opinion
As emergency medical services directors and mayors who formerly served as EMS directors or paramedics, we understand firsthand the critical roles our ground and air ambulance paramedics serve in ensuring Tennesseans are getting the immediate care they need during life-threatening emergencies.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, there’s been a dramatic uptick in ground and air ambulance calls in our state. This is especially true in our rural communities, where ground and air ambulance service are working together to get patients the care they need, which often means transporting them to larger hospitals with intensive care unit beds.
Inaccessibility and price gouging
Recently, we were fortunate to discuss our community’s biggest needs in combating COVID-19 with U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s staff. We specifically voiced our concern with the lack of stimulus funding that EMS received for personal protective equipment and the inaccessibility and price gouging we experienced when we attempted to buy the additional PPE that EMS and others needed.
We also discussed the ongoing challenge that rural Tennesseans face in getting the emergency critical care they need with so many living hours from well-equipped hospitals. This problem has only escalated in recent years due to the large number of rural hospital closures in our state. In fact, 13 hospitals have closed in Tennessee in recent years, ranking us in the top five in the country for hospital closures.
Serving rural communities
Unfortunately, due largely to a misunderstanding, EMS got the short end of the stick under Congress‘ COVID-19 stimulus funding that provided PPE for essential first responders. That funding went to hospitals and fire departments, which very much needed it. In most cases, the funding did not make it directly to EMS front-line workers, which includes ground and air ambulance personnel because they generally work for independent companies, not directly for hospitals or fire departments.
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Additionally, EMS is not considered an “essential” service in Tennessee, which is an issue we’re actively working to correct with our legislature. The bottom line is that most EMS paramedics and emergency medical technicians didn’t receive funding to buy the additional PPE they need to properly care for COVID-19 patients.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, state and local EMS, and counties have worked together to get EMS crews the PPE they need in many cases, but obviously no one anticipated the impact of COVID-19. Some Tennessee counties used their emergency reserves to ensure that their local EMS personnel and others had the PPE they needed during this pandemic.
We also attempted to purchase PPE, but price gougers made it nearly impossible for us to get the supplies we need. Like everyone else trying to buy essential, high-demand supplies -- like gloves, masks, eye protection and Teva PPE suits -- we saw prices that were oftentimes more than double or triple their normal costs. We also found ourselves actually competing with the federal government to get these supplies.
Blackburn has been a champion for our rural hospitals and front-line workers. She understands that all of Tennessee’s front-line workers are carrying out the groundwork to preserve the health and safety of all Tennesseans. These heroes have put their own health and safety on the line for the benefit of others. Their actions speak volumes of their character, a clear testament to the goodwill of Tennesseans across our state.
But now, these front-line fighters need her help. We call on her to ensure that EMS professionals are included in any future COVID-19 stimulus PPE funding.
Dr. John Copeland is the Crockett County EMS director; Randy Porter is the Putnam County mayor and former EMS director; Chad Graham is the Bedford County mayor and former EMS director; and Dr. Mark Potts is the Jefferson County mayor and a former paramedic/supervisor.
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July 18, 2020 at 05:02PM
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