OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital Honors Top EMS Teams
How do you improve outcomes for emergency room visits? If you ask the hospital teams at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, they will tell you a critical component is the EMS teams on the front end.
"Our EMS personnel are our first eyes and ears,” said Tina Solazzo, OhioHealth EMS outreach manager. “We look to them for information on the scene, we value their information, we value their practice and what they did pre-hospital. That in turn just makes the transition of care better for the patients.”
During EMS week, OhioHealth wanted to specifically honor the selfless heroes who keep central Ohio safe with a celebration just for them. Having a great relationship with EMS is something OhioHealth is very proud of. While there are many hospitals in the area, EMS teams share the OhioHealth vision, to improve the health of those we serve, is certainly one they live too.
“It’s so impressive what central Ohio has to offer. I have friends that work EMS and fire in other states. For us, we are so spoiled here in central Ohio,” said Graham Sleet, Columbus Division of Fire. “The relationships that we have with OhioHealth, you can’t put a number, you can't measure the importance of it.”
While saying ‘thank you’ is a kind gesture, OhioHealth wanted to get that point across in a much bigger way.
“We’ve gone out and celebrated them for their efforts, their teamwork, their collaboration, their knowledge, and what they’ve done to help support us as well," Solazzo said.
To do that, Riverside has started an award program for the best of the best in EMS. These events, along with a cookout are how Relationships are strengthened along with the opportunity to slow down and echo associate-wide gratitude for the EMS teams.
Those on the front lines shared that while the celebration is welcomed and greatly appreciated, they don’t save lives for the acknowledgement.
“We do it because we love doing this job and that's what's important to us," Sleet said.
To learn more about OhioHealth Emergency Medical Services, click here.
