Local hospital implements potentially life-saving critical care ambulances

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) - WVU Medicine Camden Clark now has two certified critical care ambulances.

One EMS professional calls the development life-saving.

Camden Clark Ambulance Service Manager Shawn Marshall explained that, before these two ambulances were certified, critical care patients would be transported to other facilities via helicopter. However helicopters can’t always be used. For example, weather can get in the way. In those instances the hospital would have to call in a critical care transport from out of town.

“It could be a life or death of a patient on the time frame that it would take for another crew to get here from another area or agency to be able to transport them. So we have taken out that delay by implementing this program,” Marshall said.

These critical care ambulances do exactly what helicopters do but on the ground. However these ambulances can carry a little more equipment than helicopters, according to Marshall.

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