THE FRONT LINES
Ambulance crews adapt with pandemic
Paramedics and EMTs are on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic on a daily basis, and Klay Hall, Hot Springs LifeNet director of operations, says they are having to make changes as the crisis evolves.
“We’re seeing things differently and making adjustments accordingly. It has definitely caused us to have to look at things through a different set of lenses and be extremely cautious with how we approach patient care and also how we keep our people safe,” Hall said.
As with any new virus, he said, there is uncertainty, but agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Arkansas Department of Health, FEMA and the National Highway Safety Administration provide information to them on how to handle their roles as pre-hospital providers.
LifeNet paramedics and EMTs are
screened by the agency before working each shift, Hall said, and no one has tested positive for COVID-19.
“One of the real challenges has been where we get our supplies and these items that are in high demand right now from all medical personnel,”
Hall said. “We’ve had to go to some nontraditional providers to try to find that PPE for our people. … We have adequate PPE, but I’m not where I’d like it to be, but nobody is I don’t believe at this point.”
LifeNet is veering away from the large companies they usually buy supplies from, and is looking to local stores for personal protective equipment during the pandemic, he said.
“Of course, the state and federal agencies provided some PPE to all medical providers early on and most of that has dried up, if you will, so basically anywhere we hear there’s some PPE to be had, we’re making phone calls to try to get a hold of that,” Hall said.
Aside from personal protective equipment, he said the agency’s staffing levels are adequate, although the “responses are a little bit down.”
“We have a lot of people staying home and because of that we’re just not making as many calls,” Hall said. “We don’t have as many cars on the roadways, we don’t have as many people in the workforce, just a lot of those type things that generate emergency response force, they’re just not happening.”
He noted that responses being down works to their advantage during the pandemic, as it allows paramedics to “slow down” and have a “safe approach.”
“We can take our time and we can really focus on doing the right things with our patients, so that’s been a help,” Hall said.
Dean Rush, who has been a paramedic since 2001, said the pandemic has brought new challenges to his job at LifeNet, requiring sharper customer service skills.
“For me, personally, I’ve been through Ebola, SARS, H1N1,” Rush said. “I’ve been at this a couple of minutes, so I’ve seen this before and I’m sure that some of the newer EMTs and paramedics, there’s another level of stress … we have to become a little more acutely aware that we’re in the public and they’re expecting this high level of care, and it’s not always easy. Your customer service skills have to be sharpened and I think we’re rising to that challenge.”
All-in-all, he said the best word he could think of to describe the challenges the pandemic has brought to his job is “inconvenient.”
“Lots of things going on and it isn’t as smooth in approaching people as it usually is because you have all the masks and glasses and gloves and everything,” Rush said. “And people have been extremely patient, I have found they understand it’s protection. We’re protecting the patient, family and obviously the EMS crew so that’s been the most challenging, if you will, it’s more cumbersome.”
Despite the challenges, support from the public has been a reprieve to the front line workers, he said.
“People who buy food for us, they’ll have it delivered, just randomly dropping those things off,” Rush said. “They’ve been extremely supportive. … And it’s not coming from one or two places, it’s widespread; the people are just generous, which is very good for us.”
Hall said the community has done a great job supporting all medical personnel, not just those in the pre-hospital setting.
“Also, I am very, very thankful for our paramedics and EMTs,” Hall said. “We have a great group of people who are providing for our community and citizens and I’ll tell you, I’ve just been so impressed by them and am very thankful that we have the team on the streets here in Hot Springs and Garland County that we do, they’ve done a fantastic job.”