Medstar Alliance

in Care & Caring

On September 3, 2021, at noon, healthcare providers from across Texas observed five minutes of silent reflection. It was 18 months ago that the first Texan was diagnosed with COVID-19. On March 3, 2020, most of us had no idea the profound impact the pandemic would have on virtually every aspect of our lives. Since then, 3.6 million Texans have contracted COVID-19 and, sadly, 57,869 have died as a result of the coronavirus.

Partners in Care

Throughout the pandemic, Lake Worth’s Fire and Police Departments and MedStar have partnered to provide outstanding service delivery while at the same time ensuring responder safety in the following ways.

• 9-1-1 Call Screening – Trained Emergency Medical Dispatchers at MedStar’s 9-1-1 center have been using specific call-taking protocols to identify calls for patients who may be at high-risk for having COVID-19. When the screening results in a high index of suspicion that the patient may be suffering from COVID, this information is relayed to the responding emergency personnel prior to their arrival on scene. Often, the responders will meet briefly on scene prior to patient contact to collaborate on the best way to assure quality medical care, while limiting the number of personnel who will be in immediate contact with the patient to help limit potential exposure to emergency responders. • On-Scene Patient Navigation – Many patients who are experiencing mild COVID-related symptoms do not require treatment at a local emergency department. Further, emergency departments are currently very crowded, and hospitals are struggling to keep up with rising patient volumes. If MedStar or Lake Worth Fire personnel assess a patient and determine they do not need immediate care at an emergency department, the patient is not transported to an emergency department but is provided with education and printed information on how to seek care such as further

routine medical care and testing as well as instructions on proper isolation precautions while in the home. This helps the patient receive the appropriate medical care while reducing demand on an already stressed healthcare system.

• Community Vaccines – MedStar and Lake Worth Fire Department, along with Lake Worth’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), conducted two community clinics at the Lake Worth Community Center to administer COVID-19 vaccines. MedStar and Lake Worth Fire personnel administered vaccines, and CERT members assisted with logistics and provided information about CERT & emergency preparedness.

• MedStar’s 9-1-1 response volume has risen at an alarming rate over the past month. Prolonged hot weather and COVID responses drove MedStar’s response volumes to historically high level during the month of August. Simultaneously, many of our team members are unable to staff ambulances due to a positive COVID test. These two factors have led to a significant strain on the ambulance component of the EMS system. MedStar uses an evidence-based emergency medical dispatch response prioritization system to prioritize 9-1-1 calls by potential clinical severity. Patients experiencing acute medical emergencies such as heart attack, difficulty breathing, or major trauma received a prioritized response, while patients with non-life-threatening conditions, such as minor trauma or complaints of nausea and vomiting, receive a lower priority response. This means that periodically, ambulance response times for lower acuity calls may be longer than usual and Lake Worth Fire and Police Departments may be on-scene with patients a bit longer than typical. Lake Worth’s emergency responders have been excellent partners in ensuring the patient’s needs are met – even during times of an extended ambulance response.

Caring Partners

Throughout the COVID pandemic, MedStar’s expenses have soared! Personnel expenses have skyrocketed due to overtime costs for employees working extra shifts for cover for other employees who are unable to work due to COVID-19, and costs for things like Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) have nearly tripled. An N-95 mask that MedStar purchased in January 2019 for $0.67 now costs over $3.00 (and they are using A LOT of them).

Due to the unique structure of MedStar as a regional independent government authority owned by the 15 member jurisdictions, including Lake Worth, MedStar is not directly eligible for most of the relief funding that has been provided by the federal government to state, county, and city governments. To help offset some of their additional expenses, MedStar asked member jurisdictions to consider allocating a small portion of their federal relief funding to MedStar to assist with their financial losses. The City of Lake Worth answered the call! Thanks to City Manager Stacey Almond, former Fire Chief and current Public Works Director Mike Christenson, and the members of the Lake Worth City Council, Lake Worth was one of the few cities that passed along a portion of their federal relief funding to help offset MedStar’s additional expenses!

Lake Worth residents and visitors are blessed to be served by their caring and knowledgeable city leaders who continually seek out ways to enhance services to the community and provide an outstanding emergency response system! In the face of these unprecedented times, Lake Worth’s leadership is proving that being partners in care, and caring partners, makes this community exceptional!