14 MAINE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES • Bangor Daily News Special Advertising Section • May 17, 2019
SPOTLIGHT: REGION 1
WELLS AMBULANCE
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aramedic Jim Lapolla, Director of Wells EMS, and his 44 crew members face some unique challenges in providing emergency medical response to the Town of Wells. For one thing, the town of Wells has been identified as having one of the largest elderly populations in Maine—itself the state with the fastest-growing elderly population in the U.S. For another, the year-round service area population of 12,000 swells to some 60,000 during the busy summer season. And yet, Wells EMS succeeds at operating two ambulances at the Paramedic level, 24/7, with its per diem crew members, a mix of EMTs, Advanced EMTs and Paramedics, responding to approximately 2,000 calls per year. “We get a little bit of everything—
cardiac events, strokes, falls, motor vehicle accidents,” says Lapolla. “We’re also involved in lots of different events in the community,” he continues, “such as ‘Soup’s On’—we help to prepare a hearty meal, feeding about a hundred residents, twice a month during the winter; and we collaborate with the Wells Police Department and town office staff to put on the semi-annual Wells Senior Luncheon.” Wells EMS is represented in the town’s holiday parade, and even, when feasible, at the Chamber of Commerce ribbon cuttings for new area businesses. They offer BP clinics, stand by at school football games, and help provide medical coverage for the annual Beach to Beacon marathon as well as the Casco Bay Odyssey SwimRun.
LIZ OAKES AND HER SON DAVIS DURING THEIR FAMILY’S VISIT TO WELLS EMS TO THANK PARAMEDICS GREG GRIFFIN (L) AND JIM LAPOLLA WHO ASSISTED WITH THE BABY’S EMERGENCY DELIVERY. DURING THEIR VISIT, THE OAKES FAMILY ALSO HAD A CHANCE TO TOUR THE WELLS AMBULANCE (SEE SECTION COVER).
Just last month, as they do every year, Wells EMS crew members attended the annual local Beach Clean-Up event organized by the Wells Police Department. “We stand by in case of a medical emergency, but while we’re there, we’re glad to help with the clean up as much as we can.” “We’re pleased to also have a great working relationship with York Hospital in Wells,” adds Lapolla, “and to support the EMT program at York County Community College, where one of our Paramedics is the
lead instructor. That benefits us, too, as we’re always looking for talented people to join our ranks.” Lapolla estimates that, remarkably, 95% of his Wells per diem EMS crew also work elsewhere (e.g., Saco or Portland FD) or at Maine Medical Center. “Some of them do live locally, but others travel an hour or more to work their shifts in Wells. We offer a winning combination: a great seacoast town, an interesting mix of calls, and a very rewarding sense of community.”