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GoAERO Prize Updated Guidelines

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in News, Patient Care, Press.

Today, we are excited to announce our Updated Guidelines. The GoAERO blog provides a high-level review of these changes and the complete guidelines are available at https://www.herox.com/goaero.

For a more in-depth review of the updated GoAERO technical rules, guidelines, and timeline, please join our next webinar on Wednesday April 24th at 9 am PST/12 pm EST.

Register here for the webinar.

Please note: we have extended the Stage 1 Submission Deadline to December 11, 2024. You can review the complete timeline here.

We look forward to transforming the future of emergency response technology together!

Thank you,
The GoAERO Team

We would also appreciate it if you would forward this email, or share the webinar details with your network and encourage them to join GoAERO.
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EMS.gov Webinar | EMS Harm Reduction and SUD Treatment

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in Operations, Patient Care, Webinars.

EMS Focus
WEBINAR

EMS Harm Reduction and SUD Treatment

Hosted by NHTSA’s Office of EMS on March 22 at 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT

According to the National Harm Reduction Coalition, “harm reduction is a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use.” This can include improving access to naloxone (Narcan) to prevent death from opioid overdose, providing sterile syringes to reduce the spread of HIV and hepatitis C, and fentanyl testing programs, among other types of help.

EMS clinicians are often on the frontline of addiction and the unintended consequences of both legal and illicit drug use and substance use disorder (SUD). In addition, drug use greatly impacts the larger context of our nation’s roads and highways through impaired driving and the resulting risks to the impaired driver, other drivers, passengers, bicyclists, and pedestrians. A 2022 NHTSA study of seven trauma centers around the U.S. found that nearly 56% of people injured or killed on roadways tested positive for one or more drugs, including alcohol. The most prevalent drug category was cannabis, and opioids made up 8.5% of cases at the trauma centers.

In this EMS Focus webinar, panelists will discuss:

  • Harm reduction and SUD treatment in the context of EMS care
  • Recent research
  • How innovation and intervention can drive overdose prevention in your community and reduction of other health risks, including traffic crashes that may be a result of impaired driving
REGISTER NOW

Panelists Include:

  • Kate Elkins, Emergency Medical Services/911 Specialist, NHTSA’s Office of EMS (moderator)
  • Gerard Carroll, M.D., EMS Medical Director, Cooper University Health Care; Division Head of EMS/Disaster Medicine; and Program Director, EMS Fellowship Program
  • John Ehrhart, Paramedic; EMS Manager, San Diego Health Connect; Co-Founder, California Paramedic Foundation; and Founder, Mission Critical Protocols
  • Simon Taxel, Paramedic Crew Chief and Public Safety Diver, Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS; Bloomberg Fellow, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

About EMS Focus

EMS Focus provides a venue to discuss crucial initiatives, issues and challenges for EMS stakeholders and leaders nationwide. Be sure to visit ems.gov for information about upcoming webinars and to view past recordings.

We are committed to providing equal access to this webinar for all participants. Persons with disabilities in need of an accommodation should contact nhtsa.ems@dot.gov to request an accommodation no later than Friday, March 15, 2024.

Sign up to receive the latest news from the Office of EMS, including webinars, newsletters and industry updates.

Contact Us

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
nhtsa.ems@dot.gov

Flash Poll | Uncompensated Care in EMS

Written by Matt Zavadsky on . Posted in Patient Care, Reimbursement.

The growing EMS economic crisis is a combination of expense increases for service delivery AND the reimbursement for services provided.

One of the major factors in the revenue gap for EMS as a safety-net healthcare provider is the percentage of patients who cannot pay for their EMS care due to lack of insurance, meaning the patient is responsible for reimbursing the cost of EMS care.

To help NAEMT, AIMHI, and other associations develop communication strategies regarding public policy to address rising levels of uncompensated care, we are asking EMS agencies to help quantify the level of uncompensated care in their agency.

You can participate in the FLASH POLL through the on-line link here:

Complete Online Survey

For your planning purposes, we’re including the questions on the poll below, so you know in advance what the questions are…

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) defines uncompensated care as “Health care or services provided by hospitals or health care providers that don’t get reimbursed. Often uncompensated care arises when people don’t have insurance and cannot afford to pay the cost of care.”

https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/uncompensated-care/

Using this definition, we’d like to seek your input on the following six data points related to your level of uncompensated care.

