An additional $6 million in the new state budget will help Pennsylvania Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agencies buy the tools and equipment they need to enhance the quality of care Pennsylvanians receive during times of crisis.
Department of Health Deputy Secretary Shane Lockwood highlighted how the additional investment from the Emergency Medical Services Operating Fund (EMSOF) will allow EMS agencies to purchase needed medical and safety equipment.
“When dispatched to a scene, EMS providers are already racing against the clock to administer life-saving care,” said Deputy Secretary Lockwood. “Serving in EMS is a calling that requires a steadfast dedication to provide the best care possible to all members of your community.”
There are more than 17,000 EMS professionals diligently and passionately serving throughout Pennsylvania. Every year, those providers respond to more than 2.3 million calls for help.
During a visit to Cetronia Ambulance Corps near Allentown, Lockwood joined local EMS leaders to demonstrate the state-of-the-art equipment that will soon be deployed to EMS agencies in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.
The EMSOF funds will be distributed through the state’s 13 Regional EMS Councils to purchase modern medical equipment for local agencies. Each EMS regional council evaluates the needs of the agencies in its area to determine how best to utilize the funding.
The Eastern Pa EMS Regional Council works with more than 120 EMS agencies and has invested $557,000 to purchase video laryngoscopes, intravenous (IV) pumps and automated external defibrillators (AED) to enhance patient care. The equipment will be distributed to EMS agencies in Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton and Schuylkill counties.
Video laryngoscopes provide a precise view of a patient’s airway during intubations, allowing EMS professionals to perform the procedure in the field with greater precision and speed while reducing the risk of complications.
All agencies within the region will use the same equipment for quality assurance and to successfully track usage and success rates.
Modern intravenous pumps help EMS professionals deliver life-saving fluids and medications to patients more efficiently than traditional manual methods.
Automated external defibrillators treat sudden cardiac arrest by sending an electrical shock to the patient’s heart to restore a normal rhythm.
“This investment in lifesaving technology within our EMS system will help define and strengthen its mission for years to come,” said John Kloss, Executive Director of Eastern PA EMS Council.
