Heartland, Missouri Ambulance Response Times Improving

Nov. 9--More ambulances with more staff deployed in more areas of the city are making response times quicker on emergency calls, Heartland Health officials say.

A year after firefighters and the community criticized that lagging ambulance response times put lives at risk and a critical consultant's report recommended sweeping changes, Heartland Paramedics is inching toward meeting response time standards. Previously when ambulances traveled with lights and sirens on, they reached the victim or patient in eight minutes and 59 seconds, the national standard, only 64 percent of the time last year. Now they hit that mark 86 percent of the time.

"This is significant improvement," said Heartland Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert Permut. "All of this was part of an $800,000 investment this past year to improve our pre-hospital care." Heartland Health oversees the privately run service.

Heartland Paramedics Director Thomas Little said proof of quality improvements lie in numbers.

In November of last year, the service had six ambulances on St. Joseph and surrounding streets. Now there are eight. Last year, ambulances deployed only from the hospital. As of October, they are at seven strategic locations around the city. Statistical analysis on response times also have shown marked improvements, Mr. Little said.

Previously, two 24-hour ambulances and one peak-hour ambulance (10 a.m. to 10 p.m.) were staffed seven days a week around St. Joseph. Now, three 24-hour ambulances are ready, with an extra during peak hours. A fifth supervisory ambulance is anchored at the hospital. These improvements have translated to better response, Mr. Little said.

For life-threatening emergencies in St. Joseph, ambulances reach the victim 86 percent of the time within the national eight minutes and 59 seconds benchmark. For non-life threatening calls in the city, response within the 12 minute national benchmark has improved from 64 to 98 percent.

Outside the city limits, response on life-threatening emergencies within the 19 minute and 49 seconds goal has improved 64 to 88 percent. For non-life threatening emergencies, it has gone from 64 percent to 89 percent in the 19 minute and 59 seconds goal.

Mr. Little plans for 90 percent compliance on all levels next year.

Paramedics like Valerie Dutcher said the improvements have eased burdens on an already taxing job.

"We used to get a slap on the hand (for slow response times), but the system didn't improve because of resources," she said. "I don't think a lot of people realize there are a lot of outlying counties that come our way ... that we go out to."

Ms. Dutcher says working relationships with first-responder rescue trucks, or "the reds," which often beat them to the scene, also has improved.

"I understand the helpless feeling of our first responders on scene waiting for us," said Ms. Dutcher, who previously has worked as fire department first responder.

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