Ridgecrest Regional Hospital Enters Agreement To Purchase Liberty Ambulance

PRESS RELEASE

Contact:
Jayde Glenn, Marketing Director, (760) 499-3910, jayde.glenn@rrh.org

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, March 5, 2019, RIDGECREST, Calif. - Ridgecrest Regional Hospital (RRH) is excited to announce its entering into a letter of intent to purchase Liberty Ambulance. Once approved by Kern County, Liberty management, and the RRH Board of Directors, RRH will purchase the company and assume control, continuing operations as Liberty Ambulance.

“We would like to take the opportunity to recognize the investment and hard work the Poulin family put forth in creating a state of the art ambulance system that has always been a leader in patient care and technology,” said Jim Suver CEO/President, Ridgecrest Regional Hospital. “RRH will continue that tradition and integrate pre-hospital services into its ever-evolving healthcare system. We are pleased that several key individuals at Liberty Ambulance will remain with the organization and be part of our team.”

Peter Brandon, CEO, Liberty Ambulance added, “It is exciting to have the two Emergency Providers come together and create a hybrid system that provides greater services for our patients. I honestly believe Ridgecrest Regional Hospital will elevate the patient care components in the filed settings through the expansion of services and a dedication to enhancing patient outcomes”

The EMS ground ambulance and paramedic program will join Mercy Air Ambulance as part of an integrated Emergency Services Department.

The EMS system will encompass over 6,000 square miles including the Ridgecrest area, Lake Isabella, and parts of San Bernardino, Inyo, and Tulare Counties. In the near future, RRH hopes to expand our medical transportation system and implement a Critical Care Transport Team and Community Paramedic Program.

Notes to Editors:

About Ridgecrest Regional Hospital

Ridgecrest Regional Hospital is a nonprofit, full service, acute care hospital, accredited by DNV Healthcare. Located in Ridgecrest, California, it was founded in 1945 by Dr. Thomas A. Drummond, who realized the need for medical care, to support the then recently established Naval Ordnance Test Station. Today, RRH continues as the only regional healthcare system providing a variety of services to the rural communities of the Southern Sierra. Our Vision is to be a leader with other healthcare providers in offering the highest quality, patient-centered, affordable healthcare and wellness services to the people of our service area.

The RRH health system currently consists of 78 active medical staff members and advanced practice professionals, offering multi-specialty healthcare and state-of-the-art facilities, including Gastroenterology Lab, Cardiology, Dermatology, Orthopedics, Pediatrics, and an accredited Sleep Lab, to name a few. The hospital also offers a Cancer Center, as part of an ongoing oncology affiliation with UC Davis Health Cancer Care Network, and is one of only a number of hospitals across the country to install FDA-approved state-of-the-art automated breast screening ultrasound technology in the Women’s Imaging Department, clinically proven to increase cancer detection by 35.7 percent. The hospital has been awarded the ACR gold seal of accreditation in Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, representing the highest level of image quality and patient safety and the Emergency Department has been designated by Kern County Public Health, as a Level IV trauma center, providing stabilization and advanced trauma life support.

Future plans include a new Emergency Room, new helipad for air ambulance services and construction is currently underway for the relocation of the South Medical Plaza. For more information, visit us at: rrh.org/ and Facebook.com/RidgecrestRegionalHospital.