Spirit Medical Deploys Crews to Support COVID-19 Response

PRESS RELEASE

Spirit Medical Transport, LLC, sent four ambulances and crew members from its Greenville, Ohio, and Liberty, Ind., locations Thursday night to assist FDNY medics and firefighters in New York.

Early Thursday afternoon Global Medical Response (GMR) mobilized a second deployment of American Medical Response (AMR) crews and ambulances to New York City and has sent additional teams and vehicles to New Jersey, in response to a FEMA request to help the federal government and local emergency personnel respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the second major deployment in less than two weeks. On March 30, GMR deployed hundreds of EMS crews and ambulances to New York City in response to FEMA’s request. Those crews initially deployed are still assisting FDNY medics and firefighters in New York.

“This pandemic is devastating hundreds of communities, and our crews are answering the call to assist local emergency medical service providers in the hard-hit areas of New Jersey and New York,” said GMR Chief Operating Officer Ted Van Horne. “It is heartbreaking to see how this virus is affecting over 1.5 million people globally. Our teams train year-round to help with crises, and now they are deploying to use their expertise to help patients in extreme need. They are dedicated to the patient who needs them.”

AMR contracts with other EMS companies like Spirit around the country to assist with such deployments. The crews began work under the guidance of FEMA, state and local governments when they arrived at their assigned area Friday night.

“We are proud we’ve been entrusted to provide care to the world at a moment’s notice during this unprecedented time,” said Brian K. Hathaway, President/CEO of Spirit Medical Transport, LLC. “Ohioans and Hoosiers alike are concerned about COVID-19 and want to join in the fight. Our primary focus remains on providing adequate resources at home during this crisis. We have carefully selected the personnel and resources to send and this deployment will in no way impact our ability to meet our community’s own needs.”

GMR’s Office of Emergency Management activated the company’s National Command Center (NATCOM) in Dallas on Jan. 28 to monitor the spread of the virus closely and work with state and federal agencies to deploy teams for screenings, transports and evacuations. GMR’s medical leaders are working closely with the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization and departments of public health around the country.

“We continue to carefully monitor our crews—those who are part of the FEMA deployment and those who remain in their home communities—to ensure that they remain safe and healthy,” said Dr. Ed Racht, GMR Chief Medical Officer. Monitoring includes the following:

• Evaluation of each crew member, which includes symptom and temperature checks every 12 hours
• GMR’s online infectious disease screening platform (GMR’s MAST – Medical Assessment and Screening Tool)
• 24/7-staffed Nurse Navigation and Physician team to assess, screen and monitor employees who have been in contact with COVID-19 positive or presumptive patients
• Phone calls and check-ins to GMR crews or personnel who have been quarantined or are self-isolating

The company also deployed a mental wellness leader with the crews to assess, monitor and provide guidance on site.

“Our teams are seeing things they can’t prepare for, nobody can prepare for,” Dr. Racht said. “As we have seen happen in other countries, caring for patients with this virus also takes a terrible toll on the caregivers. We want to do everything we can to help them with physical and mental wellbeing as they are helping people suffering from COVID-19.”

AMR is the primary medical ground transportation division of parent company Global Medical Response. As the nation’s largest provider of ground medical transportation and FEMA’s prime emergency medical service response provider, AMR has a national agreement with FEMA to provide ground ambulance, air ambulance, paratransit services and non-ambulance EMS personnel to supplement the federal and military response to a disaster, an act of terrorism or any other public health emergency. Van Horne said teams prepare for emergency responses around the country with year-round training exercises, storing equipment and vehicles in strategic locations. This preparation enables the company to respond usually within 36-48 hours’ notice.

As FEMA's prime emergency medical service response provider, AMR has a national agreement with FEMA to provide ground ambulance, air ambulance, paratransit services and non-ambulance EMS personnel to supplement the federal and military response to a disaster, an act of terrorism or any other public health emergency.

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