GETTING TO KNOW NORTH SHORE HEALTH

Get To Know North Shore Health EMS

By Karla Pankow, Director of EMS

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are essential in any healthcare system and are especially vital in rural communities like our own. However, there are many misconceptions surrounding EMS. Some of the more common ones include:

EMTs and Paramedics are just ‘ambulance drivers’.

• EMS professionals are highly trained medical providers that undergo extensive training in medical care, trauma care, and emergency response. They provide critical care, administer medications, perform life-saving procedures, and stabilize patients prior to arrival at the hospital.

EMTs and Paramedics are the same.

• Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) typically receive 120-150 hours of training and clinical time, while Paramedics undergo significantly more training and clinical experience, often over 1,200 hours over a year or longer. Both certification levels are required to pass state and national exams for their initial certification and they recertify every two years to keep their certification and education current. EMTs provide Basic Life Support (BLS) services, while Paramedics provide Advanced Life Support (ALS) services. Be sure to look out for a future post about the difference between BLS and ALS.

Ambulance services are free.

• Quite the contrary. Operating a 24/7, full-service ambulance department is expensive and our services are not always covered by insurance. In fact, reimbursements from insurance companies can be as low as 40% of our charges. For North Shore Health, the total amount that we charge for services in a year does not cover our direct expenses for salary, benefits, supplies, capital equipment, etc.

The ambulance is simply a ride to the hospital, similar to that of an Uber or taxi.

• EMS services go far beyond simply transporting patients to the hospital. EMTs and Paramedics provide care on numerous levels, from wound care, behavioral health support, and diabetes management, to high-acuity respiratory, cardiac, and trauma care, and everything in between. EMS professionals stabilize patients at the scene and provide ongoing care throughout transport to the hospital.
• NSH EMS responds to more than 911 calls. We consistently provide inter-facility transports for those patients that need a higher level of care. While the majority of our transports are to Duluth, our service also transports patients to the Mayo Clinic, various hospitals throughout the Twin Cities, and facilities throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota.

North Shore Health EMS is a volunteer service.

• We staff our ambulance service, 24/7, with paid EMTs and/or Paramedics and we are grateful for our EMR (paid Emergency Medical Responders) staff who also support us in driving some of our inter-facility transports. We do not staff volunteers. Our dedicated crew commits to long hours, consistent trainings, and spend a lot of time between calls assisting in the emergency department, radiology, and with lab draws for the lab.

In Cook County, we are unique in many ways. This translates into our staffing at NSH EMS, as well. 50% of our crew live within Cook County while the other 50% come from throughout Minnesota.

We have an incredible crew and I am proud to work alongside them.

For more information, visit: https://www.northshorehealthgm.org. Stay tuned for future informative “Getting to Know North Shore Health” articles published monthly in the Cook County News Herald.