Posted on April 2, 2019
Author Anita Goodan, WKVI
The new Starke County EMS transfer unit at Starke Hospital went into service Monday morning at 10 a.m.
Starke County EMS Director Travis Clary told the county commissioners Monday night that the first transfer patient left the hospital in Medic 2 a half hour after the new unit began service with a run to South Bend.
“As we start reaching out farther to these Indianapolis hospitals that number is going to continue to rise,” advised Clary. “For right now, we’re doing that 12 hours a day, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.”
The transfer unit is an older unit that has been in the ambulance fleet for a while. Clary said he had the unit at the Starke County Highway Garage for a week for a thorough check for maintenance before it went into service.
Medic 2 is dedicated solely to transfers from Starke Hospital. Clary said that will help in the transfer numbers for the department. The number of transfers that the EMS Department reported in March increased to 41 percent. Transfers help bring in revenue to the county.
The number of transfers dropped in 2018 which created discussions about a possible transfer unit with the hospital. The staff worked hard to get ambulance service up and running and staffed to assist Starke County residents.
So far in 2019, there have been 850 ambulance calls.
Meanwhile, Clary said he is filling some positions which include some part-time EMTs and paramedics for the transfer unit and a regular full-time paramedic.
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