2019 2021 2023
% of your billable services that were billed to patients as the primary payer.

(Often referred to as “Self-Pay”, or “Private-Pay”, or “Uninsured”)
Average dollar amount reimbursed per service for this payer classification.
Your Average Patient Charge.

Agency Name:

Name and E-Mail Address of Respondent:

Service Type:

  • 911/Emergency Only
  • Primarily 911 with Some Inter-Facility
  • Primarily Inter-Facility with some 911
  • Inter-Facility Only

Agency Type:

  • Private (including private, nonprofit)
  • 3rd Service Governmental
  • Hospital-Based
  • Fire-Based
  • Public Utility Model
  • Other

Primary Service Area State:

Annual Response Volume:

  • 1 – 1,000
  • 1,000 – 10,000
  • 10,000 – 25,000
  • 25,000 – 50,000
  • 50,000 – 75,000
  • 75,000 – 100,000
  • Over 100,000

GoAERO Competition + Informational Webinar Details

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in News, Operations, Patient Care, Press.

From GoAEROprize.com

Heroes who look past danger to help people in need,


Heroes to step in to be the difference between triumph and tragedy,

And Heroes who use their minds to create technology that saves lives.

We need those Heroes. 

GoAERO is offering $2+ Million in prizes for the best thinkers, creators and inventors to build Emergency Response Flyers and stretch and challenge their minds to unlock a new era of disaster and rescue response.

​By unleashing the power of autonomy, speed, and precision, GoAERO is looking for the brightest, boldest and bravest to change the way we rescue and respond to disaster.

​This is your chance to make history and save lives.

 

Register for Informational Webinars

GoAERO Competition + Informational Webinar Details

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in News, Operations, Patient Care, Press.

From GoAEROprize.com

Heroes who look past danger to help people in need,


Heroes to step in to be the difference between triumph and tragedy,

And Heroes who use their minds to create technology that saves lives.

We need those Heroes. 

GoAERO is offering $2+ Million in prizes for the best thinkers, creators and inventors to build Emergency Response Flyers and stretch and challenge their minds to unlock a new era of disaster and rescue response.

​By unleashing the power of autonomy, speed, and precision, GoAERO is looking for the brightest, boldest and bravest to change the way we rescue and respond to disaster.

​This is your chance to make history and save lives.

 

Register for Informational Webinars

Webcast | Evolving FirstNet for America’s First Responders

Written by Amanda Riordan on . Posted in Operations, Patient Care.

Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024 | 10:30 a.m. ET

The First Responder Network Authority will be launching the next phase of the FirstNet network in partnership with its network contractor, AT&T. The webcast will unveil major upgrades planned for FirstNet, driven by public safety’s needs.

Register below for the webcast, and join us on February 13 to hear from public safety officials and leaders from the FirstNet Authority and AT&T as they announce enhancements planned for FirstNet.

Register

HHS/ASPR Project ECHO Clinical Readiness Rounds are Returning

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in Patient Care, Quality.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and Project ECHO have launched this program designed to create peer-to-peer learning networks where clinicians who have more experience treating patients in emergency situations share their challenges and successes with clinicians across the U.S. and around the world with a wide variety of experience of these situations. Topics for sessions are based on new and emergent information around emergency preparedness, as well as topics requested by participants.

Register Now

Certification & Credits

Sessions will be eligible for CME credits.

Contact Information

Please contact C19ECHO@salud.unm.edu for more information.

Enhancing EMS Safety: Outcomes of the Lights and Siren Collaborative

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in Employee Wellness, Operations, Patient Care, Quality.

January 17, 2024 – Irving, TX We didn’t need emergency warning devices to get where we were going – a motor vehicle crash without serious injuries. We tried to change lanes and were hit from behind, sideswiped, and pushed across the road. We expected people to yield to us, but the bright flashing lights and sirens contributed to distracting the driver of the car as he was trying to get around us. I still to this day believe we wouldn’t have gotten crashed if we were driving without the use of the emergency warning devices.

The reality is when lights and sirens are on, the risk of crash increases by over 50%.  Weekly, we hear  reports of ambulance crashes that impact providers, patients, and the public.

