Emergency Medical Care
{{Notability|Companies|date=June 2015}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Emergency Medical Care Inc.
| logo =
| type = Subsidiary
| foundation = 1998
| location = Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
| key_people = Paula Poirier, COO
| num_employees = 2,000
| products = Ambulance services
| parent = Medavie Health Services
| homepage = {{URL|http://www.emci.ca}}
| industry = Healthcare
}}
Emergency Medical Care Inc. (EMC) is the private company which provides all ground ambulance, medical communications, and air ambulance services in Nova Scotia, Canada.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/ehs-lifeflight-diverted-after-engine-emergency-in-halifax-1.2769406 |title=EHS LifeFlight diverted after engine emergency in Halifax - Nova Scotia - CBC News |publisher=Cbc.ca |date=2014-09-17 |access-date=2015-06-20}}{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/n-s-defends-decision-to-grant-paramedics-pension-plan-1.1336300 |title=N.S. defends decision to grant paramedics pension plan - Nova Scotia - CBC News |publisher=Cbc.ca |date= |access-date=2015-06-20}} EMC is a subsidiary of Medavie Health Services and operates under contract from the Nova Scotia government's Emergency Health Services.{{cite web |url=http://www.medavieems.com/ |title=Home |publisher=Medavie Health Services |date= |access-date=2017-03-15 |archive-date=2017-03-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316113221/http://medavieems.com/ |url-status=dead }}
History
Emergency Medical Care Inc. (EMC) has been a service provider since the inception of the province-wide system in 1998,{{cite web| url = http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1210469-liverpool-judge-rules-paramedic-who-stole-drugs-didn%E2%80%99t-breach-public-trust| title = SaltWire {{!}} SaltWire| work = The Chronicle Herald| date = 27 May 2014}} which involved the amalgamation of 59 separate service providers across Nova Scotia to create a province-wide and integrated system.
Activities
The Extended Care Program: The main goal of an ECP{{cite web|url=http://ipac.ca/documents/Extended-Care-Paramedic-Program.pdf |access-date=October 15, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018214742/http://ipac.ca/documents/Extended-Care-Paramedic-Program.pdf |archive-date=October 18, 2014 }} is to respond to non-emergency calls in nursing homes where they will assess and potentially treat patients on site. This will reduce the need for some patients to go to hospital via ambulance and wait in the emergency department for several hours, thus creating a more personal approach to health care by allowing patients and their families to remain in a comfortable environment for as long as possible.{{cite web |url=http://nspu.ca/roles-of-paramedics/extended-care-paramedics |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019203822/http://nspu.ca/roles-of-paramedics/extended-care-paramedics |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 19, 2014 |title=Nova Scotia Paramedics Union - EXTENDED CARE PARAMEDICS |publisher=Nspu.ca |date= |access-date=2015-06-20 }}
The Clinical Support Desk: Historically,{{cite web |url=http://nspu.ca/roles-of-paramedics/clinical-support-desk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019203958/http://nspu.ca/roles-of-paramedics/clinical-support-desk |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 19, 2014 |title=Nova Scotia Paramedics Union - CLINICAL SUPPORT DESK |publisher=Nspu.ca |date= |access-date=2015-06-20 }} a high volume of calls to EHS are non-emergency and as such, automatically dispatching an ambulance may not best address patient needs nor is it the best use of resources. However, the current system is not set up to provide alternate levels of care or transport. A first of its kind in Canada, a Clinical Support Desk (CSD) will handle these low-acuity calls. Paramedics and nurses, with active clinical experience, are recruited, trained and in place at the CSD to make clinical decisions in offering alternative pathways to non-emergency care, conducting follow up calls to high-risk patients not transported and providing clinical support to field staff. The role of the CSD will always be developing and supported by the EHS Provincial Medical Director.
Support services
- Peer & Family Support Services
- Operation Safety Coach
- Joint Occupational Health & Safety Committee (JOHSC)
- EHS Research Committee
- Emergency Preparedness & Special Operations Team
- Health & Wellness Program
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130527020112/http://emcinc.ca/ EMC Inc.]
Category:Ambulance services in Canada
Category:Companies based in Halifax, Nova Scotia