Tenn. agency offers bonuses for long transports, working with critical or ventilated patients

By Leila Merrill
EMS1

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — Greene County-Greeneville EMS is responding to its staffing shortage with additional pay incentives, the Greeneville Sun reported.

“We’re down about 10 people right now,” Greene County-Greeneville EMS Assistant Director T.J. Manis told the EMS board during a meeting Thursday. The agency normally has 46 full-time employees.

The board unanimously approved of additional incentives. They include:

• $100 for an ambulance transport of over 100 miles
• $50 each time a paramedic transports a critical care or ventilated patient
• $25 for the assisting EMT in the ambulance with a critical care or ventilated patient

Last year, the EMS board and the county commissioners approved a measure giving EMS providers a $5 incentive for each call.

Agency officials had noticed that employees had not sought out training for critical care patients or those with ventilators.

“Hopefully this keeps them continuing training,” Greene County-Greeneville EMS Director Calvin Hawkins said.

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