Huron Valley Ambulance
Huron Valley Ambulance (HVA) provides paramedic ambulance and health transportation services to residents in eight southeast and south central Michigan counties. Estab-lished by five hospitals in 1981, HVA is now owned by the community and governed by a13-member volunteer Board of Trustees comprised of community leaders from throughout our service area.
Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, HVA receives no significant local government financial support and functions as a fee-for-service organization. Since HVA is a nonprofit, charitable organization, all operating surplus goes back into the delivery of ambulance services to the community. Our organization provides about $2,000,000 annually in charitable care for patients who cannot afford to pay.
Huron Valley Ambulance …
your community partner in mobile health care
The Mission of Huron Valley Ambulance is to provide accessible,
high quality prehospital health care services to the people and
organizations we serve in southeast and south central Michigan.
25
1981 - 2006 H U R O N V A L L E Y A M B U L A N C Eyears
A nationally recognized leader in prehospital care, HVA was one of the first ambulance services in the United States to become nationally accredited in 1993 by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS). National accreditation, which is renewed every three years, confirms that we excel in all areas of prehospital care, such as using state of the art vehicles and equipment, and empowering highly skilled staff to
provide the best patient care. CAAS accreditation is also an assurance of HVA’s quality for physicians, hospitals, nursing homes, and payers. HVA has
Our ambulance service is owned by the people in the communities we serve. We receive continuous input from many community-based EMS advisory boards across our service area on how we conduct our local operations, which function under six different names:
•
Huron Valley Ambulance (HVA)•
Jackson Community Ambulance (JCA)•
Monroe Community Ambulance (MCA)•
Lenawee Community Ambulance (LCA)•
Albion Community Ambulance (ACA)•
Alliance Mobile HealthOur ambulance operations maintain a significant local presence by operating from five central support facilities in our urban/suburban areas and 11 individual ambulance stations in our rural communities. Members of our staff live and work throughout our 2,600 square mile 9-1-1 service area.
To remain competitive, keep our costs down, and stay on the cutting edge of staff training and technology, we need the economies of scale that only a larger, regional ambulance service can provide. We provide these economies of scale by supporting our local ambulance services with centralized ambulance dispatching, billing, and purchasing. A single financial system also allows financial variances in individual ambulance operations to be temporarily absorbed by the larger system until the problem is solved.
Over 1,00,000 Michigan residents receive their emergency medical services from our paramedics when they call 9-1-1. Our local ambulance operations, combined with the experience and expertise of our regional support system, is a winning combination which provides the best possible service and care to the person who matters most: You.
Responding to the community by lowering costs
without compromising care
Jackson Community Ambulance Formed in 1996 in a partnership with Foote Health System, Jackson Community Ambulance serves all of Jackson County. JCA has a central support facility in the City of Jackson, and a station in Spring Arbor. JCA operates 12 paramedic ambulances.
Huron Valley Ambulance
Huron Valley Ambulance serves Washtenaw, western Wayne, southwest Oakland, and south Livingston counties. HVA has central support facilities located in Ann Arbor and Plymouth, as well as individual stations in Chelsea, Manchester, Milford, South Lyon, and Wixom. HVA operates 37 paramedic ambulances and six nonemergency transport ambulances.
Six local ambulance services – One regional support system
Monroe Community Ambulance In 2006, HVA joined Mercy Memorial Hospital System, Mercy Health Partner’s LifeStar Ambulance, and ProMedica Transportation Network to form Monroe Community Ambulance. MCA provides 9-1-1 service to all of Monroe County except for the City of Monroe. MCA’s main station is in Monroe Township; other stations are located in Ash Township, Bedford Township, Frenchtown Town-ship, and the Village of Dundee. MCA operates seven paramedic ambulances.
Albion Community Ambulance Formed in 1999, Albion Community Ambulance serves the City of Albion and the communities of Concord, Homer, Parma, and Springport. ACA has a station in Albion and operates two para-medic ambulances.
Lenawee Community Ambulance Formed in 1995, Lenawee Community Ambulance serves the City of Adrian, as well as the communi-ties of Tecumseh and Clinton. LCA also provides services in rural northwest Lenawee County from a station in the Irish Hills area, near Onsted. LCA operates six paramedic ambulances.
Mobile Health Alliance Mobile Health
Formed in 2000 as a partnership between HVA, MedStar Ambulance and Mobile Medical Response, Alliance Mobile Health serves greater Oakland County from a central support facility in Troy. They provide 9-1-1 paramedic service in the cities of Berkley, Beverly Hills, Clawson, Huntington Woods, Oak Park, and Troy. Alliance operates 30 ambulances that respond to both emergency and nonemergency calls.
