Climbing COVID-19 cases across North Texas are not only keeping hospitals busy, but also local EMTs.
“We are averaging about 70 patients per day that meet that criteria [for COVID-19 related symptoms] of the 400 or so that we come in contact with every day,” MedStar Mobile Healthcare spokesman Matt Zavadsky said. “Back in the beginning of June, we were down to maybe 30 or 35, but those numbers have essentially doubled and there have been some days that we’ve been at 110 or 120.”
MedStar started planning for possible increased volume and “what if” scenarios in March and April.
“We’ve dusted those plans off now because it looks like we might actually need it here in the near future,” Zavadsky said.
If local hospital capacity hits a crisis level, their team would be called on.
“What if hospitals had to start moving patients from one facility to another, what if we had to start using non-traditional settings for ambulances and for inpatient settings,” Zavadsky said.
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MedStar also plays a role in offering services that help keep emergency room numbers lower.
“If a patient has a coronavirus-related symptom and they are stable and their blood pressure is good and their breathing is good, we don’t bring them to the hospital,” Zavadsky said.
