Senator Collins Visits Stephens Memorial Hospital PACE Paramedic Station
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Norway, ME—Today at Stephens Memorial Hospital, U.S. Senator Susan Collins received a tour of the PACE Paramedic Station and participated in a roundtable discussion with hospital leaders and employees.
Senator Collins secured $1,642,000 in the government funding bill that was recently signed into law to support facility improvements and equipment for the PACE Paramedic Station, which serves 18 rural communities in Oxford County.
“Improving access to quality health care is essential to the wellbeing of residents and helps to promote thriving communities,” said Senator Collins. “The upgrade for the PACE Paramedic Station facility and equipment will support this lifesaving service and help paramedics respond to calls more quickly and efficiently when seconds count. I strongly advocated for this investment because it will provide significant benefits to the community and help ensure that the region remains a great place to live, work, and recreate.”
“We are incredibly grateful for the support of Senator Collins, who advocated for this vital project,” said Timothy Ingram, Senior Director of Operations and Ancillary Services. “This funding will support renovations to the PACE Paramedic Station and ensure these critical services are available to the community when they are needed most.”
The renovated ambulance station will provide sufficient space and modern equipment to ensure crews deliver the best care possible. Improved storage will preserve gear and make it more accessible. In addition, updated living quarters will support a diverse team of crew members who spend hours living away from home as they work. This renovation will also provide expanded meeting and training space. These updates will strengthen the infrastructure of Oxford County’s only paramedic-licensed first responder service.
PACE Paramedic service covers 438 square miles of area and 18 communities in Oxford County. Owned and operated by Stephens Memorial Hospital as an area EMS service, PACE receives no municipal subsidies. Much of the work PACE does entails back up and support for communities that do not have their own EMS or whose EMS is, at the time of a call, otherwise engaged. In 2021, PACE provided 1,055 health care facility transfers, 2,987 emergency responses to a 911 request, and 4,927 total ambulance runs. Since 2019, total calls for PACE have increased 33%.
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