The Cypress Health Region and Swift Current & District Ambulance Service have entered into a formal partnership that will see the Ambulance Service assume a major role for the overall planning, coordination, and implementation of emergency medical services (EMS) in the health region.
Effective January 1, 2015, Nelson Pompu and Bob Dyke of the Swift Current Ambulance Service will become more actively involved in the management of EMS services that are owned and coordinated by the health region. As part of an agreement signed by both parties, Pompu will assume the position of Manager of EMS Services and Dyke will provide his expertise in the role of First Responder Coordinator.
Pompu and Dyke will work extensively with Cypress Health’s Director of EMS and Home Care to ensure that a consistent out of hospital emergency medical service is provided throughout the health region’s communities. The partnership will continue to meet and exceed the current standards of care in EMS.
The partnership will see Pompu and Dyke involved in providing oversight to the health region’s EMS providers to ensure patient care is delivered according to best practice and provincial protocols, maintain acceptable levels of EMS personnel in all sites, develop recruitment strategies to enhance the numbers of EMS personnel throughout the region, develop and offer in-house continuing educational programming targeting the required annual courses, developing strategies to further develop and enhance the EMS role in home care/long term care/para-medicine programming, develop First Responder programs, and enhance working relationships with communities’ emergency operations organizations to ensure a region-wide partnership exists.
“The health region is pleased to enter into this agreement with the Swift Current Ambulance Service and take advantage of their vast experience in providing a range of EMS services in the area,” said Gloria Illerbrun, Executive Director of Health Services with the Cypress Health Region. “We have had a tremendous working relationship with them in the past and we feel fortunate that we can enhance that relationship in the future.”
“We are thrilled to have this opportunity to develop a cohesive, interdisciplinary, adaptive, accountable group built on respecting and appreciating all who work within EMS,” said Nelson Pompu, Swift Current Ambulance Service. “Our partnership will support and work closely with other professions within the Region’s health care communities, and we hope to achieve this through education, consultation and collaboration with all parties. We wish to express our appreciation to the Cypress Health Region for this opportunity to assist them in the delivery of its services”
Illerbrun further acknowledged the long-standing reputation of Swift Current Ambulance Service and the benefits that Pompu and Dyke would offer the EMS service. “The wide range of skills that Nelson and Bob have attained over their past EMS experiences will mesh nicely with our existing EMS health providers, and the result will be an enhanced service for our patients and clients.”
Nelson and Dyke will be actively involved from the beginning of the partnership and are hoping to transition into their new roles as soon as possible.