My memo to Ohio EMS on March 16, 2020 included a discussion on non-transport protocols for EMS.  During increased demand for EMS services, non-transport protocols can be one of the initiatives to improve resource utilization.  These resources include, but are not limited to, EMS manpower, personal protective equipment, transport vehicles, decontamination materials, operational costs, and emergency department and hospital services.  Most importantly, non-transport protocols can increase the availability of EMS services to patients with the greatest need improving our abilities to save lives.

Community engagement is one of the important factors that I highlighted for the successful implementation of non-transport protocols by EMS systems.  Ideally, education of the community regarding the need and benefits of a non-transport protocol should also be paired with empowerment for laypersons to be an active participant in the process.

I am happy to report that the Ohio Department of Public Safety, Division of EMS, in partnership with the Mentor Fire Department, has created “Be Part of the Solution”, a public service announcement (PSA) that the Division of EMS is providing as a resource for EMS systems who wish to provide education and empowerment to their community when non-transport protocols are implemented.  Some systems may choose to use the PSA alone while other systems may elect to follow the PSA with the provision of the specific parameters within their non-transport protocols.

We are providing the “Be Part of the Solution” PSA to all EMS agencies and EMS medical directors free of charge and the video can be accessed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeZw4Jb0ukc&feature=youtu.be

We hope that this will be a useful tool as we navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic response together.  Thank you for your dedicated service and stay healthy!