During National EMS Week, Cetronia Ambulance Corps hosted elected officials as a way to bring together governmental officials and healthcare providers to create increased awareness around public health and safety.

The ambulance corps also honored the dedication of those who save lives, provide medical services and transport residents daily as medicine's front line of healthcare.

On May 22, state Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-132th, participated in an ambulance ride-along with the emergency response crew of Paramedic Troy Barlet and Emergency Medical Technician Matt Diffenderfer.

He experienced firsthand the critical role EMS providers play in emergency and pre-hospital care, and disaster and emergency preparedness.

"This ride-along was important for me as a member of the House Committee on Health," Schlossberg said. "I was able to see the critical and life-saving responsibilities paramedics and EMTs have in our communities.

"I have tremendous appreciation for the EMS personnel serving our community. There is no doubt their dedication saves lives."

Congressman Charlie Dent, R-15th, and state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-134th, joined Cetronia Ambulance CEO Larry Wiersch for a special preview of Cetronia Ambulance Corps new Joint Operations, Community Education and Lehigh County Medico-Legal Forensics facility at 4300 Broadway, South Whitehall Township.

A collaboration with Lehigh County, the new facility will provide enhanced rapid response and expanded capabilities for response to emergencies; offer community public health and training programs, as well as provide new and expanded opportunities for medical training for EMS, healthcare and public safety personnel.

The new facility will allow for the expansion of Cetronia's Command Center to assist regional emergency operations, support Community Health expansion, and support various alternative revenue streams to continue to raise funds for Cetronia's emergency medical services and medical transportation teams.

Dent was offered an inside look at the opportunities for the community the new center offers and the enhanced security and systems present throughout the facility to improve performance and emergency preparedness capabilities.

"I greatly appreciated the opportunity to get a preview of Cetronia Ambulance Corps new facility," Dent said. "This expansion is going to prove to be a great benefit to providing for the safety of our community.

"It will provide additional capabilities to first responders when they're dealing with large scale emergency situations."

Mackenzie sat down with Wiersch to discuss the role of EMS and the regions emergency services system for an upcoming episode of his cable show, "The Legislative Report," as a way for residents, and community and business leaders to recognize what EMS professionals do every day.

"Cetronia Ambulance Corps has been growing since its inception, and so has the demand for its services," Mackenzie said. "As one who has lived in this area my entire life, I appreciate the outstanding work that Cetronia does, and I thank them for being such a great partner in the effort to serve and protect our community."

The tour was designed to demonstrate how a wisely executed system can efficiently use Medicare and Homeland Security funding for ambulance services to drive improvements and advancement in pre-hospital care that positively impacts patient outcomes.

"It is essential for our legislators to support community-based ambulance services, such as Cetronia, so they have the capacity to respond to not only public health and safety threats but to individual medical emergencies and serve the medical transportation needs of the communities we serve," Wiersch said.