/Louisiana Gulf Coast.

Emergency Ambulance Service in 2020

Emergency Ambulance Service
Brea, California
80 Staff | 18 Quarantined in 2020

Brea, California based Emergency Ambulance Service (EAS), a family-owned and operated business, has been a respected leader in the delivery of mobile healthcare for more than 40 years. Our company, which began in 1977, provides non-emergency and emergency medical transportation in the Los Angeles-Orange County Metropolitan Area, and responds to approximately 15,000 inter-facility and 9-1-1 transport requests each year employing a fleet of 16 ambulances staffed by highly qualified and caring EMTs, paramedics, and specialty providers. At EAS, we know that patient care is the single most important thing we do … Therefore, our mission is to strive to provide excellent medical service in a prompt, professional and safe manner. Quality patient care is the foundation of our business. We realize that our patients are the only reason we exist, and we feel they deserve no less than the absolute best we have to give.

2020 has been a challenging year for EMS in CA, not just due to COVID-19, but also because of the wildfires that have ravaged our state, civil unrest, and increased responses to overdoses and psychiatric emergencies. During this unprecedented time, we have continued to provide service, including supplying an ALS ambulance for 2 straight months at one of CA’s Alternative Care Sites, transporting hundreds of COVID-19 patients, responding to incidents stemming from civil unrest, and deploying units for weeks at a time on the fire line. Despite the situations encountered, we have been fortunate to be able to remain active in the community, promoting EMS and Nurses Week’s, and reaching out to the public via social media, raising awareness of the “Safer at Home” order, the importance of learning CPR, and ensuring persons follow CDC guidelines to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Global Medical Response in 2020

Global Medical Response
Lewisville, Texas and Greenwood Village, CO, Texas
38,000 Staff | 3,838 Quarantined in 2020

With more than 38,000 employees, Global Medical Response teams deliver compassionate, quality medical care, primarily in the areas of emergency and patient relocation services in the United States and around the world. We provide end-to-end medical transportation as well as fire services, integrated healthcare solutions and disaster response. Our mission statement is providing care to the world at a moment’s notice. With our extensive resources and experience, we are able to work with our partners and communities to develop integrated solutions that capitalize on our national strength while providing care at the local level. Each of our companies have long histories of proudly serving the communities where we live. These include: American Medical Response (AMR), Rural Metro Fire, Air Evac Lifeteam, REACH Air Medical Services, Med-Trans Corporation, AirMed International and Guardian Flight. Combined, we completed 4.9 million patient transports last year utilizing 7,000 ground vehicles, 111 fire vehicles, 306 rotor-wing aircraft and 106 fixed-wing aircraft. We are the largest medical transport company in the world, focusing on intimate and high-service solutions at a local level.

In response to the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, GMR activated its National Command Center (NATCOM) in Dallas, Texas on January 28, 2020 to oversee, monitor and manage GMR’s response to the pandemic. GMR leaders also worked with state and federal agencies to deploy teams for screenings, transports and evacuations. On March 30, GMR began deploying AMR crews and ambulances in response to FEMA’s request for ambulances and EMS personnel to the Northeastern United States. In total, GMR sent three large deployments to New York and New Jersey which included 1,600 caregivers and 500 ambulances to supplement local EMS. As the COVID-19 pandemic continued to spread throughout 2020, GMR sent 50 ambulances and more than 110 personnel to southern Texas, and 25 ambulances and 70 personnel to hard-hit communities in Minnesota. In addition to the COVID-19 response, GMR teams also responded at a moment’s notice to communities impacted by the northwest wildfires and hurricanes. As part of AMR’s FEMA contract, GMR deployed more than 1,600 personnel, 600 ground units and 25 aircraft in response to Hurricanes Laura, Delta and Zeta.

REMSA in 2020

REMSA
Reno, Nevada
500 Staff | 300 Quarantined in 2020

REMSA is a high-performance, high-value, out-of-hospital healthcare provider and emergency medical services agency headquartered in Reno, Nevada. Since 1986, through an exclusive franchise agreement, REMSA has served the region as a private, nonprofit, community-based organization funded only by user fees with no local tax subsidy. REMSA’s ground ambulance program responds to ~80,000 calls for service and transports ~57,000 patients annually. REMSA is composed of Care Flight – a ground and air critical care transport provider, the Center for Prehospital Education – a licensed, post-secondary education institution and its fully accredited medical dispatch center which manages ~250,000 calls annually and offers a co-located Nurse Health Line. REMSA and Care Flight are Always Ready.

