By Billy Hobbs
The Union-Recorder, Milledgeville, Ga.
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. 鈥� A new emergency medical service company has begun serving residents of Milledgeville and Baldwin County.
Atrium Health Navicent Emergency Medical Services (EMS) officially began serving the local area two weeks ago. The new EMS company, which is affiliated with Atrium Health Navicent, The Medical Center in Macon, replaces Grady EMS.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in the parking lot of Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin hospital in Milledgeville on Tuesday afternoon to welcome the new EMS company to the community.
Several officials from Atrium Health Inc. and EMS, hospital board members and members of the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners, as well as members of the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce attended the event.
Luis Fonseca, president of Atrium Health Navicent hospitals in central and south Georgia and chief executive officer of Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin hospital in Milledgeville, welcomed everyone to the ceremony.
鈥淚鈥檓 very, very happy to be here with you all today and very happy to celebrate the work that we are doing together,鈥� Fonseca said. 鈥淲hen you call 911, there鈥檚 a lot of things that are happening and you鈥檙e probably in a very vulnerable spot at that moment when you鈥檙e entrusting your life and care to those emergency responders that are on the way to provide you the needed support.鈥�
Fonseca said Atrium Health has been providing emergency medical services for more than 100 years.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very proud of that,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got a great team, and great support structure to make that happen. We鈥檙e excited to re-begin; we鈥檝e done it before, but I will tell you that it鈥檚 a new day. We will be beginning and we鈥檝e begun emergency medical services here in Baldwin County .鈥�
Fonseca called it a continued demonstration of the hospital鈥檚 commitment to this community.
鈥淲e are not just about hospitals,鈥� Fonseca said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not just about acute care. We鈥檙e here to advance the care of the entire community. And we feel very confident that with our EMS providers, we will have an opportunity to further expand that continuum of care.鈥�
Fonseca said he especially wanted to thank the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners who have provided their trust in allowing Atrium Health Navicent EMS the opportunity to demonstrate what they are capable of in ensuring that they are caring for the community, being responsive to the community, and that they are making a difference in the community.
鈥淭his is more than just the start of a new service,鈥� Fonseca said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a continuation of the commitment and services that we provide as an organization within Atrium Health Navicent.鈥�
Fonseca then introduced Bud Owens, who serves as executive leader of the Georgia /Alabama Markets for Atrium Health EMS.
鈥淚f it wasn鈥檛 for this individual who has spent countless hours focusing and making sure that we are providing the information necessary to help make an informed decision, but also to take action and take the steps necessary to make this happen in a very, very short window,鈥� Fonseca said of Owens.
Owens told those in attendance that he believes within the first few days of operation with the new EMS service that they have already made a difference and that that difference would continue in the community.
He noted that John Gonzalez told him that the new ambulance service is already making an impact.
Gonzalez, who formerly worked with Grady EMS, told him this marks the first time in three years that there has been four ambulances on duty every single day. Gonzalez is now employed with Atrium Health Navicent EMS and also serves as coroner of Baldwin County.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really excited about that and we鈥檙e excited about the future,鈥� said Owens.
Owens said paramedics and emergency medical technicians work under protocols established by the medical director, usually an emergency department physician, who is very familiar with providing emergency care.
鈥淭hey follow those protocols and they work in their state scope of practice, and they are able to provide care,鈥� Owens said. 鈥淭he goal is to hopefully have that patient on the road to recovery before they ever roll through the doors of the emergency room to get additional help. That鈥檚 the goal. And that鈥檚 the way a good EMS system should work. That鈥檚 the system that we will be providing you here in Baldwin County .鈥�
The new Atrium Health Navicent EMS has purchased five ambulances. Each one is fully equipped.
The new EMS service will employ up to 30 people. Many of those employees have worked in Milledgeville and Baldwin County with the previous ambulance service provider.
Baldwin County Commission Chairwoman Emily C. Davis also spoke.
鈥淎s you know, it鈥檚 extremely important for Baldwin County residents to have access to a quality emergency medical service,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to continuing the working relationship between the county and Atrium Health Navicent.鈥�
Baldwin County Sheriff Bill Massee also addressed the crowd.
鈥淔irst of all, these are good-looking ambulances behind me,鈥� Massee said. 鈥淏ut I hope none of us here today has to get in one unless we鈥檙e on some kind of tour because I don鈥檛 have any interest in that.鈥�
The longtime sheriff said when a person dials 911 in Baldwin County, it鈥檚 usually a real emergency.
Massee then did something few sheriffs don鈥檛 do. He bragged on the members of the local county commission.
Four of them were present for the event. They included Chairwoman Davis; Commission Vice Chairman Johnny Westmoreland; and Commissioners Sammy Hall and Henry R. Craig.
鈥淲hen you dial 911, they have spent a tremendous amount of money helping us get new technology and having a 911 center that is honestly state-of-the-art,鈥� Massee said. 鈥淚 know some people may think we are Mayberry, but let me tell you, we鈥檙e not. We鈥檙e so far technically advanced over communities our size that it鈥檚 literally amazing. And I鈥檝e been extremely pleased.鈥�
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