AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine Emergency Medical Services will honor the state’s EMS providers at a ceremony at the State House on Wednesday, May 23, at 1 p.m.
In Maine, over 6,000 licensed Emergency Medical Technicians provide emergency care around the clock.
This year’s theme, “Stronger Together,” focuses on long- and short-term dangers EMS providers encounter daily.
“EMS providers are being called to higher numbers of incidents involving violence, substance abuse and mental health disorders than ever before. It’s a trend that shows no sign of decreasing”, said Shaun St. Germain, the Director of Maine EMS, a bureau of the Maine Department of Public Safety.
In 2017 Maine’s first responders treated almost 300,000 patients statewide. “The increased utilization of EMS services is not unique to Maine. Nationally these high risk, high stress incidents take a toll on EMS providers both physically and emotionally,” St. Germain said.
Results of a survey published in the Journal of Emergency Medical Services (jems.com) reflect 86 percent of surveyed EMS providers reported some form of critical incident stress. It also found that the rates of depression are 10 times higher for EMS providers than the national average for adults in the United States.
“A factor of critical incident stress reduction is early recognition that an EMS provider may be in crisis. Support from co-workers, family and friends to get treatment is vital,” according to St. Germain.
At the annual State EMS awards ceremony on Wednesday, St. Germain and other EMS leaders will speak about the importance of EMS’ role in saving lives. A number of EMS providers and agencies will be honored.
