By Sunayana Prabhu
TINTON FALLS – Monmouth County has stepped up to resolve the emergency medical service (EMS) crisis triggered by a critical shortage of volunteers. The county launched its own EMS hub called MedStar, located at the Charles Wood Fire Station on the borough’s former Fort Monmouth grounds, to assist surrounding agencies in need of emergency medical services.
An initiative of the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office and supported by the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners, MedStar was launched Feb. 8, in response to a severe shortage of career and volunteer emergency medical technicians (EMTs).
The county-run, paid EMS operation covers areas in the Fort Monmouth vicinity in Tinton Falls, Red Bank, Oceanport and Colts Neck, among others, and has expansion plans to include the larger coastal Monmouth region in the near future.
MedStar will assist local EMS agencies with emergency medical calls and medical transportation services in the area. The county also acquired additional emergency service equipment for the new MedStar operations.
The EMS industry statewide has been facing an acute shortage of paid professionals as well as volunteer professionals since COVID-19, resulting in an EMS crisis in several parts of New Jersey. Monmouth County has not been immune to the problem. According to the sheriff’s office, out of the 21 counties in New Jersey, Monmouth ranks 19th in response times. In 2023, there were more than 60,000 calls for service in Monmouth County that required an ambulance. Amid the decreasing number of volunteers, keeping up with that demand has been challenging for most EMS providers.
“We all know unfortunately the hours it takes now for training, and we all know unfortunately with family matters and dual income jobs that volunteerism has become a little difficult in communities,” Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said during a Feb. 7 press conference at his office in Freehold to announce the launch.
Golden highlighted the challenges in EMS staffing that have impacted response time and safety.
MedStar aims to ensure timely emergency medical responses for the residents of Monmouth County, however, it is “not intended to replace successful local EMS programs, but rather to supplement them and fill gaps where they exist throughout the county,” said Michael Bascom, who has been the Monmouth County EMS coordinator for more than 30 years and is president of the NJEMS Task Force. Bascom appreciated the initiative by Golden and the county commissioners and for listening to an EMS community that has “been sounding the alarm that help is needed. Call volume is continuously growing, volunteer and career staffing are difficult to find, and the profession fails to receive the level of support needed at the state and federal levels, to maintain an appropriate level of preparedness,” Bascom said.
MedStar presently has four ambulances and two quick response vehicles stationed at EMS Central on Fort Monmouth. The county EMS unit consists of highly trained, dedicated full- and part-time EMS professionals who will assist and work collaboratively with existing volunteer EMS squads in Tinton Falls and surrounding areas.
“Safety is at the cornerstone of everything we do here in Monmouth County and the Board of County Commissioners is proud to provide financial support to the County EMS operation for this essential service,” commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone said in a press release.
The process will begin in the Monmouth County 9-1-1 Communications Center when an emergency call comes in and an ambulance is requested from the town with which the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office has entered into an agreement.
If that town needs assistance, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office EMS Unit will respond, ensuring that emergency medical services are efficient and accessible. According to the county, these services will be subsidized through insurance.
This initiative aims to enhance emergency medical services, strengthen community resilience, and contribute to the overall safety and well-being of Monmouth County residents.
The article originally appeared in the February 22 –28, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