Despite civil unrest, record-breaking heat and weeks of heavy smoke due to wildfires, as well as the global pandemic, employees remained optimistic, committed to safety and provided compassionate, clinically-excellent patient care. We are pleased that our Logistics department anticipated the need for PPE and stockpiled enough for providers and patients as well as donations to first response partners. The health district, overwhelmed by calls, asked us to launch and staff a 24/7 COVID-19 call center; from March through September, 28,514 calls were answered. More than 60 process and practice changes were made including an employer match of an additional 80 hours of paid time off for sick employees, pandemic protocol call-taking and a tiered response system. In other news, we launched on-demand healthcare programs, graduated paramedics, offered CPR training, added ambulances to our fleet, refurbished a mobile operations center and earned CAMTS reaccreditation. Plus, we announced a new team of FTOs, delivered 200 flu shots to homebound citizens and consistently outperformed other organizations of similar size on the EMS Survey.

Newman’s Medical Services, Inc. in 2020

Newman’s Medical Services, Inc.
Mobile, Alabama
80 Staff | 2 Quarantined in 2020

Newman’s Ambulance has been serving the Mobile and surrounding counties in Alabama since 1939. Newman’s Ambulance is the oldest privately owned ambulance company in Alabama and the second oldest privately owned in the United States. We pride ourselves on upholding the highest standard of professionalism and using the most advanced technology. Our goal is to give the best service to our patients while maintaining a deep sense of care for our patients and their families. Our company has a fleet of 20 ambulances. The services we offer to our community are emergent transportation, non-emergent transportation, critical care transportation, wheel chair transportation and event standbys!

We have experienced our share of challenges through the COVID-19 pandemic. Though we encounter several COVID positive patients daily, we go above and beyond to make sure our crews are well suited for the call. We’re thankful for PPE protection and several other forms of equipment and protection, which has kept our crews safe to continue to serve our community well!

CareMed EMS Of Mississippi in 2020

CareMed EMS Of Mississippi
Oxford, Mississippi
121 Staff | 8 Quarantined in 2020

CareMed EMS was established in early 2017 initially operating out of Lafayette County, Mississippi the hometown of University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss. Through the use of advanced and basic life support ambulance services our mission is simply to treat our patients as if they are our own family member. After just a few years CareMed EMS was able to expand, serving multiple counties in North Mississippi and citizens of Eastern Tennessee. With roughly 20 ambulances on the road at all times CareMed has been able to provide employment to nearly 130 people.

Over the short time that we have been operating, our crews and leadership have worked hand-in-hand to serve the community not only in a capacity as an ambulance service but also educating and volunteering. We are super blessed to have former military members on our staff as incredible instructors and leaders. Many of our members work or have worked with fire or law enforcement along the way in their career. This allows us to strengthen our relationships with the other departments that we will work with on a scene.

People that work in the EMS industry tend to experience and see things that would not be considered normal. As a result these individuals gain a unique perspective and become extremely effective in tough situations. COVID-19 has impacted communities in numerous ways, we’ve seen it firsthand and continue to adapt and respond to the ever-changing world. Costs for ambulance companies has significantly gone up since the beginning of 2020 mostly due to extra supplies needed and specialty equipment required. What we have experienced in the past few months is that emergency transports have significantly decreased. As costs and expenses increase or stay the same and transports decrease, the bills still need to be paid. This is one of many issues private service companies must deal with but as always we will prevail while not losing track of the main mission.

