KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Ambulances are responding faster to calls in Knox County, according to an updated report.
In a meeting on Monday, American Medical Response was happy to report that it is seeing faster response times and more efficient operations in this quarterly report. AMR said it is seeing significant improvements across the board.
"The arrival times have improved remarkably over the course of the year," said Director of operations, Jerry Harnish. "So staffing and the number of units that are on the road."
AMR said the improvements are fueled by a 52% increase in EMT and paramedic staffing over the past 10 months, hiring more than 60 employees since February.
"We're very gratified to be able to get this kind of good news. I think it's what the community has wanted from us," said Harnish.
AMR said on-time responses have improved every month since the start of the contract, consistently at 90% or better since July.
"But is it normal? No, it is not normal to see improvement like that in such a short period of time," said Harnish. "We're very, very happy with our report card, but of course, there are some days where demand still exceeds the number of units and we need to understand that better and be ready"
Offloading times with AMR are still an issue, with times averaging nearly 60 minutes per 911 transport.
"When the ambulances can offload the hospitals. We may have a lot of ambulance staff but they're not available to take calls," said Harnish. "We want to make sure that there are enough units on the road to the emergency needs at all times, but there are a lot of demands on those units other than just things we would think of as emergencies."
Leaders with AMR said some of the next steps include transitioning 911 dispatch from AMR to Knox County Emergency Communications by the end of the year. Another step includes alternative care options for people living in a section of Broadway near Downton Knoxville.