Portage, Wis.– As part of system unification with Aspirus Health System, the Aspirus Divine Savior Emergency Medical Service has changed its name to Aspirus MedEvac. Effective March 3, 2021, medical records and invoicing systems also now reflect the new name.
“The Aspirus MedEvac emergency transport service is still based at Aspirus Divine Savior Hospital in Portage”, said Cody Doucette, MedEvac Manager at the Portage base. “While our name has changed, the same paramedic crews continue to provide the excellent high-quality emergency and 911 service our community has come to expect.”
Aspirus MedEvac provides interfacility hospital transports and emergency 911 service to the City of Portage and the Townships of Caledonia, Fort Winnebago, Lewiston, and Pacific in Columbia County. There will be no changes to existing community service offerings or down grading of level of service with the name change.
“Currently, the majority of the Aspirus MedEvac Portage-based crew members are paramedic level staff. Plans are in place for existing crew to receive additional training to increase their certification to Critical Care Paramedic, providing a higher level of care for the community,” said Jason Keffeler, Aspirus MedEvac System Director.
“The additional training will enhance our current crew capabilities, allowing them to acquire the high-level skills needed to provide enhanced stability to critical care patients during transport,” Doucette said. “Critical Care Paramedics also have an expanded scope of practice that allows them to administer more medications that emergency patients may require.”
The first new ambulance was delivered to the Aspirus Divine Savior location on March 11. In the coming months, all ground units will be re-signed to reflect the name change to Aspirus MedEvac and crew uniforms will be replaced to align with the naming update.
The addition of MedEvac at Aspirus Divine Savior creates a network of 125 emergency service providers, nine ground ambulance bases, and one air base located throughout Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. Aspirus Medevac has been accredited by the National Accreditation Alliance of Medical Transport Applications (NAAMTA) since 2015. They were the first hospital-based program in the NAAMTA Alliance and the first program to meet 100 percent compliance in the inspection process.
UW Health Med Flight will continue to maintain its air base at the Aspirus Divine Savior campus in Portage, Wis.