IREDELL COUNTY, N.C.,None — Nearly two months after assuming control of convalescent ambulance services to transport non-emergency patients, the Specialty Service Unit of Iredell County Emergency Medical Services is well into the process of hiring additional employees and obtaining new equipment.
The department started developing a “plan B” some time ago, but stepped up its efforts after County Manager Ron Smith informed Iredell EMS Director David Cloer that private ambulance service Nucare Carolina was planning to discontinue its services in December of 2011.
“It is a work in progress,” Cloer said.
The new unit will consist of 11 additional employees -- four paramedics, four emergency medical technicians, an operator to dispatch calls through the communication center, a quality control employee and a coordinator to oversee the unit.
The Iredell County Board of Commissioners approved a five-year, $500,000 loan to develop the new unit in December. It is expected to operate like a self-sustaining business, Cloer said, adding that he hopes it will offset the department’s impact on the county budget.
As of Thursday, paramedics within Iredell EMS had answered 932 convalescent calls since taking over the service. Emergencies will continue to take precedent until the unit is fully developed, Cloer said.
When everything is in place, each of the four new “sprinter” ambulances, which are currently under bid, will be staffed with one paramedic and one EMT, Cloer said.
The sprinter was selected for its fuel efficiency, he said, particularly in the case of long-distance transports. These vehicles will also be outfitted with bariatric stretchers and equipment.
The staffing each of these ambulances with a paramedic will provide the patient with access to care in route to the doctor’s office or hospital, Cloer said. In the past, Nucare would call Iredell EMS for assistance when transporting a patient without a paramedic on board.
“It gives us four extra paramedics,” Cloer said. “We could pull in extra units if needed” for emergencies.
Hospice and Palliative Care of Iredell County CEO Terri Phillips said she quickly received positive feedback about the level of care the Iredell EMS employees were providing patients.
“The compassion they have served with ... I think it has gone very well. They’ve really fulfilled the need we had," she said.
Cloer said the quality assurance position will make sure the services provided by both EMS units meet the standards set by outside agencies, such as Medicare, and provide better documentation.
EMS employees have stepped up to help during the transition, Cloer said, and are making suggestions on how to improve services, he said, including ordering IV pumps for the ambulances to insure consistency and poles to mount the pumps.
“It’s little things,” Cloer said.
WSOC
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