After more than a decade of providing emergency medical services (EMS) through industry vendors, Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital is thrilled to announce the hospital has obtained an EMS license to operate independently.
The critical care transport (CCT) program at St. Mary’s Hospital was started in 2008 but operated under a separate EMS vendor. St. Mary’s provided the registered nurse and respiratory therapist to the team, while the vendor provided the paramedic and emergency medicine technician (EMT).
In February of 2022, St. Mary’s Hospital chaplains provided a blessing of the critical care transport team’s ambulance (pictured above). This hospital as well as our Richmond market leadership teams are committed to growing this lifesaving, essential community service.
Emergency medicine is a highly regulated sector of health care, for appropriate reasons – patients’ lives are always on the line. With their own EMS license, the St. Mary’s Hospital CCT program can now transport any patient needing any level of medical care. Most often, the team transports NICU, pediatric, maternal-fetal patients and adult critical care patients.
“This is an enormous benefit to the patients in our community,” Tara Richards, DHA, director of operations at St. Mary’s Hospital, shares. “With the launch of our independent EMS services, we are a ‘mobile intensive care unit,’ meaning our teams are able to begin the higher level of care the patient requires as soon as they arrive.”
She continues, “critical care transport is staffed with highly skilled critical care nurses, respiratory therapists, paramedics and EMTs. Until now, paramedics and EMTs have not been part of this team as our team members. The addition of these professionals improves patient care and allows for a full complement of skill and specialties. We are very excited to be of service to our community.”
While the CCT team does not respond to 911 calls, it will be used for interfacility transports and is planning on adding additional ambulances and crews to grow the program.
“We are so proud of St. Mary’s critical care transport team and their continued growth and service to our community,” Bryan Lee, president of St. Mary’s Hospital, shares. “We are sending our prayers to the team and can’t wait to see all the good work they achieve.”
Learn about the emergency care services we offer at Bon Secours.
