Image Source: WEIS Radio
As Floridians adapt to the terms of the “new normal,” it has become all too clear just how important our Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers are. A lynchpin of every American community, here in Kissimmee we pride ourselves in taking the time to thank the most “essential” of essential workers. Throughout EMS Week, we show our gratitude to the brave men and women who gladly risk their own lives in order to keep us safe and out of harm’s way.
This week marks EMS Week 2020, which runs from May 17 through to May 23. The 46th annual celebration of the event, it is run in conjunction with both the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). Day-specific activities are targeted towards :
- EMS Education Day
- Safety Tuesday
- EMS for Children Day
- Save-A-Life Day (CPR & Stop the Bleed)
- EMS Recognition Day
This year, the stated EMS Week theme is “Ready Today. Preparing for Tomorrow.” A lofty goal, but one that our EMS employees and volunteers have strived towards long before the outbreak of the current pandemic. By coming together as a community and supporting the EMS community, we can hold them to achieve this target.
And this celebration of EMS contributions could not come at a more relevant time. As many segments of the community feel isolated or grapple with mental health issues, paramedics and first-line respondents are dealing with a steadily increasing workload. Of course, this to say nothing of the pandemic itself; which has placed a significant burden on hospitals across the nation (and indeed the world).
EMS professionals are today dealing with one of the most significant challenges ever faced in our country’s history. These do so marred at times by lack of adequate PPE, appropriate equipment, or professional support counseling. But they do so simply because it’s their calling.
For many of us, it is all too easy to take not just the EMS community, but the broader American healthcare network for granted. We at NovaCare Health Services are proud to boast one of the most robust medical systems in the world, including (we are proud to say) our access to health care delivered in the home.
You can find out more about EMS week here, or you can learn about front-line EMS, allied health professionals, police and fire-fighters who have lost their lives fighting against COVID-19 here.