HB2616 was unanimously passed out of the subcommittee on Tuesday and supported by the entire committee, we would greatly appreciate your support as it moves through the Appropriations Committee this afternoon.
Tidewater Emergency Medical Services Council (TEMS) provides EMS support for 10 local governments in Southeastern Virginia, and TEMS was just recently recognized with a Joint Resolution for providing service to the Commonwealth for over 50 Years! Regional Councils are listed in the Code of Virginia under 32.1-111.11 and provide a vital role in ensuring regional EMS delivery system is provided in a high quality and effective manner for the Commonwealth. TEMS Council is a non-profit organization that only receives a portion of our funding from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), but is critical for our sustainability. VDH’s plan is to terminate all 11 EMS Councils and replace them with 4 – 5 State Offices that are not able to attract funding from other sources threatens the services that we currently provide. A great example of this is TEMS Whole Blood program that is being delivered by EMS agencies in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach. This program has reduced traumatic injury death; patients that receive a blood transfusion by EMS have a 73% chance of surviving to hospital discharge. The creation of state offices only requires more money for state offices and adding state employees to payroll and benefits. TEMS receives $475,000 from VDH-OEMS but has an operating budget of roughly $2,000,000. This plan is not supported by the non-profit EMS Councils including TEMS Council. We are asking that you support HB2616 (Regional Emergency Medical Services Councils) to ensure EMS Councils exist in the future to provide the necessary services that our EMS agencies require to successfully fulfill our mission of reducing mortality and morbidity.
HB2616 was unanimously passed out of the subcommittee on Tuesday and supported by the entire committee, we would greatly appreciate your support as it moves through the Appropriations Committee this afternoon. Tidewater Emergency Medical Services Council (TEMS) provides EMS support for 10 local governments in Southeastern Virginia, and TEMS was just recently recognized with a Joint Resolution for providing service to the Commonwealth for over 50 Years! Regional Councils are listed in the Code of Virginia under 32.1-111.11 and provide a vital role in ensuring regional EMS delivery system is provided in a high quality and effective manner for the Commonwealth. TEMS Council is a non-profit organization that only receives a portion of our funding from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), but is critical for our sustainability. VDH’s plan is to terminate all 11 EMS Councils and replace them with 4 – 5 State Offices that are not able to attract funding from other sources threatens the services that we currently provide. A great example of this is TEMS Whole Blood program that is being delivered by EMS agencies in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach. This program has reduced traumatic injury death; patients that receive a blood transfusion by EMS have a 73% chance of surviving to hospital discharge. The creation of state offices only requires more money for state offices and adding state employees to payroll and benefits. TEMS receives $475,000 from VDH-OEMS but has an operating budget of roughly $2,000,000. This plan is not supported by the non-profit EMS Councils including TEMS Council. We are asking that you support HB2616 (Regional Emergency Medical Services Councils) to ensure EMS Councils exist in the future to provide the necessary services that our EMS agencies require to successfully fulfill our mission of reducing mortality and morbidity.