Officials at Exeter (N.H.) Hospital, have agreed to continue operating a specialized paramedic program through at least Dec. 20 after meeting with New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella.
The hospital, part of Cambridge, Mass.-based Beth Israel Lahey Health, recently said it would shutter its advanced life support paramedic intercept program, citing rising costs and changing patient care demands. Through the program, the hospital sends specially trained paramedics in an "intercept" vehicle to respond to medical emergencies in surrounding communities that require a level of care beyond what local EMS officials can typically provide.
News that the hospital planned to end the program — which has been in place for more than 30 years — by Sept. 20 sparked significant concern from local EMS and fire officials that rely heavily on the specialized service.
"Exeter's Hospital's announcement that it would be discontinuing the ALS program within 10 days provided wholly insufficient notice to the communities that rely upon it," Mr. Formella said in a Sept. 13 statement on the matter.
"Representatives from my office met with management from Exeter Hospital and Beth Israel Lahey Health last night to relay our significant public health and safety concerns," he said, adding that the hospital has agreed to maintain the services through at least Dec. 20.
The program's end would be especially acute for small towns surrounding Exteter that don't always have their own paramedics on staff, local officials told NHPR. East Kingston, for instance, has paramedics on staff, but they're not available 24/7 and don't have the same level of training and resources as the hospital's specialized team.
"This program has served as a resource for many communities, and we will work with the impacted departments, state and local officials during the transition period," a spokesperson for Exeter Hospital said in a statement to local news outlets.
Beth Israel Lahey acquired the hospital in 2023. The state is reviewing documents from the sale to determine whether a discontinuation of the specialized paramedic program conflicts with any of the conditions Mr. Formella laid out when approving the sale, a spokesperson for his office told NHPR.