“We’re going to provide the care everybody needs, regardless of how hot it gets,” Lewis said.
Lewis said they’re making do with the resources they have and prioritizing one-time expenses like new ambulances to help them meet the challenges they’re facing. Local private ambulance services like Acadian Ambulance Services pay staffers between $50 and $70 per hour. The city’s chief of EMS has called for increased funding for higher wages to attract more workers. In April, it reported operating with only 60% of its needed staff. Health systems nationwide face serious funding and staffing challenges that could make it harder to keep up. Scientists say dangerous heat levels - and the stress they put on human bodies and medical systems - will likely keep increasing. During the third week of July, the city’s public EMS crews responded to 29 heat-related calls - more than triple what they handled during the same period last year. As a result, New Orleans EMS is responding to more calls for heat-related conditions than ever before, Lewis said. Like much of the country, New Orleans has been embroiled in a heat wave for weeks. 1 thing we spend our time worrying about in the summertime is keeping the truck cool.” 1 thing you do take care of somebody is get them out of the heat, get them somewhere cool,” Lewis said. They need the extra cooling power to help save lives. The new AC is much more than a luxury for the hard-working crews. “The nicest thing about being assigned a brand-new unit is it has a brand-new air conditioning system,” Lewis said. But mechanical assistance isn’t the best thing about the upgraded vehicles.
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