Program locations:
• HVA Center for EMS Education, Ann Arbor
• Lenawee Vocational Technical Center, Adrian
• Schoolcraft College - Radcliff, Garden City
• Monroe County Community College, Monroe
Using expertise and experience to educate future EMS responders …
HVA Center for EMS Education
Providing EMS students with the knowledge and tools they need to take EMS into the future.
An important facet of a quality ambulance service is creating a consistent group of well-trained colleagues and potential employees. The HVA Center for EMS Education has instructors who teach all levels of emergency medical service from medical first responder through
para-medic, including specialized education such as International Trauma Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Our Center also is an American Heart Association community training center with instructors who teach CPR and first aid in corporate and community settings.
Center courses offer students state of the art equipment and maximum hands-on experience. Students are only steps away from actual ambulance operations, where they learn all aspects of prehospital care. To provide more field experience to paramedic students, the Center’s curriculum includes ambulance service internships where each student functions as a member of a paramedic team. Center instructors, certified in both cardiac and trauma care, are experienced paramedics as well as professional educators.
The Center is licensed by the Michigan Department of E d u c a t i o n a s a p o s t - s e c o n d a r y i n s t i t u t i o n a n d state-approved for all levels of EMS education. The Center’s paramedic program is nationally accredited by the
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, confirming our compliance with nationally accepted education standards. The Center’s accreditation was the first in the country for an EMS education program managed by an ambulance service. We hire many of the Center’s EMT and paramedic graduates, knowing that they have completed a rigorous, accredited education program.
Community
Partnerships
Responding with competence and compassion ...
This may be your first emergency. Be assured that it’s not ours.
Our experienced professional paramedics arrive quickly when you call. Our partner — your local fire department — also may arrive before or with the ambulance. Our paramedics are certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Basic Trauma Life Support. These certification courses reinforce skills in assessing and treating cardiac and trauma patients.
Paramedics deliver patient care under hospital-approved medical protocols. They also can communicate directly with emergency department physicians while at the patient’s side. In most cases, patients are stabilized at the scene and then transported safely to the hospital.
Well-maintained ambulances are critical to providing safe emergency transport. Our vehicles are on a strict preventive maintenance schedule which exceeds manufacturers’ standards. Vehicle inspections are conducted by our own certified mechanics every 3,000 miles to insure that all components function properly. Our paramedics complete emergency vehicle driving courses and their driving is monitored by an on-board system. They are expected to drive safely and defensively at all times. We respond 24/7 to all types of emergencies — from broken legs to heart attacks; from auto accidents to multiple-casualty disasters. Paramedic units contain sophisticated cardiac monitoring equipment, defibril-lators, and approximately 30 medications to stabilize many life-threatening conditions.
For example, our 12-lead electrocardiogram monitor/defibrillators allow our paramedics to give hospital staff advanced warning of confirmed heart attacks so that cardiac reperfusion teams can be activated before the patient arrives. And we provide more than lifesaving emergency care. Our caring, compassionate staff also provide a listening ear, a hand to hold, or a toy bear to cuddle — little extras that make the difference between a satisfactory experience and an exceptional one.
Responding with competence and compassion ...
Firefighters — important members of our team
Your local firefighters are valuable members of our EMS team. Firefighters in our communities are medically trained and respond to medical emergencies to help save lives. Due to the many fire stations in our coverage area, firefighters often arrive first. They assess the situation, stabilize life-threatening injuries, and provide CPR and defibrillation when necessary. They work with our paramedics at the scene, drive the
ambulance or help in the patient compartment when someone is in critical condition. Firefighters also provide fire suppression, extrication, confined space rescue, and hazardous materials abatement.
Medical Control Authorities and Hospitals
Under public health law, paramedics operate under the guidance of county medical control authorities. These authorities write medical treatment protocols, provide medical direction by radio to paramedics at emergency scenes, and assist with clinical quality improvement. We actively participate, along with our hospitals, in seven different medical control authorities. We also have close working relationships with all hospitals in our service area.
Community
Partnerships
Paramedic Emergency Ambulance Services
Unique solutions to the challenge of providing care in rural areas —
Ambulance coverage in rural areas is a challenge because of the low volume of calls and longer paramedic response times.
