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Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) refers to the delivery of prehospital care to injured and ill patients. This care is provided through our affiliated agencies that provide both advanced life support and basic life support.

Community Health Network and EMS

As a certified supervising hospital and training institution, Community Health Network supervises EMS/fire agencies in Marion, Hamilton and Johnson counties providing medical direction and educational opportunities with the expertise of our EMS educational staff and two talented and dedicated physicians acting as medical directors.

Community Health Network offers EMS education programs for EMTs/paramedics to our affiliated providers as well as the general public. By offering both initial training and continuing education Community Health Network helps affiliated providers fulfill all requirements set forth by the Indiana EMS Commission and National DOT standards.

Community EMS director has statewide responsibilities

John Zartman, director of emergency medical services and EMS education, has been named vice chairman of the Indiana EMS Commission Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), state coordinator for all Prehospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) courses and national registry representative for the National Registry of EMTs (NREMT).

“John has dedicated his career to the education and delivery of EMS care,” says Randy Wright, vice president of emergency services. “His engagement with state and national EMS organizations enhances Community’s relationships with local EMS teams and ensures that we are offering patients the best possible coordination of care when they arrive in our emergency departments.”

As vice chairman of the TAC, Zartman reports to the Indiana EMS Commission on all projects affecting roles and responsibilities of EMS operations and educational issues. An appointee of the governor’s office, Zartman develops and issues recommendations along with other members for system changes and modifications.

Zartman also serves as a state representative and coordinator for the National Association of EMTs (NAEMT). He coordinates all Indiana PHTLS courses, which are designed to train emergency personnel to deliver all levels of prehospital care for patients with minor to severe trauma. He monitors and approves all courses for the state of Indiana, including emergency medical responder, emergency medical technician (EMT), advanced EMT and paramedic. He also monitors the instructors who provide training and reviews core material.

In addition to ensuring that EMS personnel have proper training to provide patient care, Zartman administers statewide EMT and paramedic exams. These tests are the final step for students wishing to become nationally certified for EMS work. Zartman supervises the examinations and submits reports to NREMT for the processing of certifications.

As director of emergency medical services and EMS education for the network, Zartman supervises and sponsors many levels of EMS providers in Marion, Johnson, Hamilton, Madison and Hancock counties. The Community Health Network EMS department also conducts multiple educational programs to all levels of EMS services, nursing, physicians and the general public.