Image / Courtesy of MaineHealth
MaineHealth recently purchased 14 ambulances.
Updated: August 20, 2024
MaineHealth to restructure, rebrand and expand ambulance services
Image / Courtesy of MaineHealth
Once fully operational, MaineHealth Emergency Medical Services anticipates responding to more than 29,000 transports annually.
MaineHealth plans to restructure, rebrand and expand its ambulance services this October with the rollout of MaineHealth Emergency Medical Services. The new division will also transport patients between facilities.
Once fully operational, MaineHealth EMS expects to handle more than 29,000 transports annually.
As part of the move, MaineHealth said it will rebrand existing emergency medical services based at Franklin Hospital and Stephens Hospital — in Farmington and Norway, respectively — under the new MaineHealth EMS banner.
“By unifying our services under the MaineHealth EMS banner, we ensure continuity and excellence in patient care," said Michael Senecal, senior director of MaineHealth Emergency Medical Services.
MaineHealth EMS will also handle emergency ambulance services for the Barbara Children's Hospital at Maine Medical Center in Portland, which was previously served by an outside provider called Angel Ambulances.
MaineHealth said its investment in the expansion is significant. The health care system recently purchased 14 ambulances and two quick-response vehicles, bringing the total to 33 ambulance and four quick-response vehicles in the fleet, according to a spokeswoman.
The creation of an in-house ambulance service aligns with a new system-wide brand identity that MaineHealth began unveiled earlier this year with a new logo, look and names.
Inter-facility transport
To transport patients between hospitals more efficiently, the organization is launching its own Inter-Facility Transport division to address shortages in some service coverage areas.
Those shortages resulted in transport delays along with extended stays and emergency department overcrowding, negatively affecting patient experience and care, according to MaineHealth.
The new system will mainly focus on inter-facility and medical transport from local systems, with bases in Scarborough, Brunswick and Northport. Later expansions are planned for Sanford and North Conway, N.H.
To support the expanded services, MaineHealth said it employs 124 EMS providers, including 28 full-time paramedics, 61 full-time emergency medical technicians and between 35 and 40 part-time staff.
MaineHealth has hired more than 70 people for inter-facility transport, the MaineHealth spokeswoman said.
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