REPORT ON THE STATUS OF NEW MEXICO AMBULANCE SERVICES

The status of emergency transportation servics in New Mexico is reported, strengths and weaknesses of the system are evaluated, and recommendations for improving the system are presented. Following a demographic and geographic overview of the State, the survey methodology is described briefly. The ambulance survey gathered information regarding vehicles, communications, equipment, general operational data, training, and personnel. Ambulance services were personally visited by a member of the Emergency Health Services staff of the New Mexico Regional Medical Program, who administered the questionnaire and checked vehicles and equipment. Ambulance services are categorized as follows: private services, municipal services, volunteer services, mortuary services, and industral services. Service data are presented for each category, including summary discussions of control, operational base, overlapping of services, number of calls, distance traveled, requests for service, rates and fees, and personnel training. Only 27 percent of all ambulances in New Mexico are under the control and regulation of the State. Lack of control by a central agency is seen as a primary weakness in the existing system. Recommendations include the following: development of one governing agency for licensure and inspection of all ambulances; development of a Statewide emergency medical communications system and of a uniform records system; incorporation of American Red Cross courses in the public school systems and introduction of advanced American Red Cross course completion as a prerequisite to issuance of a driver's license; extension of ambulance services to areas where none exist; and better identification of emergency medical services on highway maps and roadside signs. Ambulance equipment criteria used in the survey are included, as are the survey instrument, maps, and graphs.

• Corporate Authors:

  New Mexico Regional Medical Program

  Emergency Health Services Project
  Albuquerque, NM  United States 
• Publication Date: 1974-3

Media Info

• Pagination: 59 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Ambulances; Data collection; Demographics; Emergency medical services; Emergency vehicles; Evaluation; Health care; Health care services; Information processing; Methodology; Personnel; Research; State highways; Surveys; Transportation
• Geographic Terms: New Mexico
• Old TRIS Terms: Health care delivery; Health care utilization
• Subject Areas: Research; Safety and Human Factors; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00136653
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 13 1976 12:00AM