CCEMS…Celebrating 25 Years of Quality, Compassionate Emergency Medical Care

In Northwest Harris County, area residents are very familiar with the gleaming red and white vehicles that bear the proud crest of Cypress Creek Emergency Medical Services.  What the layperson might call an ambulance is in actuality a Mobile Intensive Care Unit, licensed by the State of Texas, fully equipped to provide the highest standard of pre-hospital emergency care.  On board are highly trained, skilled paramedics and EMTs (Emergency Medical Technician) who undergo rigorous, initial and continuing education to be able to deal effectively with virtually any emergency they encounter while on duty.  Today, CCEMS consistently arrives on the scene in less than 7 minutes providing an exceptional level of emergency care to our neighbors in a 250 square mile area. 

 It was a different scenario back in 1975 when the Service was first established.  The area’s main thoroughfare – FM 1960 – was a two-lane road, and the nearest shopping center was 5-10 miles away.  Residents who wanted to dine out made the 21 mile trip into Houston.  The area did have a new local hospital, however, so the growing population could receive a wide range of medical services closer to home.  The Wall Street Journal called the “1960 Area” the fastest growing residential community in America...but a lot of us just called it home. 

Many of the corporate leaders who commuted into Houston by day dedicated countless evening hours to learning the intricacies of governing subdivisions, and applied the same management skills that made them valuable employees to solving the problems of their neighborhoods.  As thousands of people continued to move into the quiet, wooded community during Houston’s energy and aerospace population boom, it became obvious that achieving the quality of life the new residents expected would require access to top quality emergency medical care. 

Then, as sometimes happens, a single event provided the impetus for action.  A man had a heart attack.  The anxious family members called for help, but as they waited in vain, he died in the arms of his wife.  This dedicated husband, father and community leader lost his life because there was no emergency team to come to his aid.  It was this senseless death that gathered support; first on the street where he lived, then in his subdivision; then throughout the northwest community.

In August, 1975 the countless hours of dedicated volunteer time finally culminated in the founding of Cypress Creek Emergency Medical Services Association, an organization dedicated to providing 24-hour skilled emergency medical care to the FM 1960 community. Provision of emergency medical services in 1975 was dramatically different than it is today.  Not only have research and technology redefined the outcomes of health care emergencies, but the training and experience of volunteer personnel now provides the basis for far more extensive care independent of remote instructions from hospitals. 

Twenty five years ago, ambulance crews took their care instructions over the phone and by radio from a nearby emergency room. There were few medications that could be administered without direction, and there were certainly fewer treatment options available, as well.  Today, our highly trained EMTs and Paramedics provide the same expert quality of care available in an emergency room. There are specific protocols developed by the organization’s Medical Director under guidelines of the Texas Department of Health, in which CCEMS personnel receive hands-on training for treating a wide range of emergency situations. 

During its first 18 years of operation, the CCEMS annual budget came entirely from donations and fund-raisers.  The money received had to cover the personnel, the equipment, the medications, the stations, and the vehicles.  While volunteers pounded the pavement in their subdivisions to collect an annual contribution from each household, the Board struggled to develop creative fund raising strategies just to keep the Service going.  People were grateful for the emergency services provided and often sent notes of thanks with checks enclosed after a family member was cared for by CCEMS crews. 

The early EMS dispatchers were also volunteers.  They came to serve every day of the year, day in and day out.  Compared to the skills and preparation of today's dispatch team, they had only a few hours spent along side another dispatcher for training.  Everything was done by hand; there were no computers to track response times or to provide maps or directions as there are now.  The earliest CCEMS volunteers worked their twelve hour shifts and then often returned for meetings -- to do repairs and maintenance on the truck or station, to stretch meager finances to order more supplies or equipment, or to serve a shift as dispatcher.  Whatever job needed to be done, the small corps of volunteers somehow managed to accomplish it.

After years of operating on a shoestring, homeowners were offered the opportunity to make a donation on their water bill to help build the emergency service fleet of ambulances, stations, and critical medical supplies, and it wasn't long before several thousand residents began to contribute each month.  The Board was then able to devote its attention to establishing more realistic annual budgets that included new ambulances and satellite stations; more personnel, management staff and emergency equipment.  The formula worked and CCEMS was able to keep pace with the growing community it served.
 
In 1985, CCEMS was named the Best Advanced Life Support System in Texas.  In the span of just eleven short years, the organization earned a national reputation for excellence in emergency care. In 1986, the organization was recognized as the Paramedic Emergency Medical Service of the Year for the United States.  In 1995, CCEMS received the Houston Northwest Chamber's Dr. Roberson Excellence in Heath Care Award.

In 1993, the CCEMS Board of Directors voted to initiate Third Party Billing, an insurance billing system to supplement voluntary contributions and the donations residents made through the option on their Municipal Utility District statements.  Now, when a patient is TRANSPORTED by the ambulance, CCEMS sends a statement for these services, and complies with the federal rules governing Medicare and Medicaid, which require that the insured must be billed for the balance after their insurance carrier has paid.

Today, Cypress Creek EMS operates seven stations throughout its 250 square mile service area, and there are approximately 450,000 people who rely on CCEMS to provide around the clock emergency care.  There are nine licensed Mobil Intensive Care Units and an extensive team of First Responders who answer calls, along with a base of more than 200 volunteers.  Callers wait only an average of six minutes 50 seconds for an ambulance to arrive, and frequently a First Responder is on the scene in just minutes.  Every month, CCEMS responds to approximately 1100 calls with the same care and compassion so characteristic of its founding volunteers almost 25 years ago.

In 1999, for the first time, CCEMS responded to more than 15,000 calls in one year.  That means that each day, the staff and volunteers went out 41 times and dealt with whatever emergency they encountered when they arrived on the scene — auto accidents, heart attacks, difficulty breathing, household accidents, near drownings, strokes, crime victims, injured children — providing the highest quality of care possible. Every case is different and the outcome cannot be known until the trained crew and equipment arrive on the scene to assess the situation, and this gives a very specific definition to being prepared.
 
For 25 years, we have assured our neighbors and community that “When Seconds Count... Count On Us.”  Thanks to the generous support of area residents through voluntary donations, fund-raisers, and Third Party Billing, that’s the commitment we fulfill every day.