National Emergency Medical Services Week May 16-22
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A Message from Chief Schick Thank you for joining with me in recognizing our EMS providers during EMS Week. We are so fortunate to have the men and women of Western Lane Ambulance District available to take care of our medical emergencies day or night. I have been associated with private and public ambulance agencies for 27 years and I can honestly say these are the best qualified group of paramedics I have ever worked with. I judge the quality of an organization a little differently than others. Most agencies look at response times or review calls to see if proper decisions were made. These parameters are important and WLAD does very well in those areas. I look at each individual and determine whether or not I would want them working on my family members. I can’t think of a more strict guideline than that and I am proud to say I would welcome any of my employees at my door at any time to treat those most precious to me. A major benefit of our program is that in most cases we respond with two paramedics on an
ambulance. Having two advanced care providers together on a scene results in a higher level of care to our patients and an extra set of eyes to ensure that the proper care is being provided. This can also come in handy during motor vehicle accidents where it is common to have multiple patients. While some may call this an extravagance I see it as delivering the level of care you deserve. WLAD has provided this extraordinary level of care without a tax increase since 2012! And not only is WLAD responding with two paramedics in most cases the paramedics responding to your emergency average over 12 years of experience, just with our agency. Many had years of experience prior to coming to work for us but we have made this the agency one that people want to come work for and once they are here they stay. It’s tough to put a price on experience but it certainly impacts the quality of our care. Thanks to all of the citizens of the Western Lane Ambulance District, your tremendous support means a lot to all of us. If you ever have a question about our agency or about care provided to you or your family please call or email me. I love to hear about the good things my employees have accomplished and I will work very hard to address any concerns you might have.
WLAD Mission Statement To provide quick, efficient, professional medical services and transport, and community education with the highest standards of excellence and compassion. If you or a loved one have had a need for Western Lane Ambulance Service, I know for a fact you were attended to by the best ambulance crew in the business! All of the employees truly believe in this mission statement, and live by it daily. We have 15 full time paramedics and EMT’s. Of those fifteen paramedics and EMTs, eleven are critical care certified, two are paramedics, and two are intermediate level EMTs. I really doubt if any ambulance district in the state is as qualified as Western Lane Ambulance District to care for you and your loved ones. I am asking for your support of Western Lane Ambulance District at the current level of taxes. No increase in taxes will be needed to meet our Mission Statement, or to continue the excellent level of service to you and your loved ones. If you see one of our great employees, please give them a smile and a thank you! John Murphey, Board President Western Lane Ambulance
Letter from Matt Danigelis, MD The world, and especially health care workers, have faced unprecedented challenges in the past year. While our community of Florence has been relatively insulated from the most devastating effects of the pandemic, additional challenges have arisen. A growing community, many of whose members are medically complex, have translated into increasing numbers of EMS calls. Higher volumes of patients in the emergency department, coupled with limited inpatient bed availability at Peace Harbor Medical Center due to staffing issues, has resulted in increasing numbers of transfers of patients to other hospitals, which strains our EMS system. Having paramedics trained in critical care medicine allows us to transfer pa-
tients in a timely manner without having to wait for a specialty care transport team from another facility to arrive, as is the case in many institutions. These paramedics are wellcompensated for their training and expertise, and the community benefits from their commitment to excellence. The coming year will undoubtedly by challenging in many respects. I am confident that the dedication of the crews at the Western Lane Ambulance District will ease the burden. Sincerely, Matt Danigelis, MD WLAD Medical Director