Hall Ambulance hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 28 to commemorate the opening of the Nedra E. Thompson Communications Center at 1001 21st Street in downtown Bakersfield.

The new state-of-the-art dispatch center is named after Dispatcher Nedra E. Thompson, a cherished 20-year employee who passed away on May 28, 2022.  Many only knew Thompson by her calm voice in the night as it was broadcast over Hall Ambulance’s radio channels.  Yet, she built a rapport of trust with the company’s paramedics, EMTs, and RNs out of her genuine concern for their well-being, particularly after a difficult call.  This display of compassion resulted in many of the EMS crews fondly calling her “Mama Nedra.”

The 2,573 sq. ft. facility features nine workstations to accommodate emergency medical dispatchers (EMDs) who process 9-1-1 ambulance requests and the transportation department, which coordinates non-emergency medical transportation services.  The building also contains a new server/radio room, a data room, and a breakroom.  In addition, Hall Ambulance’s information technology and cybersecurity vendor, Grapevine MSP, has two employees onsite to provide fully managed IT support and services.

Working cooperatively with Kern County’s Emergency Communications Center (ECC), the Nedra E. Thompson Communications Center operates 24/7 and is responsible for processing every 9-1-1 ambulance request for medical aid throughout Kern County’s 8,132.3 square miles. Last year, the center dispatched over 151,600 calls, including 13,326 EMD calls in which EMDs provided pre-arrival instructions.

In 2011, Hall Ambulance’s dispatch center became the world’s 154th EMD Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED).  This is the highest distinction for compliance with the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MDPS) 20 Points of Excellence.  The company has subsequently received four re-accreditations from IAED.