Lowell General emergency services reports October opioid declines; EMS notes equipment and staffing updates
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Summary
Jacqueline Allard, director of emergency services at Lowell General, said opioid-related calls eased in October from summer peaks, reported a strong EMS response metric ("We're at that 91% for the first 4."), and described steps to address a temporary dip in intubation success tied to newly contracted ambulance crews.
Jacqueline Allard, director of emergency services for Lowell General and overseer of 911 paramedics, briefed the board on opioid and EMS trends, saying the system saw "a nice return down to the lower numbers for October" compared with July and August peaks.
Allard said the EMS system has operated without the need for outside mutual aid for roughly two years, a point she described as a source of local operational pride. She reported a 91% figure for early-response performance — "We're at that 91% for the first 4." — and said supervisors send daily reports to crews to track performance.
On clinical measures, Allard flagged a temporary dip in intubation first-attempt success tied to a newly contracted vendor, Patriot Ambulance, which initially lacked video laryngoscopes; the system has since acquired the devices and staff training was finishing this week, which Allard said should improve the rate in upcoming quarters.
Staffing updates included a deliberate pause in hiring variable-shift EMTs to focus on building seniority and more stable full-time staffing; Allard said the department is prioritizing candidates who can cover multiple shifts rather than one-off partial schedules.
The board noted a minor typographical error in the published materials ("compliant" versus "complaint" under complaints at dispatch) and thanked staff for the report.
