AUGUSTA - State lawmakers including Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, Sen. Chip Curry, D-Belfast, and Rep. Sue Salisbury, D-Westbrook, joined Maine Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel and Friends of EMS for Maine for the annual Maine EMS Week Celebration and Remembrance Ceremony at the State House on Thursday.
The event commemorated National EMS Week, which was first celebrated in 1974, one year after the landmark federal EMS Act of 1973 established the country's current EMS network. This year, the celebration honored two extraordinary contributors to the field of EMS, Peter Goth, M.D. and Kevin McGinnis, EMT-P (Ret).
"It's hard to overstate just how important Maine's EMS professionals are to our communities. Their skill and dedication is crucial to the safety and well-being of every person in Maine," said Jackson. "These folks need the same dedication from lawmakers when it comes to supporting them through better wages, accessible and affordable training to keep departments staffed, and through support for their mental and physical health. I'm proud of the work that the Legislature has done to listen to EMS personnel and take action on their requests. There's a long way to go, but the EMS memorial is an important opportunity to focus on just how incredible EMS professional's commitment to the people of Maine is."
"During the summer of 2022, I had the pleasure of co-chairing the Blue Ribbon Commission to Study Emergency Medical Services in the State. Over six meetings and hours of testimony and deliberations, we reached the inevitable conclusion that the Maine EMS system is in crisis," said Talbot Ross. "Access to emergency medical response services across Maine is an essential part of our health care system. In some cases, its quite literally a life-or-death situation. As Speaker, I am committed to doing everything in my power to help stabilize, support and strengthen EMS services in Maine."
"It's essential that we recognize the heroic professionals behind the uniforms are not immune to the emotional and physical impacts of their profession," said Curry. "In honoring their dedicated service, we commit not just to words of appreciation, but to tangible support for their financial, physical and psychological well-being."
"EMS providers are the backbone of our communities and put their lives on the line to deliver care to Mainers in crisis," said Salisbury. "They respond to the most urgent emergencies and provide critical interventions in the field to save lives. On this day and every day, they deserve our gratitude and recognition. I am committed to ensuring that we are doing all that we can as a state to support Maine EMS."
This session, Talbot Ross, Curry and Salisbury have introduced legislation to support Maine EMS by optimizing EMS providers scope of practice, exploring ways to address workforce shortages, directly providing funding to existing services and reauthorizing the Blue Ribbon Commission to Study EMS in Maine.
Contact:
Lisa Haberzettl [Jackson, Curry], 207-251-3548
Mary-Erin Casale [Talbot Ross], 207-415-4965
Brian Lee [Salisbury], 305-965-2744