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In 1969, EMS (Emergency Medical Services) was a
term that was nonexistent. The standard of care
throughout the country at that time consisted of
very basic first aid, “lights and sirens” and a
“fast ride” to the nearest hospital. Federal
legislation regulating the provision of
ambulance service was the reason the local
providers, which at the time were made up of a
number of funeral homes in the county, exited
and in 1969 Mercy Ambulance Service started. As
a standalone company, it offered the standard of
care known as “Basic Life Support (BLS)” care
utilizing Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs).
By 1976, Mercy Ambulance was privately owned
by Gerald and Patricia Primeau of Calumet. At
the same time, Dr. David Gilbert saw a need for
a more advanced system and became an integral
part in what is now known as “ALS” (Advanced
Life Support) standard of care. ALS service/care
utilized personnel trained to the level of
paramedic. In addition to providing basic life
support, an ALS service offers advanced airway
procedures, IV therapy, ECG (electrocardiogram)
recognition and pharmacology. After rigorous/
arduous requirements and training, Mercy
Ambulance Service became the first licensed
Advanced Life Support Service in the state of
Michigan, an accomplishment that is still
revered today.
In 2003, Mercy Ambulance
Service, Inc. was sold to Marquette General
Health System, and became Mercy EMS, Inc. Five
years later in 2008, Aspirus Keweenaw and UP
Health Portage purchased Mercy EMS from
Marquette General and is governed jointly by a
board of directors consisting of administrators
and physicians from both hospitals.
Today, Mercy EMS, Inc. is a paramedic/ALS
service serving Houghton and Keweenaw counties,
the two most northern counties in Michigan. Our
service area consists of 1,250 square miles with
a population of 38,000 people resulting in 3,000
emergency (911) responses per year and over 500
hospital-to-hospital transfers to our regional
medical center two hours away. The company now
has 14 full-time positions and 17-part time
employees, operating a fleet of seven
ambulances, five of which are ALS equipped.
Three duty and backup crews are scheduled, 24
hours a day, 7 days per week.
Mercy EMS,
Inc., working with the School of EMT at UP
Health Marquette, and utilizing their
teleconferencing system allows us to offer
easier and more efficient methods of initial and
continuing education opportunities. This
includes training for both our employees and EMS
responders in our service area. Having this
technology onsite eliminates the need for travel
for new and existing employees to garner or
maintain their state licensure at all levels.
In
2019, Mercy EMS celebrated 50 years of service
to Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. This never
would have been possible without the loyal and
dedicated staff, and the hundreds of
individuals, some of whom were simply
volunteers, who have come and gone over the
years. Their arduous training and continual
support of EMS in the area have contributed
greatly for half a decade.
Mercy EMS, Inc.
offers:
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