By CHRIS LINDAHL
@cmlindahl
Daily Hampshire Gazette
SOUTHAMPTON — Paramedic-level ambulance services in Southampton will be restored three weeks later than previously thought, on July 1, as officials work to put proper drug record-keeping protocols in place and retrain staff.
The temporary suspension of those services came after a May 28 inspection by the state Department of Public Health Office of Emergency Medical Services. The inspection revealed that Southampton Fire Department paramedics had not been following proper drug record-keeping procedures.
Following the inspection, state, town and hospital officials had previously agreed to restart paramedic-level services by June 10.
Fire Chief John Workman met with Department of Public Health and Cooley Dickinson Hospital officials Wednesday to discuss the progress of obtaining recertification, which includes training paramedics about record-keeping procedures.
“As many improvements are being put in place, the group agreed to a 1 July implementation date to allow more time for a thorough, comprehensive review of the town’s policies and procedures,” Dr. Raymond F. Conway, medical director of emergency services at Cooley Dickinson in Northampton, said Wednesday in an email.
Cooley Dickinson is licensed by the Department of Public Health to supervise treatment of patients by Southampton paramedics through an affiliation agreement. The hospital supplies the drugs used in the ambulance to treat patients “under tightly controlled” state requirements, Conway said.
Workman said improvements at the Fire Department are already underway.
Since last week’s inspection, Workman appointed paramedic David Murrett as the department’s Advanced Life Support coordinator. Murrett is charged with meeting with hospital and state officials and ensuring all necessary drug management protocols are followed.
“He’s a really good fit, and a really good choice to move forward,” Workman said Wednesday. “He’s really the oversight to make sure the affiliation agreement, all the protocols, all the updates that come from the state” are followed.
In addition to working in Southampton part-time, Murrett also works full-time at the Northampton Fire Department.
“We’ll have a lot of help behind him between experienced medics we already have in the department and Northampton folks that are behind him,” Workman said.
The coordinator’s position was previously held by Deputy Chief Kyle Miltimore.
Miltimore earlier this month alerted the Southampton Select Board to a potential problem with the Fire Department’s drug management procedures before asking to be placed on a three-month leave of absence.
That prompted the board to hand ambulance files over to the Southampton Police Department, which launched an investigation. The Department of Public Health investigation last week revealed no evidence that paramedics had been violating proper drug administering procedures, nor were any drugs believed to be missing.
“Our record-keeping just really needed some improvement to make it clear,” Workman said. “We’re just looking to ensure that everything is very clearly written out.”
In addition to the department overhauling its drug record-keeping practices, paramedics will have to undergo training to ensure they know how to comply with those protocols.
Training has not yet begun, but Workman said he is in the process of “setting up dates” for his staff to complete it before July 1.
“Our goal is to offer the best service to the town,” Workman said. “Rather than rushing into it we’re looking to have this all in place by July 1.”
In the meantime, the department will continue to operate a basic-level ambulance service that is licensed to provide first aid, but not to administer drugs or perform advanced medical procedures.
Emergency calls requiring a paramedic will generate a simultaneous response from a Southampton basic-level ambulance and a paramedic-level one from a surrounding community.
Chris Lindahl can be reached at [email protected].
