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1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: May 3, 2022 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 4-b <br /> SUBJECT: EMS Week Proclamation <br /> DEPARTMENT: Emergency Services <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> EMS Week Proclamation Kirby Saunders, 919-245-6123 <br /> Kim Woodward, 919- 245-6133 <br /> PURPOSE: To approve a proclamation designating the week of May 15 through 21, 2022, as <br /> Emergency Medical Services Week in Orange County. <br /> BACKGROUND: The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) has announced that <br /> the 47th annual Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week will be celebrated throughout the <br /> nation on May 15 through 21, 2022, in recognition of the dedicated professionals who provide <br /> emergency services to residents and visitors. EMS is now firmly established as an essential <br /> public function and a vital component of the medical care continuum. On any given day, EMS <br /> practitioners help save lives by responding to medical emergencies, including heart attack, <br /> difficulty breathing, a fall or accident, drowning, cardiac arrest, stroke, drug overdose or acute <br /> illness. EMS may provide both basic and advanced medical care at the scene of an emergency <br /> and enroute to a hospital. EMS practitioners care for their patients' medical needs and show <br /> caring and compassion to their patients in their most difficult moments. <br /> With mobile integrated healthcare and community paramedicine (MIH-CP), EMS is also <br /> increasingly a valued participant in achieving the nation's overall healthcare goals of improved <br /> patient health and lowered costs. Emergency Medical Services Week brings together local <br /> communities and medical personnel to publicize safety and honor the dedication of those who <br /> provide the day-to-day lifesaving services of medicine's "front line." The Emergency Medical <br /> Services system in Orange County includes Telecommunicators, Fire Departments, Law <br /> Enforcement Officers, Paramedics, Emergency Medical Technicians, South Orange Rescue <br /> Squad, First Choice, North State Ambulance Service, Priority Care, Emergency Nurses, <br /> Emergency Physicians, County Staff, Carolina AirCare, and the University of North Carolina <br /> Department of Emergency Medicine. <br /> The Orange County Emergency Medical Services system responded to 19,378 reported <br /> emergencies last year, providing EMS response, medical assessment, treatment, and <br /> ambulance transportation when medically necessary. Emergency Services staffs eight (8) <br />