Catholic Medical Center (CMC) launched a new service this month to help ensure patients are getting the right care, in the right place. The CMC Ambulance will take patients who are ready for discharge to a nursing home when another ride is not available.
“These patients no longer need hospital care, but they do often need some level of support in getting back to their nursing home,” says Kevin Drew, RN, BSN, NPR and director of emergency and trauma services for CMC.
The vehicle is staffed with EMTs, AMETs, and paramedics and is fully licensed as a State of New Hampshire transporting ambulance service. Currently, it is only available for the purpose of helping discharge patients to nursing homes.
Too often, patients are ready to leave the hospital but must wait until an ambulance service is available to take them. Over the last several years, increased demand and decreased staffing have limited the ability for ambulance companies to provide non-emergency services. The result is that patients stay in the hospital longer than they have to, which means new patients who do need to be in the hospital have to wait longer for a room.
This is especially felt in the Emergency Department where patients, at times, have had to wait up to a day in order for a room to be available.
“This service is a solution that helps all patients get the level of care and comfort they need,” says Drew.
The CMC Ambulance is a first-of-its-kind in the state and was made possible, in part, by generous grants from the Foundation for Healthy Communities and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.
Pictured L-R:
Michael Gilbert, MD, Vice President, Chief Medical Officer
Jennifer Cassin, MS, RN, CNS, CENP, Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer
Alex Walker, President & Chief Executive Officer
Lil Turner, Project Manager
Kelly Peters, Performance Improvement Consultant
Shawn Brechtel, Emergency Medical Services Coordinator
Kevin Drew, RN, BSN, NRP, Director of Emergency Services, Clinical Decision Unit, IV Therapy & Admission Nurses