Bensalem Emergency Medical Services recently unveiled a brand new ambulance that’s been retrofitted to safely transport patients with highly infectious diseases.
According to Bensalem EMS executive director Tom Topley, it’s the first of its kind in Bucks County.
“If somebody walks into a local hospital and they have a travel history or any suspected contact with somebody with a really bad disease, they’re isolated in the hospital. But the hospital may not be able to handle them and they have to go to a major hospital, sometimes downtown,” Topley said, using the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania from a county hospital as an example. “We’re capable of transporting them. This ambulance has many things to protect our crews and protect the patients while we’re transporting them.”
The ambulance features a hospital-grade ventilation system, in addition to a decontamination system that plugs into the vehicle and cleans the entire space in 6 minutes.
“In Pennsylvania, there has to be a passthrough between the cab and the box. We actually got a waiver from the Pennsylvania Department of Health to have a solid wall there, so the driver’s compartment is always clean,” said Topley.
Patients are transported in a clear vessel that goes on top of a stretcher, which automatically extends from the ambulance. The vessel includes ports for gloves so that EMS can work on the patient. It also has filters to purify the air inside.
“We can’t put the whole [hospital] room in the back of the ambulance, so we made the room smaller,” said Topley.
A box contains hazmat suits for EMS workers, and all full-time employees have positive air purifying respirators, or PAPRs. These, as well as the ambulance, were purchased with CARES Act money. Bensalem EMS secured the ambulance in December and received licensure about three weeks ago. However, the squad has been trained on this work for some time.
“After ebola struck in 2016, Bensalem Rescue Squad became one of nine rescue squads in all of Pennsylvania that’s approved to transport patients suspected of having really infectious diseases from hospital to hospital in the state of Pennsylvania,” said Topley.
When the ambulance isn’t needed to transport patients with highly infectious diseases, it’s utilized by Bensalem EMS on weekends for normal calls.
“It makes me feel good that we have this kind of equipment here in Bensalem,” said township Mayor Joe DiGirolamo. “We’re prepared to serve any problem in Bensalem. We train hard and have equipment to handle any emergency in Bensalem.”
Another example is the Mobile Stroke Unit, which assesses and treats local stroke patients in the field (including their own driveway) before they’re transported to the emergency room. The “lifesaver on wheels” became the first of its kind in the area in 2019 thanks to a partnership between Bensalem Rescue Squad and the Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience at Jefferson University Hospital.
Within the Mobile Stroke Unit, EMS is able to administer clot-busting medication in under 10 minutes. Since every minute counts when it comes to treating strokes, this instant care helps improve patient outcomes and reduces the chance of disability.
In its first year, the Mobile Stroke Unit responded to 286 emergency calls, with 139 of those patients exhibiting the signs and symptoms of a stroke.
“He’s always first and foremost in getting the best equipment,” DiGirolamo said of Topley.
Samantha Bambino can be reached at [email protected]
