Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
SILVER LAKE - The decision on which paramedic service to call when a critical medical emergency arises here was made easier Sunday.
South Central Kosciusko County EMS formalized an agreement with Multi-Township EMS of Warsaw and LifeMed EMS of North Manchester at a public hearing Sunday.
"We're here today to decide on a mutual agreement between us, MTEMS and LifeMed," said South Central Board president Jenny Steven. "Having an agreement down in black and white as to who will be called and when, will help us in providing the best medical care."
South Central provides emergency medical technician services to Silver Lake and the surrounding area, but relies on both MTEMS and LifeMed for paramedic services.
Under the terms of the agreement, all calls for paramedic service from north of CR 900S will be dispatched to MTEMS and all requests for service south of that line will be dispatched to LifeMed, Stevens said.
"The most important thing is that we get dispatched whoever can get there (to the patients) the quickest," said South Central EMS board member Cindy Dobbins in support of the agreement.
The formalized agreement will also assist dispatchers at the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department dispatch center to know exactly which service to call, when paramedic assistance calls are received, said Marvin Gheen, of LifeMed.
"The problem has been that some dispatchers haven't known what to do with the southern part of the county," Gheen said.
The formalized agreement will also save crucial minutes when it comes to transporting critical patients, Gheen added.
"There's nothing to preclude South Central from meeting either of us en route when there's a serious medical emergency," he said. "It doesn't make any sense to sit at the South Central garage waiting for an ambulance from North Manchester or Warsaw," he said.
The improved communication between all three services, the sheriff's department and Kosciusko Community Hospital will go a long way toward improving emergency care for the southern portion of the county, according to Carla Gerbet, emergency services coordinator for KCH.
"This is a good start. A lot of the times it's just some communication problems that get in the way of good patient care," Gerbet said of the agreement.