Regional Ambulance Service in 2020

Regional Ambulance Service
Rutland, Vermont
76 Staff | 6 Quarantined in 2020

Regional first began operation in 1983. A board of directors came together to create a service that provides 911 service to 11 towns 24 Hours a day, 365 days a year. By 1990, Regional Ambulance Service had become a Paramedic service providing Advanced Life Support to the community. We now have 7 ambulances and over 50 state and nationally certified personal. We cover the regional area including; Castleton, Chittenden, Clarendon, Ira, Killington, Mendon, Pittsford, Proctor, Rutland City, Rutland Town, Shrewsbury and West Rutland. This past year we had responded to over 9,000 calls. On every call we continue to follow our motto; “Serving People First with Pride, Proficiency and Professionalism”

COVID-19 has brought many stressors during what can already be a stressful career. Our service started out with a shortage of PPE. This brought our community together to help everyone get through these times. We had local businesses providing hand sanitizer, and community members creating masks for our employees. Our community helped by donating dinner to our crews while on shift. Coming together has given everyone hope and strength to keep doing the best we can with what we have been given.

Our service has been helping with the State Health Department in collection sites. We have also been driving door to door in our community for collection for those who are unable to make the pop-up sites. Regional Ambulance Service have been proactive in the VT EMS by purchasing serializing equipment. We have been able to use this equipment not only for our own ambulances but have been able to offer them to surrounding services as well. Together we are stronger.

Gold Cross Ambulance in 2020

Gold Cross Ambulance
Salt Lake City, Utah
483 Staff

Gold Cross Ambulance was founded in 1968 with the vision of providing quality medical care and customer service to anyone regardless of race, creed, color, religion. or the ability to pay.

Gold Cross Ambulance employs highly trained and certified paramedics, EMTs, and other medical professionals. With a fleet of specially-equipped emergency vehicles and a state-of-the-art communications center, Gold Cross responds to calls in Salt Lake, St George, Uintah, Utah, Washington Iron, and Juab Counties.

Gold Cross Ambulance exceeds all established standards for emergency response protocols and is fully integrated with other local, county, state, and national emergency response agencies to assure a seamless benefit to the community. The company is certified by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) and is the first ambulance provider in Utah to achieve this national distinction. Gold Cross is the 112th Center for Excellence with ACE Accreditation from the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch IAED.

In 2020, Gold Cross Ambulance in Salt Lake City, Utah met the challenges of COVID-19 by closing their buildings to non-employees and assessing the impact on EMTs and Paramedics. Extensive measures were implemented to protect employees, patients, and the communities they serve. As management learned more about the virus, they adapted and refined best practices.

Gold Cross established protocols to determine if a patient was exhibiting signs of COVID-19 so EMS crews could don PPE. Ambulances were routinely taken out of service and crews performed a stringent two-hour decontamination process.

In addition to COVID-19 cases, Gold Cross teams were shaken by a 5.7 magnitude earthquake on March 18, but continued working. September 8, Salt Lake experienced hurricane-force winds that uprooted hundreds of trees, and Gold Cross crews were ready to assist. October 7, Salt Lake welcome the Vice Presidential Debate and Gold Cross worked closely with the Secret Service to assure the safety of the candidates.

2020 tested the company’s capability to respond to unprecedented events. Gold Cross has affirmed that they can withstand any crisis and are ready to react quickly and effectively.

A-MED Ambulance Service in 2020

A-MED Ambulance Service
Gretna, Louisiana
55 Staff | 3 Quarantined in 2020

Founded in 1996 by Frank Macera Jr. and Joseph Jaeger Sr., A-MED has grown from a two-vehicle transport service into one of Louisiana’s premier private ambulance agencies. New Orleans is a unique city whose people have clear expectations when it comes to caring for family. We are thankful that our community continues to trust us to deliver essential care at their most crucial time.

Frank and Joe’s vision was to be the best, not the biggest, and positively impact every life entrusted to us. Nearly 25 years later, we preserve that vision by keeping our patients’ and clients’ needs as our primary focus; and keeping our promise always to be there when they need us.

The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges for our team, on both a personal and professional level. At the organizational level, we worked tirelessly to provide access to top-of-the-line PPE and decontamination systems at all times to ensure the safety of our team and their patients. As we experienced this most challenging and uncertain time, we also experienced an incredible outpouring of love and support from our community. Our team regularly received coffee, meals, thank you notes, and sometimes even applause!

Our team faced a very active hurricane season in addition to the pandemic response, completing several facility evacuations and deployments to other impacted areas. No matter what the obstacle, every challenge was met head-on and overcome.

We are truly thankful to each team member for the strength, courage, and compassion you continue to demonstrate every day. Thank you for being a shining example of the EMS spirit!

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