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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (May 24, 2017)
National Emergency Medical Services Week May 21- 27 The Future of Western Lane Ambulance District The board of directors of Western Lane Ambulance District considers our District to have one of the finest emergency medical response teams anywhere. We intend to keep it that way as we continue strive to deliver our high standard of care in a timely manner to the people of our district. Our District faces several challenges as our call volume continues to increase while our population both grows and ages. Last year we exceeded 3,400 calls, a volume that was more than twice the call volume we had in the late 1990’s. At the same time we face ever declining reimbursements from insurance, Medicare and Medicaid. This coupled with our low tax base makes it very important that we work to get the most from the resources we have. We must continue to operate efficiently and effectively. One way we do this is by hiring and retaining quality employees, those that know their jobs, and know the area. Another option we are exploring is to look for ways to work with other agencies to better utilize the combined resources the taxpayers have provided. To that end, in 2016 the Ambulance District began a partnership with Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue where, though contract, or Intergovernmental Agreement, we have combined the administrative oversight of both. While this appears to be providing some initial cost savings to both districts, the long term benefits to the community, including improved efficiency, coordination and communication may well exceed our expectations. Regardless of the challenges we face, it is the mission of Western Lane Ambulance District to continue to “provide professional emergency services, transport, and community education with the highest standards of excellence” Sincerely, Mike Webb, Board President Western Lane Ambulance District Working Together For Our Community Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Western Lane Ambulance District (WLAD). Our Ambulance District is committed to providing the highest level of patient care possible while still ensuring that we are fiscally responsible. We accomplish this by training our personnel to the highest possible standards and by partnering with other organizations in our community. For instance, we are active members of the West Lane Emergency Operations Group (WLEOG) which is responsible for planning and preparing for disasters in our community. We are also in the process of partnering with Peace Health to begin the first Community Paramedic program in Lane County, and we have partnered with Siuslaw Valley Fire & Rescue (SVFR) to share administrative services. The sharing of administrative services with SVFR helps us do more with less and enables us to apply financial resources where it’s needed. Over the past five years, call volume for our District has increased substantially, and the number of times we need to transport patients out of our area has more than tripled. The increase in call volume and longer transports mean more wear and tear on our ambulances and the need for more full- time staff. These factors result in greater costs to the District. Our agreement with SVFR only combines the administrative teams of both organizations, and it is not intended to combine or interfere with the operational services of either District. Our goal is to make sure we continue to deliver the high level of service you have come to expect and ensure that our District is ready for the future. If you would like more information about the agreement between WLAD and SVFR, go to our website at https://www.westernlaneambulance.com where you can find a copy of the Inter-Governmental Agreement and the Implementation Plan. Thank you again for taking the time to learn about our District. A note from the Operations Manager Winner of 7 State of Oregon Awards for Outstanding Service and Excellence. e t u l a S t o “To provide quick, efficient, professional emergency medical services, transport, and community education with the highest standards of excellence.” This has been Western Lane Ambulance District’s Mission statement for the past four decades. Realizing that we will never be perfect, it is the pursuit of perfection that drives our organization to excellence. I’d like to take this opportunity to update the citizens of our District in how we strive for that excellence. Currently, we have 15 full-time Medics to provide care. Of those 15 employees, 8 are critical care trained to give an even higher level of care versus the standard certified Medics. Critical Care Paramedics are trained in hemodynamic monitoring, ventilator management, expanded IV medication infusions, as well as more education on human pathophysiology. The dedication and training that goes into this is an immense undertaking. The employees demonstrate this dedication daily – they truly want the best for their patients and work hard behind the scenes to pursue that perfection. To further our patient care, the District has always strived to have the best medical equipment and ambulances available. We have been fortunate enough to add two new ambulances – one as a primary unit, and one for hospital transfers. To date, our fleet consists of two transfer ambulances, three fully-equipped first out ambulances, and a Rescue vehicle for sand dune patient extrications. Currently, Western Lane Ambulance District and Siuslaw Valley Fire are approaching the end of the first year of our inter-governmental agreement (IGA). The IGA adopted by both Boards in July of 2016 has been challenging of which these challenges were anticipated. It is a concept that other agencies have done, some successfully and others not. The management team continues to address issues that arise. We strive to correct and improve that working relationship. Although we have experienced some difficulties in this IGA, there have been no setbacks in our level of service. Moving forward, I only see operations between the two improving. We have been able to rebuild relationships, and build our agencies together for the common goal of our communities’ stakeholders. The management team continually evaluates the IGA to ensure we are meeting the objectives and planning for future objectives. WLAD has been very fortunate to have long tenured Board Members who understand the importance of our mission statement. The WLAD Board is always supportive of our employees, ensuring that their needs are met, while remaining diligent about providing resources. WLAD Board is always conscientious of the taxpayers, always keeping financial accountability, oversight, and long term planning for the District. As I approach 20 years with WLAD, it is a source of pride that our Board supports our staff, and ensuring the tools are in place in pursuit of perfection. Our Public Education and Public Information programs will be rolling out new projects and new materials for the next year. This is exciting for me as we have always tried to demonstrate what services we provide to our stakeholders. Also, I want to address the Mobile Integrate Health Program (Community Paramedic). In conjunction with PeaceHealth, we are anticipating this program to start in the fiscal year of 2017- 2018. Funding is nearly complete on securing appropriate financing for this position, a two-year pilot program with the goal of making a mainstay of care for our residents. With my recent promotion into the Operations Manager position, my goal has only strengthened in providing the best EMS service for our community members. I’m not only envisioning us meeting our mission statement to the community, I see us continuing that pursuit of perfection in all levels of Western Lane Ambulance District. Sincerely, Matt House Western Lane Ambulance District Operations Manager Letter from Matt Danigelis, MD I have been an emergency physician in Flor- ence since 2003. Working in the emergency de- partment, I have had numerous opportunities to observe the EMTs and paramedics of Western Lane Ambulance District. These providers have consistently demonstrated competence, effi - ciency, and a caring empathetic approach. These qualities have been very effective in alleviating much of the anxiety and concerns that patients under their care often have. In 2008, I became the medical director of WLAD. In this role, I have witnessed the dedication of the ambu- lance crew, whether in main- taining quality assurance/ quality improvement mea- sures, community education, or in pursuing a higher lever of training. Florence has a large retirement community and, as such, its residents often have a medical complexity that belies the small size of the town. Many of the patients served by the district are critically ill and will eventually require transfer to a facility with more specialty services. Several of the paramedics at WLAD have become critical care certifi ed. This certifi cation requires intensive training in the evaluation and treatment of the most seriously ill patients. Having paramedics with these skills has been invalu- able in best serving the needs of the district. Western Lane Ambulance District has a knowledgeable, committed, and compassionate group of EMTs and paramedics. It has been my honor and privilege to serve as their medical director. Sincerely, Matt Danigelis, MD
