Enhancements in coverage and patient services may soon be coming to Essex County.
Essex County Council Wednesday night agreed to allow a proposed enhancement plan for Essex-Windsor EMS to be included in upcoming budget deliberations. This would also include the development of a ten-year master plan for the agency.
Essex-Windsor EMS Chief Bruce Krauter says the enhancement plan now before county council is a step in the right direction as additional resources are becoming necessary.
"Call volumes have increased every year," says Krauter. "Our resources are being taxed. I'm looking to get more resources going into 2018, with a total of 23 full-time staff and additional ambulances."
While the proposed enhancements are a good start, Krauter says a master plan would give them a better roadmap for the future. The agency has never had a long-term master plan in place.
"That would be a guiding principle document to drive and aim Essex-Windsor EMS into the future, understanding where demographics are going, where the population base is going, the economic drivers," he says.
Those drivers include ups and downs in the local economy, the recruitment, and settlement of retirees and lower unemployment experience, according to the report submitted to the county council.
The last time Essex-Windsor EMS underwent an enhancement process was six years ago, with the same factors in place. Off-load delays, which occur when paramedics are unable to turn a patient over to hospital staff due to emergency room personnel being unavailable, remain an issue because they tie up paramedics in one location and result in increased response times.
Under the enhancements proposed for 2018, additional ambulances would be placed in Windsor's Jefferson and Dougall areas, as well as in Lakeshore.
The enhancements will now be discussed by county council during budget talks which will begin in a few weeks.
For the complete administrative report, click here.
