I don’t live far from Silicon Valley, home to thousands of tech companies and the region many people think of when talking about innovation. Thinking outside of the so-called box takes guts, creates risk, and delivers big when it hits.
We are seeing innovation in EMS too — look at the community paramedic projects happening in Pittsburgh, Fort Worth, Minneapolis and Colorado. There are programs in place to bring young, underserved populations into the family of EMS. Expanding technology and a greater understanding of the EMS patient is broadening our practice.
Stagnation is the opposite of innovation. Keeping things the same — the idea of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” — leads to crumbling systems that don’t serve anyone in the community, except those who wish to selfishly protect something precious. Although this article reports on antiquated rural district boards, a lack of innovation affects public and private systems alike. It’s seen in outdated equipment, poor management techniques, and field providers who stick their heads in the sand and long for the “good ol’ days.”
Yeah, those days weren’t really that good. You might say we were kinda clueless then. Frankly, our industry is mired in the muck of traditional practices. It’s time to move on.
Hopefully, these district boards will too. Twenty years is a long time to not change anything. It’s time to catch up and join the real world.