Manchester - To improve care in the rural community of Manchester, we developed a partnership with the Manchester Township Fire Department and placed an HVA vehicle, operated by firefighters, at the fire station. On all medical emergency calls, Manchester firefighters respond first and provide care while HVA paramedics are on their way. If the patient is critically ill and our paramedics are too far away, the firefighters can begin transporting the patient, meeting HVA paramedics en route to the hospital.
Dexter and Saline - To reduce response times in rural Washtenaw County, we provide non-transporting paramedic units in Dexter and Saline. These units are staffed 24/7 by a senior paramedic who can reach emergencies quickly. Our paramedic provides advanced care until the transporting ambulance arrives.
Even when it’s not an emergency, you still receive our undivided attention.
Every day, numerous nursing home residents and other patients need nonemergency ambulance transportation to and from physician offices, hospitals, and clinics. Whether the distance is ten miles or one hundred, we provide safe, timely transportation. O u r e x p e r i e n c e d p ro f e s s i o n a l E m e r g e n c y Medical Technicians (EMTs) and paramedics treat you and your loved ones with dignity and respect. Many of our EMTs choose to work in nonemergency transportation because they enjoy listening to, talking with, and caring for the patients they transport.
Responding to people with special needs ... HVA Mobility Transportation
Huron Valley Ambulance Mobility Transportation is a convenient cost-effective alternative to ambulance transports. CPR-certified wheelchair van technicians provide safe, reliable door-to-door service for senior citizens and people who use wheelchairs. HVA vans are available for those
needing transportation to and from hospital clinics, physician offices, and other destinations. Our wheelchair vans are safe, comfortable, accessible, and economical. We have medical supplies on board and our technicians are in radio contact with the HVA Call Center in case of emergency.
People with special needs who desire transportation to health care appointments and other destinations can schedule HVA wheelchair vans or buses. We receive funding from a variety of sources, including
govern-ment grants, private donations, and the HVA Social Responsibility Fund. We provide people with the ability to live independently, regardless of disabilities or advanced age.
Community Transportation Partnerships
If you happen to see a large bus in your Canton Township neighborhood sporting Huron Valley Ambulance’s logo, you’re not seeing things! HVA manages a specialized transportation program for Canton senior citizens and people with disabilities.
Nonemergency Transportation
Community
Partnerships
When you need an ambulance, we’re only a phone call away.
Even preschool-age children have been able to call 9-1-1 and summon emergency care. With enhanced 9-1-1, the location where the 9-1-1 call originated appears on the computer screen in our Call Center and an ambulance is dispatched immediately. Once paramedics are on their way, dispatchers give medical instructions to the caller and gather information to relay to responders. All of our dispatchers are licensed EMS professionals with additional certification as emergency medical dispatchers.
In addition to sending ambulances on emergencies and assisting 9-1-1 callers, dispatchers schedule nonemergency ambulance transportation, track progress of all transports, and maintain ambulance coverage throughout our service area using a computer-aided dispatch (CAD)
system. As ambulances respond to calls, the CAD continually updates its screen and indicates the best location for each unit.
Our Call Center also provides on-demand transportation management services for local, regional, and statewide managed care networks and other clients, matching patient needs with appropriate cost-effective transportation.
Mobile Data Terminals/GPS for ambulances
To streamline radio transmissions between ambu-lances and the Call Center, HVA uses wireless mobile computers in all its vehicles. These com-puters include a Global Positioning System (GPS) to improve deployment and routing for paramedics. Our Call Center continuously tracks the exact location of ambulances in order to dispatch the closest unit.
Responding immediately, responding appropriately ...
The HVA Call Center is only a push button away for seniors who join HVA LIFELINK.
HVA LIFELINKisour 24-hour
at-home monitoring system which allows those living alone to summon help quickly in all situations, including emergencies.
Responding immediately, responding appropriately ...
HVA HEALTHCONNECT ...
connecting patients to health care.
In 1999, we launched HVA HEALTHCONNECT, a 24-hour
service that provides people with immediate access to health information and referrals. Our registered nurses, paramedics, and EMTs use special training and physician-written protocols to assess and meet callers’ needs. Our software integrates caller-specifi c data, telecommunications, and current clinical information,
which allows health care providers to manage calls effi ciently and economically. Using clinical expertise and technology to deliver call center services to our community, HVA HEALTHCONNECT reduces health care costs as callers are routed
from emergency department visits to more appropriate levels of care. Callers might include someone with chest pain who is immediately transferred to an EMS dispatcher ; a college student with allergies who needs guidance with medications; or a mother concerned
about a child’s rash, who is given home care in-structions and referred to the child’s pediatrician. Additional HVA HEALTHCONNECT services include
disease management, hospital discharge follow up, and physician paging/answering services.
