County declares EMS week

WASHINGTON — Washington County has named May 19-25 Emergency Medical Services Week, recognizing first responders who provide critical, out-of-hospital treatment around the area.

Specifically, the proclamation read by Board of Supervisors Chair Richard Young Tuesday morning emergency medical technicians, paramedics, emergency medical dispatchers, firefighters, police, educators, administrators, pre-hospital nurses, emergency nurses and physicians, and “trained members of the public” who act as first responders during medical emergencies.

“We’re a very young health care field that continues to grow,” said Interim Washington County Ambulance Service Director Katrina Altenhofen. “We’re kind of an ER on wheels. We’ve expanded from what used to be (Basic Life Support) into Advanced Life Support, we even have a lot of our areas doing community paramedicine.”

Altenhofen said this year marked the 50th national EMS week, which started around the end of the Vietnam War, where many modern emergency medical practices were first field tested, although the concept itself dates back at least as far as the Civil War in the U.S.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com