EMS Story Archives - Page 5 of 5 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Legislators Receive Update On EMS Recruitment Initiative

Legislators received an update on the state’s emergency medical services recruitment initiative during Monday’s interim meetings.

Earlier this summer, Gov. Jim Justice announced $10 million for the Answer the Call initiative, designed to recruit, train, and strengthen West Virginia’s EMS workforce.

Dr. Cynthia Persily presented the Joint Committee on Volunteer Fire Departments and Emergency Medical Services with various updates from the initiative, including initial results from a survey of the state’s EMS workforce.

“What we asked is how many years they thought they would be working as an EMS worker before they retired,” she said. “One thousand fifty answered this particular question. Three hundred fifty or close to a third of those people said they’d be retiring within the next zero to five years. So as we think ahead in terms of replacement of this workforce and the need for continued training, this is important information for us to have.”

Persily said the Answer the Call initiative is helping to keep the state’s EMS services going in the face of the high retirement numbers, with more than 500 people having been trained or currently in training through the initiative.

She pointed out that as CARES Act money, the Answer the Call funding must be spent by September 30.

“We are also continuing to work with adult ed on making sure that all of our EMT and paramedic grads are ready for testing,” Persily said. “As we talked about at the last meeting, we don’t have a great percentage of pass rate on our testing.”

She said the initiative has purchased 300 subscriptions to the Platinum EMS Testing Program to address that issue.

Persily also gave an update on the state’s initiative to provide every EMS worker with a medic pack, stocked with all of the equipment that they may need in order to be a first responder.

“We have a distribution plan, it will depend on when they begin arriving in the state,” she said. “Right now we’re on target for the first about 2,000 to come into the state at the end of the month.”

Dr. Beth Wolfe presented on the University of Charleston’s EMS Leadership Training.

“We’re very proud of what the students are already saying that they’re taking out of these classes, and giving back to their teammates, as well as their communities,” she said. “We see this leadership certificate as a way to recruit, retain and prepare EMS professionals to lead.”

State Proposes Increasing Medicaid Ambulance Reimbursement Rates To Balance Fuel Costs

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) wants to increase the reimbursement rates to ambulance service providers by 10 percent. This would match prevailing fees identified by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services geographic costs index.

“This is important for West Virginia’s Medicaid Program to ensure continued access to essential health care services,” said Cindy Beane, commissioner of DHHR’s Bureau for Medical Services.

The fuel cost for Cabell County EMS increased more than $100,000 this past year alone.

“We’re struggling with the fuel costs and everything; that’s going to be greatly appreciated,” said Cabell County EMS Director Gordon Merry.

According to the West Virginia Bureau for Medical Services, the rate increase is anticipated to go into effect on July 1.

W.Va. Bolstering Emergency Medical Service Workforce

The Community and Technical College System, EMS community partners and state lawmakers reviewed current education and training opportunities for emergency medical technicians and paramedics and looked at areas of need, the Republican governor's office said in a news release Tuesday.

West Virginia is allocating $10 million in federal coronavirus relief funding to bolster the state’s emergency medical services workforce, Gov. Jim Justice said.

The state will buy mobile ambulance simulators to allow educational programs in all regions and embark on a public relations campaign for EMS careers. To provide no-cost training, the community college system has provided a total of $870,000 to 21 facilities, the statement said.

In addition, 5,500 large bags containing essential emergency medical equipment and supplies will be distributed to EMS workers across the state.

“Through these new and expanded efforts to train more EMS professionals, not only will we reduce the burden on our existing workers, but we will also grow this profession in our state, safeguarding West Virginians for generations to come,” Justice said.

$10 Million Allocated To Help W.Va. EMS Agencies

Challenged with budget constraints and personnel shortages, some state emergency medical services (EMS) agencies, like Star City in Monongalia County and Tucker County EMS are suspending or limiting services.

West Virginia lawmakers now have a plan to help struggling agencies.

Del. Joe Statler, R-Monongalia, said Gov. Jim Justice has allocated $10 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for EMS agency relief.

Statler chairs the House Committee on Fire Departments and Emergency Medical Services. He said a bipartisan group of house and senate lawmakers have a plan for immediate short term remedies while working on a permanent fix.

Statler said he can’t reveal many details on the plan. When asked about a priority, he said recruiting and retaining qualified EMS workers looms as the top challenge.

“Keeping people in the field, whether it be by money, or just enough people to keep them out there to keep their services going and open,” Statler said. “So that is going to be a lot of what we’re going to look at.”

Statler said he will work on possible short and long term solutions during next week’s interim committee meetings. He said the $10 million must be spent by the end of September or revert back to the federal government. Only 32 of West Virginia’s 55 counties offer EMS services.

First Responders Given Access to W.Va. End-of-Life Registry

The West Virginia Center for End-of-Life Care has given first responders in the state access to its online registry.

Center director Dr. Alvin Moss says the addition of emergency medical services provider to the system will ensure that patients’ end-of-life wishes are respected.

Moss tells The Charleston Gazette-Mail that EMS personnel can access the registry while transporting a patient to see if the person has an advance directive. Advance directives allow people to outline what medical decisions can be made on their behalf if they are unable to because of illness or incapacitation.

He says the West Virginia Offices of Emergency Medical Services hopes to have EMS units across the state trained to use the registry by the end of the month.