Page 4 - South Florida Hospital News July 2021

Century Ambulance Employees

Did a 'Phenomenal Job'

BY LOIS THOMSON

According to Matt Johnson, general
manager of Century Ambulance Service,
Inc., the company's business in Florida
for the past 20 years has been "pretty
much the same – picking up patients
and moving them to a new location."
Then came COVID-19, and Johnson
admitted, "That kind of created a pause
in what we did, and we had to re-evalu-
ate all of our practices."
He explained that of course, Century
couldn't just shut down. "We had to
respond to the threat immediately, but
the information was new and we didn't Matt Johnson
know what we were dealing with. If
somebody says you have tuberculosis, offices were doing everything remotely,
we know exactly what we're dealing which was a new product for a lot of
with, but nobody really knew what people; as a result, some unfortunately
COVID-19 was. It's not the flu, it's not delayed care they probably needed. So
pneumonia, it's not TB; it's COVID-19. while we did see a slowdown in total call
What does that mean?" volume, the acuteness of those calls
The crews were concerned as well, went up."
asking what does that mean to me, what Comparing those volumes with the
do I need to do to not only treat the current ones, Johnson said that now that
patient but to also protect myself? everyone is emerging from the pandem-
Johnson acknowledged that everyone ic, the calls are at record numbers. "Now
had questions, but added, "We tried to that everyone is out and about again,
answer them as well as we could, but we doing their thing – there are car acci-
were dealing with the same information dents, heat exhaustion because they stay
they had at the very onset." He empha- out on the golf course too long. Those
sized Century Ambulance needed to types of incidents have definitely come
make sure its crews knew what they back as well."
were getting into and that they had the Johnson said that while Century
proper equipment to do their jobs. "Our Ambulance does have a general pandem-
commitment to them was that we ic plan on paper, "it's like hurricane fore-
weren't going to put them on a truck or casting. It changes every day." On the
put them out there unless they had 100 other hand, he pointed out that a hurri-
percent of all gear they needed to do cane is episodic – it comes in for two
their job." weeks, it's chaotic, and then things
In addition, the vehicles are always return to normal. In the case of COVID-
cleaned after a patient is transported, but 19, he believes it's not known when and
Johnson said that foggers – a device that if things might actually return to nor-
emits a mist inside the back of an ambu- mal.
lance to make sure it kills anything in "There are a lot of long-term effects
the air – are now also used. "We fog the that I think have yet to be discovered,
back of the ambulance to make sure that especially with our crews. But just the
COVID-19 – or anything else – is not fact that they were out there working,
transmitted, because we move a lot of not for a short time but for a very long
people in a day and we wanted to make term, I think some things are probably
sure we're doing our part to contain it, as going to continue to evolve, and hope-
well to protect our crews and the next fully we'll be able to continue to meet
patient." He said their system slowed those challenges for the staff."
down considerably with the amount of Johnson had high praise for Century
personal protective equipment the crews Ambulance's employees, saying they did
had to wear, the new decontamination a phenomenal job. "I can't say enough
processes, and also getting over fear of about them. We had to tell them, 'We've
the unknown of what they were actually given you all the information we know,
dealing with. we've given you all the equipment the
As for the calls themselves, Johnson CDC has said you need to have; now we
said, "We did see a slowdown in areas need you to do your job.' And our
where we actually do respond – where employees did a phenomenal job."
we're the 911 provider – but the calls we
did see were so much worse. People For more information,
were delaying care because they didn't call (800) 771-2829 or visit
want to go to the hospital; the doctors' www.centuryambulance.com.

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