Our Call Center
Community
Partnerships
2-1-1 ... a hotline for human and social services.
In partnership with the United Way organizations in southeast Michigan, we provide staff and technology for the regional 2-1-1 system, which went live in 2006. The 24-hour line is staffed by information and referral specialists who answer questions about assistance with food, rent, utility payments, taxes or a variety of other social service issues. We also link potential volunteers with agencies who need them.
An intensive care unit on wheels ... staffed by specially trained paramedics.
All of our paramedic ambulances are fully equipped for emergency care and transport. But when critically ill or injured patients need specialized transportation between facilities for more definitive care , we provide our specialized Mobile Intensive Care Units (MICUs).
Our MICU staff offer the most ad-vanced level of care currently available in inter-hospital ground transportation. MICU paramedics complete advanced classroom and hospital-based clinical education which prepares them to monitor and treat critical patients during transfers. Equipped with critical care monitoring equipment, MICUs are used to transport patients who are on ventilators and those with multiple intravenous lines and complex medications.
Our MICUs also provide these benefits:
•
Hospitals do not need to sendad-ditional staff on MICU transports.
•
Critical patients can be safelytrans-ported when air ambulances are unavailable or grounded by weather. Our four MICUs are based in Wash-tenaw, western Wayne, Jackson, and Oakland counties.
Responding with expertise and experience ...
Mobile Intensive Care Unit
When you organize a large special event or athletic competition, you want to ensure that the best care is available in case of a medical emergency. Depending on factors such as the number of people and type of event, we offer several coverage options. As one of our many community services, we offer “pull out” standby coverage at no charge (if the ambulance is not needed elsewhere, it will stand by at your event).
We provide special event services at large venues, including Michigan Inter-national Speedway (MIS) in the Irish Hills area; the University of Michigan football stadium and Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor; and Compuware Arena in Plymouth. We also cover smaller local events such as fairs, festivals, and high school sports.
Bike medics
In 1999, we successfully launched our first bicycle paramedic team at an MIS race with 250,000 spec-tators. Our bike teams can maneuver quickly through crowds at large events to reach victims of medical emergencies. Bike medics carry complete advanced life support equipment, including medications, oxygen, and an ECG monitor/defibrillator. Our bike medics also work at the Ann Arbor Art Fairs, Milford Memories, the Plymouth Fall Festival, the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival, and other events throughout our service area.
Standing by to keep people safe ...
Special Event Services
Mobile Operations Center
In the event of a major fire or other disaster, our Mobile Operations Center (MOC) is available to police and fire agencies for use as a central coordination post. The MOC serves as a central support facility with communications equipment, a meeting facility, and a bathroom. We also use the vehicle when coordinating on-site activities for large sports or community events.
Fun and interesting programs for all ages
As a nonprofit community service, we enjoy providing safety and health education programs for all ages — preschool children through senior citizens. Presentations to a variety of community audiences explore topics such as HVA services, EMS careers, advance medical directives, preparing for emergencies, what happens when you call 9-1-1, and more. Interactive presentations include tours of our stations, Call Center, and ambulances. In classrooms or at special events, “Andy the Ambulance” — the talking, moving ambulance robot — makes it fun to learn about 9-1-1 and staying safe!
Camp 9-1-1
Started in 1996, Camp 9-1-1® is a free summer day camp
where children ages 8 to 12 learn CPR, first aid, safety, and all about EMS careers. Paramedics, public safety officials, and special guests talk about their work and answer campers’ questions. Other activities include visiting hospital emergency departments and touring a medical helicopter. The two-day camps are held in various locations throughout our service area.
Responding with health and safety programs
to educate and increase awareness ...
An ambulance in a museum!
In partnership with the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum, HVA donated an ambulance and produced a video on EMS for one of their health exhibits. Museum guests can walk through the ambulance and view the lifesaving equipment used by paramedics.
Community
Partnerships
Community Outreach
Putting AEDs where they are needed
The sooner a person having a heart attack can be defibrillated, the better the chances of avoiding death or permanent disability. Since automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are now smaller, less expensive, and easier to use, people are recognizing their importance, especially
in public places and wherever crowds gather.
