March 9, 2017
Baptist Memorial Health Care based in Memphis, Tennessee, today announced a partnership with Priority Ambulance for transport services between Baptist hospitals.
This partnership will allow Baptist to provide a specialized pediatric ambulance to the Spence and Becky Wilson Baptist Children’s Hospital. Priority Ambulance will coordinate Baptist’s ambulance services in the greater Memphis area.
“We are excited about the growth in our pediatric services and the ability to add specialized medical transportation through a partnership with Priority Ambulance,” said Jason Little, president and CEO of Baptist Memorial Health Care. “We are passionate about healing, teaching and preaching, and we are confident Priority Ambulance shares similar values. This alliance will allow us to more efficiently care for patients, which will elevate the quality of care in our community.”
Through the partnership, Priority Ambulance and Baptist will lead advancements in pediatric care, beginning with a critical care pediatric ambulance. The high-tech ambulance will be designed exclusively for children with critical illness and will safely transport young patients to and from referring hospitals and specialists.
The technologically advanced emergency vehicle will contain lifesaving medical equipment specially designed for newborns, children and adolescents and will have child-friendly branding on the interior and exterior to make pediatric patients more comfortable during travel. The ambulance also will have tablets loaded with kid-friendly videos and games to help put children at ease during stressful situations.
Priority Ambulance also will oversee, manage and staff Baptist-branded ambulances that will provide services to Baptist facilities in the greater Memphis area. To streamline the dispatch process, Priority Ambulance will establish a centralized dispatch center in the Baptist Patient Placement Center, a nurse-staffed center that aims to improve efficiency as patients move from the emergency department through hospital admission and discharge.
“This strategic alliance is a big step forward in improving efficiency as we continue to care for patients around the clock,” said Dr. Paul DePriest, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Baptist. “Priority Ambulance joining our team will help streamline logistics as they work closely with the staff at our Patient Placement Center.”
“Our community is consistently our priority,” said Bryan Gibson, president and CEO of Priority Ambulance. “We look forward to becoming a partner with Baptist to provide high-quality medical transport services to their patients. Working closely with Baptist creates a great opportunity for us to advance health care in the greater Memphis area.”
About Priority Ambulance
Based in Knoxville, Tenn., Priority Ambulance provides the highest level of clinical excellence in emergency and nonemergency medical care to the communities it serves. Throughout its national service area, more than 1,000 highly trained paramedics and EMTs staff a fleet of more than 250 state-of-the-art vehicles with the latest medical equipment and technology.
Priority Ambulance provides emergency and nonemergency medical transport options to communities in Arizona, Tennessee, Alabama, New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Georgia and South Carolina. Operating as Priority Ambulance, the company serves Knox, Loudon and Blount counties in East Tennessee. Priority Ambulance operates as Kunkel Ambulance in Upstate New York; Trans Am Ambulance in western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania; Shoals Ambulance in Alabama; Seals Ambulance in Indiana; Central EMS in Georgia; Maricopa Ambulance in Arizona; and Medshore Ambulance in South Carolina. For more information, please visit www.priorityambulance.com.
About Baptist Memorial Health Care
One of the nation’s largest not-for-profit health care systems, Baptist Memorial Health Care offers a full continuum of care to communities throughout the Mid-South. The Baptist system, which consistently ranks among the top integrated health care networks in the nation, comprises 17 affiliate hospitals in West Tennessee, North Mississippi and East Arkansas; more than 4,000 affiliated physicians; Baptist Medical Group, a multispecialty physician group with more than 500 providers; home, hospice and psychiatric care; minor medical centers and clinics; a network of surgery, rehabilitation and other outpatient centers; and an education system highlighted by the Baptist College of Health Sciences. The Baptist system employs more than 13,000 people, and in fiscal year 2013, contributed $239 million in community benefit to areas it serves. According to the Sparks Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Memphis, Baptist Memorial Health Care’s annual economic impact is estimated at more than $2.6 billion. For more information, please visit www.baptistonline.org.