FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Houston, TX August 25, 2021
COVID-19 Patient Emergency Transports Stress All EMS Providers But CCEMS Keeps Response Times Below National Average
Cypress Creek EMS (CCEMS) reports since July 1 a 20% increase in responses for patients with suspected COVID-19, and a 12% increase in transports over this time last year. Despite the increased demand, and with decreased staff, CCEMS has maintained an eight minute thirty nine second average response time, just slightly higher than last year’s eight minute twelve second response time.
“We are extremely proud of the dedicated Red Shirts who continue to work at their highest level during this pandemic, despite the challenges of employee Covid outbreaks and some staff leaving early before our contract with ESD 11 ends September 1” says Wren Nealy, Jr. CEO of CCEMS.
“Last year, from July 1 – August 15, we had 7247 dispatches, 7005 responses, 5635 patients, and 3892 transports confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19. Compare that to this year, with half of our staff, and the result is astounding. With a twenty percent increase in calls we managed to keep our response time under the national average.”
CCEMS dispatchers report that for July 1- August 15, CCEMS had 8644 dispatches and 8422 responses (a 20% increase) with 6270 patients (11% increase) and 4357 transports (12% increase) confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19. This included 77 mutual aid responses by CCEMS to other jurisdictions (up 108%).
About Cypress Creek EMS
Cypress Creek EMS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with 46 years of excellence in emergency services formerly provided within 177 square miles of northern Harris County and to approximately 560,000 residents. CCEMS now operates in eight counties across Texas with Creek GroundCare services and around the world with Creek AirCare. CCEMS is known nationally as an innovator in prehospital medicine. For example, CCEMS was the first civilian EMS in the country to transfuse whole blood into a trauma patient in the field. CCEMS is also part of a Military EMS Fellowship that is bringing battlefield medicine to civilian EMS to reduce deaths due to trauma.
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Contact: Miranda Sevcik 713-515-9729
