City of Rochester
News Release
(Saturday,
Feb. 17, 2023) – Mayor Malik
D. Evans announced today that the City has begun exploring plans to invest in
enhanced emergency medical services for City of Rochester residents. The
planned investments align with recommendations from Fitch Solutions, as outlined in a report the City released today.
The report, commissioned in November 2021 after an extensive RFP process,
evaluates the City’s EMS system utilizing five years of historical data from
2017 to 2021. It provides the City with an assessment of the current EMS
system, perspectives on contractual compliance performance objectives, and a
comparative analysis with similar communities. In addition, the report includes
an evaluation of seven alternative EMS models for the City’s consideration.
“Fitch’s evaluation has presented our team with an objective perspective
of our current emergency medical response system,” said Mayor Evans. “We have
already begun identifying ways to add to and maximize our current resources to
improve emergency health services to city residents.”
The City contracts with American Medical Response (AMR), which provides
ambulance service within city limits. In addition, the Rochester Fire Department (RFD) provides basic life support services for the most acute
medical calls (25 to 30 percent of all calls) until an AMR ambulance crew arrives
to continue life support and transport the patient to a hospital.
City leadership has reviewed and intends to follow several of the
recommendations outlined in the report, including maintaining the current
unsubsidized EMS model; better aligning turnout time performance with best
practices; beginning response time for staging calls only after a scene is
declared clear to enter; enabling computer-aided dispatch (CAD) adjustments;
and changing the approach to measurement to reduce manual effort, increase
transparency, and increase oversight for compliance.
“These adjustments are clinically appropriate not
only in light of the current demands for and realities of emergency medical
services, but also because they will positively impact patients,” said City EMS
Medical Director Dr. Jeremy Cushman. “And the additional investments that the
City is exploring will further ensure stable and reliable emergency medical
response for Rochester well into the future.”
Dr. Cushman joins City leadership, including representatives from the Rochester
Fire Department, Mayor’s Office, Emergency Communications Department, Office of
Management and Budget, and Law Department, in identifying and exploring
additional EMS investments, including expanding RFD basic life support
treatment capabilities; increasing community education and engagement;
expanding the successful Nurse Navigator program; improving access to mental
health services; and investing in advance life support, first-response squad
vehicles for RFD use and personnel to staff those vehicles.
“Some of these investments will take years to come
to fruition, and will require significant budgetary commitments,” Mayor Evans
explained. “But we are committed to doing what it takes to ensure Rochester
residents receive the highest quality emergency medical care possible.”
In addition, the City is in contract discussions
with AMR while it continues an investigation into an incident in which a city
resident in medical distress was removed from an AMR ambulance. AMR’s current
contract expires in November 2024 and contains renewal options that could
maintain the relationship through 2026.
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The Administration of Mayor Malik D. Evans strives to create a
safe, equitable and prosperous Rochester by inspiring hope and delivering
opportunity for everyone. Guided by the Administration’s Mission, Vision and Values and the principles of the “Rochester 2034”
comprehensive plan, City employees are committed
to providing exceptional customer service, transparent stewardship, and
collaborative leadership to foster a vibrant community that empowers personal,
professional and generational growth for all who live, work or play in the city
of Rochester.