If there is one phone number known to every adult – and even most children – in America, it’s 9-1-1. Urban or rural, English-speaking or not, every citizen knows that you dial those three digits in an emergency and expert help will come.
“At Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center (PBRMC), we have partnered with all of our local EMS services to bring the highest level of care possible in dealing with your medical emergency,” said Seth Deck, PBRMC emergency department manager.
Help will come in the form of the EMTs, firefighters, paramedics and registered nurses who provide emergency care to anyone and everyone who calls.
This week, we pause to remember that medical care often takes place outside of the safe, insulated and well-lit hospital environment. Emergency care can start in a patient’s home or place of work. It can start on a busy sidewalk, in the tangled remains of an SUV, or down a muddy embankment in the rain. The help never takes a holiday, and it arrives without regard for time of day, weather or safety conditions.
“EMS Week is a time to reflect on the importance of pre-hospital care and the ongoing network of care provided within those systems. Here in Southeast Missouri, the community is blessed to have some of the most dedicated and hard-working professionals to respond to your emergency needs,” said Rick Naegler, CEO. “They not only provide this care, but are trusted colleagues in the ongoing improvements to rescue, prevent, and promote health.
“To all, thank you for braving the elements and long distances, and being a great partner in the overall delivery of healthcare for our communities.”
This year, EMS week has a fitting theme of Rising to the Challenge. The National Association of EMTs said, “This theme is particularly meaningful now, to remind people that we are faced with many new challenges in our lives every day and yet we still rise above them all and continue to respond, support, and care for the needs of our communities.”
Currently in this region, if you are faced with an acute cardiac emergency or exhibiting stroke-like symptoms, EMS personnel are able to activate PBRMC’s cardiac and stroke teams from the back of the ambulance by the click of a button.
PBRMC has implemented Pulsara technology, which allows EMS colleagues to transmit real-time data from the back of an ambulance straight to an emergency room physician.
PBRMC asks everyone to join them in thanking local EMS providers and those across the country who are rising to the challenge in a career that demands passion, purpose and heart.