New York state Emergency Medical Services officials have released new EMS protocols for ambulance transport that our local volunteer responders will follow during this pandemic, the Town announced Saturday.
“Ambulance personnel will assess patients to differentiate between simple Influenza-like-illness and more serious cases,” the Town said in a news release. “Based on the patient symptoms, vital signs, medical history and other parameters, a transport decision will be made.”
“Those patients with simple influenza-like-illness who are not identified as having concerning signs, symptoms or co-morbidities will be provided with an informational handout, and transport will not occur,” said the statement issued by Town public information officer, Shelter Island Police Detective Sergeant Jack Thilberg.
Shelter Island is served by an all-volunteer EMS squad of about two dozen responders. Thilberg also serves as EMS director for the Town. Earlier, the Town had changed other EMS protocols to ensure the safety of first responders during the COVID-19 outbreak.
For example, police officers often arrive first at a medical emergency call. Instead of entering a dwelling, Thilberg said, they would await the arrival of EMS personnel and only interact with a patient or family members if necessary. And, once the EMS personnel arrive, those responders may ask a patient, if well enough, to step outside for an initial interview.
The Town has posted a Q&A about COVID-19 at shelterislandtown.us. If you think you have symptoms and are wondering about next steps, you can call 311 from any Suffolk County telephone number for more information. Or call the New York State COVID-19 hotline at 1-888-364-3065.
You can also read more about our local medical resources in this Gazette post.
