EMTs, ICU docs and ER housekeepers — a year of frontline faces fighting the COVID virus
The Providence Journal
March 18, 2021
Providence Fire Department Mobile Health Unit
October 22, 2019
Providence, RI: Mayor Jorge O. Elorza, Commissioner of Public Safety Steven M. Paré, Providence Fire Department Chief of Emergency Medical Services Zachariah Kenyon, President and CEO Peter Marino (Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island) and CEO Merrill Thomas (Providence Community Health Center) gathered this afternoon at the PCHC Express Clinic, 355 Prairie Avenue, to announce the launch of Providence Fire Departments Mobile Health Unit Initiative.
“As communities across the country continue to struggle with effective use of their local 911 system, Providence is leading the way in innovative solutions that meet the healthcare needs of our residents,” said Mayor Jorge Elorza. “The PFD Mobile Health Unit ensures that every resident continues to receive quality care in their time of need while alleviating an overwhelmed EMS system. I am grateful for the partnership of Neighborhood Health Plan of RI and the Providence Community Health in supporting this critical resource.”
High demand for rescues in Providence takes toll on neighboring towns
March 1, 2022
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – The day after Christmas, 77-year-old Miguel Leon was feeling chest pains and having trouble breathing.
Within minutes of calling 911, firefighters in a ladder truck arrived at the Burns Street apartment complex where he lived, but all seven of the city’s ambulances were tied up. Providence had already called for backup from East Providence, North Providence, and North Smithfield to respond to 911 calls at that time, so the dispatcher turned to a fourth community for help at Burns Street.
“You have a Central Falls rescue,” the dispatcher told the ladder company, according to a Target 12 review of hours of Providence Fire Department dispatch transmissions during that day. “I will let you know when they sign on.”