WASHINGTON COUNTY RECEIVES AWARD FROM TEXAS EMS ALLIANCE

  

The Washington County EMS was honored last week at the Texas EMS Alliance Awards, which were held at the Horseshoe Bay Resort.

Washington County was chosen as the 2022 EMS Agency of the Year. Director Kevin Deramus accepted the award on Washington County’s behalf.

According to the press release on the EMS Alliance website, Washington County is in an area of Texas that lacks many of the facets that are featured in hospitals to respond to emergency situations:  cardiologists, neurologists, pulmonologists, cath labs, trauma centers and stroke centers.

One of the reasons the Alliance chose Washington County for the award is because they rise to this challenge by creating solutions to address these deficiencies and ensure that rural patients have the highest quality emergency care possible.  

Another thing in their favor was that eight years ago, the Washington County EMS created performance-based benchmarks surrounding time performances of the ground EMS response.

Washington County EMS complemented the benchmarks with the recent addition of its helicopter division.

In addition, the agency has enhanced its pre-hospital care through the addition of whole blood products, ultrasound for trauma care and pulmonary disease, an advanced community paramedic response model, and the development of three rural paramedic stations in Burton, Chappell Hill, and Washington.