Editors` Expressions: Three Cheers for Transport

"Editors' Expressions" is a recurring feature in which the EMS World editorial staff ruminates on current news, noteworthy events and everyday happenings with relevance to healthcare and EMS delivery. Feel free to react in the comment box below or e-mail editor@emsworld.com.

Much has been written on EMS World’s print and digital pages regarding the lack of recognition of the unheralded EMS first responders working during the COVID pandemic, placing themselves at personal risk to care for those who need them in their most critical moments. And rightly so.

If 9-1-1 responders are often overlooked, then EMS providers working in interfacility transfers and nonemergent transport may be even more so. And as readers of this blog know all too well, chronic conditions don’t go on pause just because there’s a global outbreak of disease. Patients traveling between care facilities and to and from scheduled appointments—such as frail or bariatric patients or those on dialysis—rely on professionally staffed ambulances to move them from point to point in non-emergency situations.

One such service is Integrated Medical Transport, which serves a 20-county region in central Pennsylvania. Medical transportation is provided by licensed EMS professionals and BLS and ALS services include deep suctioning, BiPAP, vent monitoring and administration, specialized medication administration, IV administration, cardiac monitoring and telemetry.

Integrated Medical Transport is offering ride services to the general public during the coronavirus pandemic. The company’s vehicles are cleaned twice between transports, once upon arrival at the pickup location and once following dropoff, adhering to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention clinical cleaning protocol guidance for EMS agencies, according to a company release.

Additionally, drivers undergo a body temperature check before their shifts and each is trained in PPE protocols to maximize infection control.

“While our country and our state continues to institute unprecedented measures to counter the spread of COVID-19, there are individuals who count on ride-hailing services and other public transportation options for essential travel,” said CEO Matt Rohman. “These individuals will be rightfully concerned about the risk of exposure to the virus and community spread. This is why we have decided to put our premium medical transport fleet to work as an alternative to ride-hailing services, ride-sharing services and taxis. Customers will not only have a comfortable ride but can take comfort knowing our vehicles are sanitized before and after each ride in accordance with EMS transportation standards.”

Integrated Medical Transport reduced its lowest medical transport rate for the purpose of general public rides. The company plans to offer transport services to the general public until the threat of COVID-19 has passed.

One of my close family members has been undergoing treatment for a longstanding cardiac problem for several years and has depended on EMS crews to transport him between facilities and to and from surgeries and medical appointments. He consistently lauds the professionalism, humanity and knowledge of the interfacility transfer crews regarding medical equipment and patient handling. Their attentiveness to making him feel comfortable and dignified during the trip continues to make a potentially stressful time less difficult. Our family deeply appreciates their skills.

EMS World is collecting nonemergent transport stories and would like to connect with those who work in this often-overlooked yet critical subset of EMS. E-mail editor@emsworld.com if you’d like to be profiled.

Stay safe.

Jonathan Bassett, MA, NREMT, is editorial director of EMS World. Reach him at jon@emsworld.com