Sample Articles

Sample Articles

Tools & Links

Contact

Stories appearing in the Doylestown Observer

Ambulance squad puts a new spin on an old practice

by Janine Logue

Who says doctors don’t make house calls anymore?

In Doylestown and the surrounding areas, doctors are making house calls all the time.

About two years ago, Central Bucks Ambulance Chief, Chuck Pressler, got an idea, what if, instead of just paramedics and EMTs, area residents could be treated by an actual doctor during a medical emergency?

“Our chief is an imaginative guy…he recently decided to contract with the premier teaching hospital in Philadelphia for emergency medicine physicians - Albert Einstein Medical Center,” said Joe Hayes, a paramedic with Central Bucks Ambulance.

The Squad’s agreement with Einstein means resident emergency medicine doctors ride with the Squad. Resident’s are doctors who have graduated from medical school but are undergoing 3-4 years of postgraduate training.

In addition to the resident doctors, Dr. Ken Lavelle, an attending ER physician at Einstein and the Squad’s medical director, often responds to critical or complicated calls.

“As an active medical director I get to spend time with the medics both in the station and the field treating patients,” said Dr. Lavelle.

Riding with the Squad has brought back some old memories for Dr. Lavelle.

“I enjoy the chance to get back in the field,” said Dr. Lavelle. “As a former paramedic and EMS Chief I know what the staff has to deal with on a regular basis.”

Chief Pressler can see the benefit that the doctor’s team has been to the Squad and the community.

“I truly believe it has improved our level of care. [Dr. Lavelle’s] influence has been very positive for our providers,” said Chief Pressler. “The object is to provide appropriate and timely care on the pre-hospital side… and reduce the [hospital] stay time for patients.”

The program also benefits the doctors.

“Emergency Medicine residents receive patients in the emergency department, but they don’t always know what happens before the patient arrives. By having them ride with EMS crews they are able to see first hand the conditions that patients come from and the conditions with which the medics have to deal,” said Dr. Lavelle.

The doctors have responded to several hundred emergency calls in the area.

“As you might imagine, most patients are amazed to realize in addition to a paramedic and EMT they're also being seen by a doctor right in their home,” added Hayes.

According to Hayes, there are no other EMS squads in the Central Bucks area who are involved in this program.

“I truly believe programs such as this have a positive impact on the quality of care being provided by EMS providers,” added Chief Pressler. “My philosophy behind this program and with moving forward is to prove that EMS has a vital role in Emergency Medicine and should be taken seriously.”

Dr. Lavelle agrees, and implores the community to support the Squad.

“The reason I am able to spend so much time with the medics and patients is because Central Bucks Ambulance pays my hospital to replace me,” said Dr. Lavelle. “Other medical directors are paid little or nothing so have much less time to dedicate. So there is a cost involved, but we believe that there is a significant benefit to the patients and the providers. I feel fortunate that Central Bucks is willing and able to do so and wish more agencies had the resources. As a non-profit organization, they benefit from donations and municipal support. This is one area that these funds are directed in a way to give back to the community.”

Washington Crossing Bridge scheduled for repairs

by Janine Logue

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission held an open house at the Upper Makefield Municipal Building on June 3rd, giving area residents the opportunity to review the upcoming repair and improvement plans for the Washington Crossing Toll-Supported Bridge.

The Washington Crossing Toll-Supported Bridge crosses the Delaware River and connects County Route 546 in Hopewell Township with PA Route 532 in Upper Makefield Township.

While annual inspections of the bridge have concluded that it is safe, the examinations have also shown that proactive steps must be taken to prevent emergency closures.

"We have a dual goal with these open houses: to inform the public and to listen to the public," said Frank G. McCartney, executive director of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. "This is a key component of the public involvement process for this project, and we hope the outreach effort will help minimize impacts for bridge users and our neighbors on both sides of the river.”

The work will include repairs to the Pennsylvania side abutment, which is suffering from severe bulging. The project will repair the back wall and wing wall locations and make significant improvements to the abutments drainage.

Other bridge improvements will include new tooth-dam expansion joints, an aesthetic enhancement of Pier 2, pier apron repairs, replacement of the walkway's wooden deck, walkway railing safety improvements, various structural steel repairs, repaving of the bridge's approach roads and better signage on and around the bridge.

The Bridge Commission expects the project to cost approximately $3.4 million, and will pay for the project using funds collected from the seven toll bridges it operates. The current goal is to complete final design work in the fall, and advertise the project for construction bids by the end of 2009 or the beginning of 2010.

Construction would start in early 2010 and would span 8 to 12 weeks. The time frame depends on several factors, including whether or not the Bridge Commission is granted a noise ordinance variance from Upper Makefield Township.

The substructure of the current bridge, composed of rubble stone-faced masonry, dates back to construction of the first wooden bridge at that location in 1831.

Information about the project can be found on the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission’s website at www.drjtbc.org.

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission was formed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey in 1934. It operates seven toll bridges and 13 toll-supported bridges, two of which are pedestrian-only spans. The Commission’s jurisdiction extends along the Delaware River from the Philadelphia-Bucks County line north to the New Jersey/New York border. The bridges carried more than 140 million cars and trucks in 2008.