By Madelyn Pennino
Intelligencer Journal (Pennsylvania)
Copyright 2006 Lancaster Newspapers, Inc.
LANCASTER, Pa. — Each year, Susquehanna Valley Emergency Medical Services covers about 430,000 miles in Lancaster County. That’s a lot of mileage, which has led the organization to a new distinction: the best EMS provider in the state.
The organization was named Best EMS Provider of 2006 by the Emergency Health Services Council of the state Department of Health Wednesday at the 29th annual EMS Conference in State College.
Merv Wertz, director of operations for Susquehanna Valley EMS, who accepted a plaque on behalf of the organization, said he is proud of the accomplishment.
“We have a great group of people at SVEMS,” Wertz said. “I have been in emergency medicine for 30 years and am most proud of this organization. It’s going very well.”
Among the reasons it was named best EMS agency, the council said, are its community interaction, its ongoing education and customer service awards programs and its quick response to Hurricane Katrina.
Immediately after Hurricane Katrina, Wertz said, two SVEMS units traveled to New Orleans and were among the first EMS service providers to transmit patient EKGs from the field to hospitals.
Susquehanna Valley EMS was created in 1999 after the Columbia and Hempfield community ambulance associations merged.
It has since been joined by ambulance services from Mount Joy, Rheems, Marietta, Willow Street and Quarryville.
Wertz said the organization has been successful because Susquehanna Valley EMS provides some of its own in-house services and maintains its own fleet of 30 ambulances.
“It’s better because of consolidation, regionalization and organization,” Wertz said. “We’ve allowed Susquehanna Valley EMS to do some services in-house, and that eliminates duplication of services and expenses. It’s very helpful in terms of decreasing health care revenues and uninsured patients.”
Susquehanna Valley EMS employs 130 health care providers, including EMTs, paramedics and registered nurses who serve approximately 18,000 patients annually. The organization’s annual operating budget is more than $4 million.
Susquehanna Valley EMS has six stations in Lancaster County.