National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week is May 21-27

National EMS Week honors the lifesaving care EMS providers offer nationwide, 24-hours a day, seven days a week

The area ambulance services who commonly arrive with patients at Veterans Memorial Hospital (listed in alphabetic order) includes the Caledonia Ambulance, Harpers Ferry Rescue Squad, Lansing Ambulance Service, Monona Ambulance Service, New Albin Fire, Postville Ambulance Service, Waterville Rescue Squad, all in addition to the Waukon Veterans Memorial Hospital service.

Last fall, Veterans Memorial Hospital, the Veterans Memorial Hospital Healthcare Foundation and the Waukon Rural Ambulance Board together approved and purchased a new ambulance for the Waukon service area, bringing the paramedic service up to three fully equipped ambulances. This new ambulance is also the first four-wheel-drive ambulance for the service. The City of Waukon then constructed an addition onto the current city ambulance garage to house the new, third ambulance, which is pictured above.

The hospital’s ambulance runs have increased by over 75% in the last five years, averaging 1.7 runs per day and eight to 10 transfers per week.  Prior to this purchase, many times both ambulances would be tied up, requiring mutual aid from another service or leaving an EMT on-call with only a jump kit and their personal vehicle for a possible third emergency.

Veterans Memorial Hospital’s paramedic service also now covers other area services when they are short staffed, especially during the daytime hours, and provide cardiac back-up for the entire service area.

More volunteer EMTs are always needed. Veterans Memorial Hospital, in cooperation with Northeast Iowa Community College Business and Community Solutions, offers an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course in Waukon through video conferencing being broadcast from Calmar.

Areas of study during this 138-hour course include an introduction to emergency medical services systems, roles and responsibilities of EMTs, anatomy and physiology, medical emergencies, trauma, special considerations for working in the pre-hospital setting, and providing patient transportation.

With this certification, individuals are able to volunteer on their own community’s ambulance service or rescue squad, as well as be prepared for careers in emergency services. Tuition assistance is available to those who meet eligibility requirements.

For more information, visit www.nicc.edu/solutions or call NICC Business and Community Solutions at 800-728-2256, ext. 399.   For more information about local EMT service opportunities, contact Jeff Mitchell, EMS Coordinator at Veterans Memorial Hospital, at 563-568-3411.