Hollidaysburg Ambulance Upgrading Skills of EMTs

The Hollidaysburg American Legion Ambulance Service (HALAS) is making some changes to better serve the Cove community, including offering training to upgrade the level of pre-hospital service that emergency medical technicians (EMTs) can provide.

HALAS, or Hollidaysburg Ambulance, as it is commonly known, offers emergency medical services to the southern part of the Cove from its Emergency Medical Services (EMS) substation in Martinsburg.

Rob Craig, HALAS's EMS chief, said that the service is putting a half-dozen EMTs through a course that will upgrade their training to Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT). AEMTs are able to perform some medical procedures that EMTs cannot. AEMTs provide the same services as an EMT, plus administer fluids and some medications and use the advanced medical equipment carried in the ambulance.

For example, Craig said, AEMTs can perform more medical procedures in diabetic emergencies than an EMT can. Paramedics offer the highest level of pre-hospital emergency care.

"The AEMT program allows us to expand to a higher level of care for the community," Craig said.

The current class of EMTs taking the AEMT training will complete their training and should be on the street in the spring, Craig said.

Other improvements

Some other changes being tried by Hollidaysburg Ambulance include using paramedics more efficiently, Craig said.

For example, if someone in Saxton needs advanced medical care, but only a basic crew is available from Saxton, a HALAS paramedic can use the HALAS SUV stationed at the Martinsburg Station to drive to Saxton to assist. That leaves an EMT crew still at the Martinsburg Station in case there's an emergency medical call in the Cove.

Previously, the entire crew would have gone to Saxton to assist, meaning that if there was an emergency medical need in the Martinsburg Station's area at the same time as the Saxton emergency, a crew would have to be brought in from elsewhere.

The change allows HALAS to more efficiently use its manpower, vehicles and emergency medical resources, Craig said.

Craig said that Hollidaysburg ambulance, along with most emergency medical services, continues to struggle with low reimbursement from health insurance companies.

When an emergency medical service provides medical care to a person, the medical service is supposed to be able to be paid for the services provided by the sick person's health insurance. However, in some cases, insurance companies are slow to provide payment or, in come cases, don't pay at all, Craig said. In other cases, payment for the services is sent to the patient, who fails to pass it along to the emergency medical service, he said.

In any case, the emergency medical service has then used its personnel and resources to provide emergency care but it does not get paid for its personnel time, services provided and equipment used, he said.

"Insurance income is often too low," Craig said.

"In some cases, we have to fight with insurance companies to get paid for services that we provided."

Those who want to maintain good emergency medical care in the community can help by making sure that any payments sent by insurance companies following an emergency medical incident are forwarded to HALAS, not retained, Craig said.

Sparking interest

Another problem that HALAS is facing is getting young people interested in the field of emergency medicine. Craig said that HALAS tries multiple ways to get people interested in becoming an EMT or paramedic, including offering ride-alongs on ambulances to nursing students.

"We're trying to get people interested because it is an interesting and exciting field," Craig said. "Some people do use it as a stepping stone to another medical career."

He said that HALAS tries other ways to get people interested in EMS, including visiting schools and participating in job fairs.

CPR training offered

Craig said that many people do not know that HALAS offers training for families and businesses in hands-only CPR. Knowing CPR can help save a life in a medical emergency by providing important care until the EMS crew arrives.

"For example, we'll train a dentist office staff on how to handle emergencies," he said. "For families, we'll teach CPR and how to help a choking infant."

For more information about the training offered, contact the HALAS main office at (814) 695-1421.

Memberships

HALAS, like many not-for-profit emergency medical services, offers memberships. HALAS conducts a membership drive, usually after Thanksgiving.

A membership with HALAS covers emergency transports and medically necessary transports to the nearest facility providing appropriate services. The membership program also covers the provision of non-emergency ambulance service for local service area transports, according to the HALAS website.

​All family members residing in the same household are covered under one membership. This includes unlimited emergency transports for the year of membership. One payment of $75 covers all members of a household from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31. Those interested in helping HALAS by buying a membership should call (814) 695-1421 for more information or to sign up.

'We will get there'

Although HALAS has challenges in finding EMTs and paramedics and getting payments from health insurance companies, the ambulance service is doing its best to serve the community's needs, Craig said.

One important thing for the community to understand is that EMS crews sometimes get very busy with multiple calls.

"We do our best to get there in a time of emergency," Craig said. "But our crew might be out on another call and the next closest crew might have to come from Duncansville or Hollidaysburg. It might seem like it is taking the crew a long time to get there, but I assure you that they are doing everything they can to get there as fast as they can. Sometimes a crew is going to be delayed by traffic or just the distance they have to travel. When you call 9-1-1, no one is just sitting around," he said. "We will get there. Please be patient."