As the COVID-19 story continues to unfold, I
want to share some details of our response to the pandemic and
operational plans for Monroe Ambulance as they relate to our employees
and the communities which we serve and our First Responder partners.
First, know that the safety and welfare of our employees is our top
priority. Education through daily updates, one-on-one verbal
updates, daily pre-shift screenings and aggressive decontamination
protocols have been put into action.
Beyond the welfare of our staff, the goal of
our leadership team is to ensure we continue to provide the very best in
delivery of prehospital care to which you have become accustomed.
To that end, we are adapting our operations to the dynamic landscape of
this healthcare crisis as information and updates are available.
We have implemented a COVID Response Team meeting twice daily to
exchange information gathered from all available sources such as local,
state and federal agencies and distil actionable summaries to our
employees ensuring crew and patient safety.
9-1-1 Calls and
Emergency Response Protocol Updates
Should you dial 9-1-1 in Monroe County for a
Medical Emergency, Emergency Medical Dispatchers will be asking
additional questions to callers that report symptoms related to the
Coronavirus. The responses to these questions are being forwarded
to the responding Ambulance crews to ensure that they take appropriate
precautions for their welfare and that of the patient and their family.
Monroe Ambulance will follow strict protocols
when we respond to Medical calls with reported patient symptoms that
have been associated to COVID-19 virus, including fever of 100°F or
higher, cough, body aches, sore throat, and/or difficulty breathing.
These evolving protocols have been developed through recommendations the
CDC, NY State Department of Health and local health officials with
consideration of the latest effective precautionary measures.
Currently, this may include the donning of gloves, eye protection,
masks, face shields, and gowns. Additionally, patients may be
asked to wear a mask as appropriate. These precautions are to mitigate
the spread of the virus.
Until such time as the risk of exposure is
under control, we are limiting additional riders in our ambulances, and
for those cases of suspected communicable illness it will be disallowed
entirely. While we understand this may be inconvenient for family
members, limiting the spread of this virus must be a top priority.
Decontamination
and Disinfecting
Our standard operating
procedures have required adherence to an ambulance decontamination
protocol after every patient transport. The disinfectant used has
been confirmed to be effective against the COVID-19 virus by the Center
for Disease Control (CDC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Additional measures within our facilities
have been implemented to lessen the possibility of transmission of the
virus between personnel, including an increased frequency of
disinfection of door handles throughout the facility, restroom
decontamination. To further reduce the number of interactions
between employees that could result in transmission of the virus, we are
defining separate work areas for administrative staff, crew and
dispatchers.
Employee Welfare
With the wellness of our employees at the highest
priority, we will continue to provide them the latest information with
respect to COVID-19 and other relevant topics daily.
Unfortunately, exposure is but one concern. This crisis is
impacting our employees indirectly, as their lives are being impacted
the same ways as the rest of us.
With the closure of Monroe County Schools, childcare will present a significant challenge for crew members without childcare arrangements to be availability to report for duty. Monroe is implementing flexible scheduling programs to adapt schedules of our providers, ensuring that the communities we are responsible to protect are being served appropriately.
Resources and
Latest Updates
We rely on our partners for the most up to
date information, including the following local, state and federal
websites that are kept current by government agencies:
Ø Monroe County
COVID-19 Resources -
www.monroecounty.gov/health-coronavirus
Ø NY State
Department of Health -
www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/coronavirus/
Ø Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) -
www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/
Thank you and be well,
Thomas C. Coyle
President/CEO
