Communities around the country have been coming together to celebrate and honor their local Emergency Medical Services professionals this week.
May 18-24 is officially National EMS Week and this year’s theme is “We Care. For Everyone.”
Locally, Catalina Island Health is known to highlight its staff during the various days, weeks, and months set aside to recognize the work of nurses, doctors, facility staff, etc.
It should come as no surprise that CIH is choosing National EMS Week to showcase its partnership with the Avalon Fire Department, Los Angeles County Fire Department, and Baywatch. All three entities are dedicated to the care and wellbeing of the island’s residents and visitors. They care. For Everyone.
Emergency Medical Services on the island truly are a coordinated effort.
In addition to responding to fire-related emergencies, AFD and LACoFD provide public assistance, rescue, and emergency medical services such as Basic Life Support. Baywatch Paramedics are called when situations require Advanced Life Support. Patients that need further evaluation and treatment are then transported to CIH’s Emergency Department which is staffed 24/7 by a University of California Irvine Emergency Medicine Physician.
For severe cases such as a stroke or heart attack, CIH stabilizes the patient and AFD or LACoFD assists with the patient transfer to be flown to a trauma center on the mainland.
“We are so grateful for the dedication and expertise of the members of the Avalon and County Fire Departments and Baywatch,” said Jason Paret, CEO of Catalina Island Health.
“It is important to remind our community how these men and women support, protect, and care for all of us. We are proud to work beside them each and every day,” Paret said.
While AFD primarily provides emergency medical services within the city of Avalon, LACoFD is responsible for those services within the island’s interior.
However, both entities regularly support each other. As the island’s only medical facility, CIH is responsible not only for emergency-related care, but also preventative, acute, and long-term care.
Due to its geographic isolation and unique challenges, collaboration between Catalina Island Health and EMS is a key component in the health and well-being of island residents and visitors.
History of National EMS Week
In 1974, President Gerald Ford authorized EMS Week to celebrate Emergency Medical Services professionals and the important work they do in our nation’s communities.
National EMS Week brings together local communities and medical personnel to honor the dedication of those who provide the day-to-day lifesaving services of medicine’s frontline.
EMS Week is presented by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) in partnership with the National Associations of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT). Together, NAEMT and ACEP lead annual EMS Week activities.
These organizations are working to ensure that the important contributions of EMS professionals in safeguarding the health, safety and well-being of their communities are fully celebrated and recognized.
About Catalina Island Health
CI Health’s primary care physicians and family nurse practitioners provide the island community with a solid foundation of care.
The medical clinic is located at 100 Falls Canyon Road, Avalon, CA, up the street from Avalon’s City Hall on the bottom level of the hospital.
Its hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Visit CatalinaIslandHealth.org or call 310-510-0096 for more information or to make an appointment.
The emergency room is staffed 24/7 with a UC Irvine Emergency Medicine Physician and supported by the CI Health’s laboratory and diagnostic imaging departments to meet the acute medical needs of Catalina Island’s residents and visitors.
With the use of patient satisfaction surveys, patients consistently rank CI Health’s emergency services as one of the best in the nation.
The hospital’s main number is 310-510-0700. For more information, visit CatalinaIslandHealth.org.
