Delaware Township Volunteer Ambulance Corps (DTVAC) has received a grant used to purchase a new 4G cellular gateway for use with one of its cardiac monitors. The new gateway modem will replace an older 3G modem and allow for the quicker transmission of data from the ambulance to the hospital. Cellular gateways allow DTVAC paramedics to transmit patient data including EKGs and vital signs to local hospitals. In the case of a patient suffering a heart attack, this technology will allow the emergency department physician to review the patient’s EKG and alert the specialized hospital cardiac catheterization team before the patient arrives at the hospital by ambulance. Hospital cardiac team members may be “on-call” and may need to be paged from home and then respond to the hospital in the middle of the night, so this technology definitely cuts down on the time it takes to administer the proper care to the patient. Local hospitals specializing in cardiac care compatible with this technology are Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono, Orange Regional Medical Center, Wayne Memorial Hospital and all Scranton hospitals.
The grant was administered by Emergency Medical Services of Northeastern Pennsylvania (EMSNP), the non-profit agency tasked with carrying out the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s EMS functions in Bradford, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne, and Wyoming Counties. Monies from the grant were supplied by the state’s Emergency Medical Services Operating Fund (EMSOF). This fund is used to provide funding to maintain, improve, and develop the quality of the EMS System within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The EMSOF is routinely funded by surcharges added to tickets issued by police officers in the Commonwealth.
Pictured left to right: DTVAC Lieutenant Dillan Miller and Paramedic Michael Travers, and EMSNP Board Members Mary Lou Corbett and Jim Mould.
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