Falls Memorial Hospital and the International Falls Ambulance Service are seeking community input into a proposal to change local ambulance service from basic life support to advanced life support.
An open forum to discuss the proposal is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Thursday at Rainy River Community College room H100.
A community task force is considering all aspects of the transition, which members believe could be a more cost-effective option to helicopter travel and would not be as impacted by inclement weather.
The change from basic to advance life support would mean patients in critical condition could be transferred from Falls Memorial Hospital to a trauma hospital via ambulance, rather than only via helicopter.
FMH Nursing Supervisor and Emergency Room Manager Terry Ehrman serves as co-chair of the task force. He said the top most priority of emergency health care providers is getting patients in critical condition to a trauma hospital as quickly as possible.
“Our work is essentially a race against time,” Ehrman said. “We believe transitioning local ambulance service from basic to advanced life support would give us an advantage in that race, allowing us to help more patients and families.”
The community task force received a $10,000 grant from the Minnesota Office of Rural Health and Primary Care to fund a feasibility study examining the possibility of changing from basic life support, which is provided by emergency medical technicians, to advance life support, provided by paramedics in conjunction with EMTs. Advanced life support encompasses procedure considered “advanced,” such as cardiac monitoring, endotracheal intubation, intravenous therapy and other life saving procedures.
Falls Fire Chief Jerry Jensen serves as chief of the ambulance service. He said ambulance service members are exited by the possibilities the grant brings to the community. “It makes sense to at least look into the benefits of offering comprehensive life support services in a rural location like ours,” he said.
Through the grant, the organizations will contract with an emergency medical services consultant to study the current design of the service, assist in determining the costs and benefits of moving to advanced life support services, and plan implementation.
“We encourage anyone who has been touched by this issue to come to the open forum and share your experiences,” Ehrman urged. “It is important we have information from our community members as we work toward making this project a reality.”
If you go:
WHAT: Public forum on ambulance service
WHEN: 6-8 p.m. Thursday
WHERE: RRCC Room H100
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