EMS Today JEMS

It’s a cold Friday night in January. You just finished an uninterrupted meal at the local Chinese restaurant with your partner when you’re dispatched to a house in town for an 88-year-old male with trouble breathing. You pull up to a one-story house, sitting slightly up on a grade. The lights are on and the front door is open. As you enter a musty smell catches you as you lock your eyes on an older male. He’s tri-poding in an old, worn, puffy rocking chair. It’s clear from his fast, shallow, pursed-lip breathing he’s in distress. You introduce yourself and accept his outstretched hand for a shake.
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In this episode, we interview Paramedic Jessica Thompson to talk about ambulance services closing in rural areas. The financial struggles faced by EMS providers, coupled with outdated reimbursement rates, have led many to economic collapse, forcing them to reduce staff or halt services altogether.
This reduction in services not only impacts the immediate area but also places additional strain on neighboring services, creating a domino effect that worsens response times and stretches resources thin across wider regions.  

JEMS Editor-in-Chief Dr. Ted Lee finds out what it’s like to work for Sunstar Paramedics in Pinellas County, Florida. Joining him is Malachi White, director of recruiting, and Capt. Shelby Papa, clinical services coordinator.

Dr. Peter Antevy sits down with EMS P.O.D. host Douglas Randell to discuss whole blood administration and sepsis treatment in the field.

Infection Control Consultant Katherine West discusses the role of EMS in combating norovirus.

JEMS Editor-in-Chief Dr. Ted Lee speaks with Melissa Taylor, RN, about mental health issues affecting all emergency responders.