The Nature Coast EMS Advantage

• Our paramedic and Critical Care ambulance crews implement the newly purchased Zoll M-series cardiac monitors. The use of these heart rhythm transmitting monitors allow paramedics to bypass the emergency room, moving heart attack patients to waiting hospital teams who can immediately perform lifesaving heart catheterization procedures.
  
  
• Nature Coast EMS is a credentialed STEMI provider. STEMI certification is imperative to diagnosing and treating cardiac arrest patients. Our expertise and technology enables us to effectively handle cardiac arrest situations ensuring the best possible care for our patients. (Read more below)
  
  

Basic and Advanced Life Support Services
Nature Coast EMS administers and provides both Basic Life Support services and Advanced Life Support services and Critical Care Paramedic Services:

Basic Life Support: A BLS Nature Coast EMS ambulance team offers a basic level of medical care. This BLS ambulance care is generally offered during stable patient non-emergency inter-facility transports and for some special event medical standby assignments. Nature Coast EMS provides patients with trained EMTs who monitor a stable patient’s vital signs, administer oxygen and perform other basic interventions. They are trained to recognize a life threatening situation and to provide basic airway, CPR and other lifesaving treatments until advanced help is available.

Advanced Life Support Ambulance: Nature Coast EMS responds an ALS paramedic team for every 9-1-1 emergency call in Citrus County. In most cases, the ALS paramedic has also completed Critical Care Paramedic training. These ALS responders serve at an advanced level performing invasive and non-invasive procedures including protocol driven administration of ALS pharmaceuticals, advanced airway tracheal intubation, cardiac monitoring and defibrillation.

Stand-By Services/Special event medical stand-by servicesNature Coast EMS offers stand-by services for Citrus County fire departments during active fires and for the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office hostage situations. Additionally, Nature Coast EMS provides special event medical stand-by EMS teams for charitable organizations, sporting events, concerts, etc.

STEMI-Certified:

Nature Coast EMS is a credentialed STEMI provider. STEMI certification is imperative to diagnosing and treating cardiac arrest patients. More specifically, A STEMI occurs when blood flow to a region of the heart is blocked. Nature Coast EMS’ certification in this field ensures that when county paramedics identify STEMI victims through a field electrocardiogram, they have been trained to bring those patients directly to the nearest STEMI receiving center. STEMI receiving centers have fully equipped cardiac catheterization teams and cardiac intervention, otherwise known as Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI), which is the capability necessary to quickly clear the blockage.

Citizen’s Academy:

Also include link to Citizen’s Academy section of the website. --> In 2008, Nature Coast EMS hosted 17 citizens who were interested in learning more about how emergency medical services are rendered in Citrus County. The Nature Coast EMS Citizens’ Academy is an on-going program offering participants ride-along opportunities, an orientation to the training and equipment required for EMS professionals as well as providing lifesaving take home tips that can be applied during an actual medical emergency.

Click here to learn more about this praiseworthy program.