April 1, 2014 – The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Department of Englewood Hospital and Medical Center (EHMC) received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) for its compliance with national standards of excellence.
EHMC’s EMS Department is one of only four ambulance services in New Jersey and one of 159 in the United States to receive this prestigious designation. The voluntary process included a comprehensive assessment and independent, on-site review by national experts in EMS. The CAAS Panel of Commissioners conferred a special commendation to EHMC EMS for an outstanding achievement for a first time applicant.
“We are thrilled to have met the gold standard of accreditation for pre-hospital care set by CAAS,” said Harvey Weber, Director of Emergency Medical Services at EHMC. “Every single member of our healthcare team played a critical role in our ability to achieve this accreditation, which aligns with our mission to deliver safe, high quality care to the community we serve. We look forward to continuing to provide this essential service to area residents, who can rest easy knowing their health is in the best hands – no matter what the emergency.”
CAAS is a non-profit organization established to encourage and promote high quality patient care in America’s medical transportation system. CAAS’ primary focus is clinical quality, which is established through national standards that include the delivery of patient care, the ambulance service’s total operation and its relationship with other agencies, the public and medical community. CAAS’ standards often exceed state or local licensing requirements.
“By offering a fully accredited ambulance service, Englewood residents will now know that they have the best trained staff when an ambulance from Englewood Hospital arrives in response to an emergency,” said Frank Huttle III, Mayor of Englewood. “Englewood residents and visitors now know that they are to be cared for by a team that has earned a national standard of excellence.”
EHMC provides dedicated ambulance services to Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Leonia, Palisades Park, and provides back-up EMS coverage throughout Bergen County. Supplemental ambulance services help local towns add emergency coverage as volunteer services continue to decline.
“The Borough of Leonia is extremely pleased with the services provided by Englewood Hospital and Medical Center’s Emergency Medical Services since 2010,” said Jack Terhune, Borough Administrator of the Borough of Leonia. “The Borough has witnessed an enhanced quality of care provided by the outstanding Englewood BLS and ALS staff; response times have decreased to far below the national average, and truthfully, many lives have been saved because of their quick and professional response to the Borough. The hospital can certainly be proud of their accomplishments and it is truly a great reflection of EMS Director Harvey Weber’s commitment to provide outstanding care to all the residents within their coverage areas.”
“As an Administrator, one of the most important functions of a municipality is to provide exceptional services to its residents, both efficiently and effectively,” said Dave Lorenzo, Borough Administrator of the Borough of Palisades Park. “Englewood Hospital EMS has not only enabled us to achieve both of these goals, but they have exceeded our expectations and the level of services which existed prior. The Borough, for the past 5 years, has a full time 24/7 hospital-based EMS service responding to all of our calls. This is something that Mayor Rotundo and the Governing Body, are very proud of. The state-of-the-art equipment and services provided by Englewood are something that everyone is proud of.”
In addition to 24/7 911 coverage, EHMC EMS partners with area fire departments, police departments, The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and Emergency Vehicle Assistance and Communications (EVAC) to coordinate interagency drills and supply emergency preparedness resources. The agency also supports the community in a variety of other capacities, including public education, free health screening events and CPR training courses, among other things.
“It is a privilege to work with such dedicated professionals,” said Michael Cioffi, Chief of the Englewood Cliffs Police Department. “Englewood Hospital EMS’ superior accomplishment is evident by the outstanding service they provide to the residents of Englewood Cliffs.”