The old saying during difficult economic times is “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” That is a challenge when the item is an ambulance, but Sebasticook Valley Hospital (SVH) found a way. Ambulance are driven 365 days a year in all kinds of weather on all kinds of roads taking a serious toll on the engine and tires as the EMS (Emergency Medical Service) crew provides vital care to patients at the most vulnerable times in their lives . Above all, the first consideration in acquiring any new piece of medical equipment is the ability to provide quality care and patient safety. The next consideration is cost effectiveness – obtaining the best product for the best price.
Despite the wear and tear on the ambulance’s mechanical parts, the vehicle’s body, unless damaged in service, remains in good shape. So SVH took an ambulance they already owned with an engine that needed to be retired and had the vehicle specially retrofitted for a new engine, saving approximately $60,000 when compared to the cost of a new ambulance. The revitalized ambulance has arrived and is ready to serve many more patients in the Sebasticook Valley.
For the safety of patients and those who staff the vehicles, it is imperative that SVH maintain their ambulance fleet with safe, updated, and reliable vehicles. This revitalized vehicle will do just that. The majority of hospital admissions come from patients admitted after having been seen in the Emergency Department. Many of these individuals come by ambulance. In addition to providing emergency transport and care in the region, SVH ambulances are also called upon to transport patients to tertiary care, when necessary, to hospitals such as Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.
The SVH Ambulance Service also provides community benefits such as being available for disaster drills and for community and school sporting events, providing care and transport, if necessary, during medical emergencies. EMS staff have also traveled to area schools to provide education to students. For young students, it helps allay their fears of ambulance transport and for older students, the Ambulance Service has staged mock accident scenes to help teens understand the consequences of reckless driving or driving under the influence. |
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