Essex-Windsor EMS will be adding a manager of employee wellness in 2025 to monitor and address the stress and demands being placed on paramedics.
The County of Essex approved the new position in its 2025 budget.
The manager of employee wellness will proactively ensure paramedics get the critical care they need and provide assistance to the existing peer support team.
EMS Chief Justin Lammers says they have an excellent peer support team along with a psychologist on standby during a critical incident, but this new position will help them be proactive to give paramedics what they need when they need it most.
"We want to make sure we have the supports in place for our staff to keep them healthy at work," he says. "Call volumes are going up, and when call volumes go up, there's more exposure to critical incidents. Occupational stress injuries are real. We know paramedics are at greater risk for mental health injuries than the general public."
Essex-Windsor EMS is on track to respond to a record 65,000 calls by the end of 2024.
Lammers says there's operational stress on the job along with critical incidents that paramedics respond to that play a part in impacting mental health.
"They see things that the general public goes their whole life without seeing, and they see them repeatedly. Workload has a part of it, and moral injuries are a big piece. Sometimes their hands are tied in the decisions they have to make or they witness things that are morally wrong and that can have a big impact on the paramedic as well," he says.
Lammers says he's never met a paramedic who didn't care about their community and the people they're serving, which is why this position is important
"One year in this seat as chief, I saw it about halfway through; it came on my radar, and it was the number position we needed coming into this outside of paramedic resources. We need more paramedics; we're recruiting non-stop. But we're doing everything we can to make sure those who are a part of our team can stay a part of our team. So high priority," he says.
The manager of employee wellness will also collect and develop data to address paramedic mental health needs and develop programs aimed at wellness and relapse prevention.