HVA donates, or makes available at a discount, AEDs to nonprofit and government organizations. AED recipients are selected based on their at-risk populations and other factors. HVA staff demonstrate AED use in a variety of public forums and
belong to various community groups committed to increasing public access to defibrillation. Our communities are “heart safe” communities.
Our PLUS! Program
PLUS! is our ambulance service membership program. By joining PLUS!, you support your nonprofit community ambulance service and potentially save money if you or a family member need an ambulance.
For one low annual fee, you and your immediate family members residing at your home will receive emergency ambulance and paramedic services whenever needed with no co-pays or out-of-pocket costs for one year.
PLUS! Ambulance Membership Program
Emergencies: Call 9-1-1
Responding to community needs
in innovative, interesting ways ...
Community
Partnerships
Mobile Health Resources
Even large regional ambulance services need to collaborate to stay strong in the constantly changing field of health care. In 1994, HVA and six other ambulance services created a statewide ambulance provider network called Mobile Health Resources (MHR). MHR provides mobile health
care services to organizations, including managed health care companies which contract for our services on a statewide or regional basis. MHR also offers its members cost-effective options such as group purchasing, quality and customer satisfaction benchmarking, computer support, and billing services.
A special ambulance with a very special purpose
Infants born prematurely or with serious medical problems need transportation to a specialty center as quickly as possible. Huron Valley Ambulance and the University of Michigan Hospitals team up to provide a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to transport these special newborns. The NICU, a full-service intensive care unit,
has a completely controllable environment and can safely transport two infants at one time. This specialized ambulance is also used to transport adults needing extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a treatment used to rest a patient’s lungs by oxygenating blood outside the body. Under the HVA/U-M partnership, HVA maintains and staffs the unit along with specialized U-M teams who care for neonatal and ECMO patients.
Responding to community needs
in innovative, interesting ways ...
HVA Social Responsibility Fund for Mobility Transportation
Many of our neighbors who are elderly or have disabilities cannot afford specialized transportation to physicians’ appointments, diagnostic tests or regularly scheduled procedures like renal dialysis. Some have no access to a car or are unable to drive. In many areas, appropriate public transportation is not available. This means that many people with low incomes and limited resources cannot access regular wellness care, let alone special procedures. Even when they become ill, they may not seek care until they are in crisis and need ambulance transportation to an Emergency Department.
To meet this need, the HVA Board of Trustees created the HVA Social Responsibility Fund to continue operating necessary service programs not funded by traditional sources such as health insurance. The Board allocates $300,000 annually to subsidize the cost of HVA Mobility Transportation, which provides wheelchair van service in Washtenaw and western Wayne counties.
Investigating sudden or suspicious deaths
Huron Valley Ambulance investigates all Washtenaw County deaths occurring outside a hospital that are unexplained, unexpected, violent or sudden, including those from motor vehicle accidents or under suspicious circumstances. Under an agreement with Washtenaw County, HVA provides Medical Examiner Investigators specially trained in death investigation to handle the cases. The program provides quick response to law enforcement, improved medical oversight and cost savings for Washtenaw County. HVA also provides administrative support for the Medical Examiner’s office, which is located at HVA’s headquarters in Ann Arbor.
Community
Partnerships
Medical support for specialized public safety teams
We provide medical support at incidents where fire departments respond to protect the public from hazardous material (HazMat) spills. Our team of specialized paramedics have taken additional courses in pharmacology, toxicology, and chemistry.
Their training also includes chemical weapon patient treatment, disaster management, and the use of special medication kits containing antidotes for certain HazMat situations. Our two decontamination units are ready to respond from either Ann Arbor or Jackson. Several of our paramedics are members of a team that specializes in medical support for confined space rescues, which are performed by some fire departments. Other paramedics have joined a specialized group which provides medical support for police SWAT teams.
A Nonprofit Community Service
Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services
Visit us on the web:
www.hva.org www.jca.org
www.mca-ems.org
Mobile Health
Alliance Mobile Health Troy, Michigan
248-457-0344 Huron Valley Ambulance
Ann Arbor, Michigan 734-971-4420
Jackson Community Ambulance Jackson, Michigan
517-787-4800
Lenawee Community Ambulance Adrian, Michigan
517-263-1184
Albion Community Ambulance Albion, Michigan
517-629-9433 Monroe Community Ambulance
Monroe, Michigan 734-242-3964
Calhoun County Northville
Plymouth Ingham County
Primary 9-1-1 Area
Secondary Nonemergency area Ambulance Station or Primary Post
