Braceville Fire Department, Dwight EMS, Dwight Fire Department, Lisbon-Seward Fire Department and LyondellBasell EMS have voluntarily elected to join the Morris Hospital Emergency Medical Services System.
This means Morris Hospital will provide education and continuing training for the providers’ emergency medical technicians and paramedics.
Coal City Fire Department, Minooka Fire Department, Morris EMS, Morris Fire Department, Morris City Dispatch, and Newark EMS are also part of the Morris Hospital Emergency Medical Services System.
Morris Hospital is qualified to provide education and training for pre-hospital providers as a designated Resource Hospital within Illinois Region VII Emergency Medical Services. The hospital received the status from the Illinois Department of Public Health in May 2010.
Region VII EMS is an alliance with six EMS Systems, including 15 hospitals, 115 fire departments and ambulance services, and nearly 5,000 EMS providers. EMS providers can report to the Resource Hospital of their choice.
Since becoming a Resource Hospital, Morris Hospital is now in its second year of offering college-accredited EMT-paramedic courses through a partnership with Joliet Junior College. EMT-basic classes were added last fall.
Having these classes available at Morris Hospital has been a great convenience for those who previously had to travel great distances for their education and practical experience, according to Kevin Bernard, EMT-P, manager of Emergency Medical Services/Emergency Management at Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers.
“Our goal in becoming a Resource Hospital two years ago was to help assure that area emergency medical technicians and paramedics have the resources to provide excellent pre-hospital care,” Bernard said. “We believe we know and understand the EMS providers who serve our rural communities better than anyone. These individuals truly are an extension of the emergency medical care we provide at the hospital, and we want to serve as a valuable resource for them.”
Along with education, Morris Hospital is also responsible for assuring that ambulances are appropriately stocked with supplies and equipment; that EMS personnel meet all of the specified licensure qualifications; and that EMS providers comply with standard policies and protocol. Personnel from the hospital have also provided on-site training for a number of licensure programs, such as advanced cardiac life support, pediatric advanced life support, international trauma life support, national review, and preceptor workshops.
Morris Hospital invests about $250,000 a year in salaries and resources that are needed to serve as a Resource Hospital for area pre-hospital providers.
“We are very happy to welcome Braceville, Dwight, Lisbon-Seward and Lyondell to the Morris Hospital Emergency Medical Services system,” adds Dr. Sean Atchison, a board certified emergency medicine physician with EPIC Group, who serves as EMS medical director of EMS Services at Morris Hospital. “We look forward to working with these providers even more closely to assure our community is receiving the best possible pre-hospital care.”
For more information on EMS education and training classes through Morris Hospital, call (815) 942-2932, ext. 7188.
Serving patients in 18 communities, Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers includes the 89-bed Morris Hospital, as well as the Braidwood, Channahon, Dwight, Gardner, Marseilles, Minooka, Morris and Newark Healthcare Centers.
Through the services of over 1,600 health-care professionals, physicians and volunteers, Morris Hospital provides lifesaving cardiac intervention with angioplasty and stents, a radiation therapy center for cancer patients, a state-of-the-art intensive care unit, a dedicated pediatric unit, and immediate care services at two locations.
Morris Hospital is a Level II trauma center and a Level II perinatal care provider with an intermediate care nursery. Founded in 1906, Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers is the largest employer in Grundy County.