The National EMS Quality Alliance has released Improving Safety in EMS: Reducing the Use of Lights and Siren, a change package with the results, lessons learned, and change strategies developed during the 15-month long Lights and Siren Collaborative.  It will assist EMS organization in making incremental improvements to use of lights and siren on a local and systematic basis. “The best practices that have emerged from this project will allow every agency, regardless of service model or size, to more safely and effectively respond to 9-1-1 calls.” says Michael Redlener, the President of the NEMSQA Board of Directors.

“By utilizing less lights and sirens during EMS response and transport, our efforts have shown measurable increases in safety. The EMS community and the general public will surely benefit from the now-proven tactics provided by this partnership,” added Mike Taigman, Improvement Guide with FirstWatch and faculty leading the collaborative.

More about the Collaborative and participating agencies can be found in the change package and on the NEMSQA website.

About the National EMS Quality Alliance

The National EMS Quality Alliance (NEMSQA) is the nation’s leader in the development and endorsement of evidence-based quality measures for EMS.  Formed in 2019, NEMSQA is an independent non-profit organization comprised of stakeholders from national EMS organizations, federal agencies, EMS system leaders and providers, EMS quality improvement and data experts as well as those who support prehospital care with the goal to improve EMS systems of care, patient outcomes, provider safety and well-being on a national level.

 

NEMSQA
Sheree Murphy
smurphy@nemsqa.org
315-396-4725

Welch, Sanders, & Balint Introduce Treatment in Place Bill

Written by Tristan North on . Posted in Legislative, Operations, Patient Care.

This content is for AAA members only.

Please either or Join!

Prehospital Guidelines Consortium | EMS Research Reading List Submissions

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in Patient Care.

The Prehospital Guidelines Consortium is collaborating with the National Registry of EMTs to continually identify current scientific literature to incorporate into certification activities. We seek input from the EMS community on peer-reviewed scientific articles (e.g., research studies, systematic reviews, or narrative review articles) published in 2021-2023 that can assist in improving the knowledge of EMS professionals regarding the most current science in EMS medicine.

Relevance to clinical care or operations within EMS medicine is requisite, and preference will be given to peer-reviewed literature, including reports of landmark clinical trials, systematic reviews of the literature, and scientific review articles.

The Prehospital Guidelines Consortium is separately engaging in an ongoing systematic review of published prehospital evidence-based guidelines (EBGs) as a related component of this effort. EBG-related publications may also be submitted to supplement the systematic search already in progress.

Learn More and Submit

CoAEMSP Accepting Applications for Site Visitors

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in Operations, Patient Care.

CoAEMSP is Adding to its Site Visitor Cadre!

Now Accepting Applications for Site Visitors

The CoAEMSP is increasing its site visitor cadre and is seeking Paramedic educators and physicians to become site visitors for the CoAEMSP.

The site visitor workshop will be on Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday, May 29-30, 2024, in Oklahoma City at the Omni Hotel, immediately preceding ACCREDITCON.

The site visitor workshop is for applicants who have been invited to be site visitors.

The deadline to apply is January 15, 2024.
Download Site Visitor Application
Visit our Website
Important Information

The application deadline is January 15, 2024. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Applicants will be notified in mid-February 2024.

Invitees to the workshop are responsible for travel expenses to and from Oklahoma City.

The CoAEMSP will cover 2 nights hotel at Omni Oklahoma City.

Site visitors will be expected to conduct a minimum of 4 site visits in a 24-month period

Invitees to the workshop will be eligible for 50% off the registration fee to ACCREDITCON.

Site Visitor Qualifications

All Site Visitors

  • Successful completion of the Site Visitor Workshop under the current CAAHEP Standards.
  • If with a CAAHEP accredited Paramedic educational program, the program must be in good standing.*

Paramedic Educator

  • Employed as an educator in a CAAHEP accredited Paramedic educational program, at least 30% employee to the program or if retired and not currently working in a CAAHEP accredited Paramedic educational program, has worked in EMS education within the past 5 years.
  • At least 2 years of full-time experience or 5 years of part-time experience as a Paramedic educator in a CAAHEP accredited Paramedic educational program.
  • Knowledgeable about education issues, especially curriculum, exam development, program evaluation, and student evaluation.
  • Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree.
  • Qualify as a program director under the current CAAHEP Standards.

Physician

  • Actively involved in a Paramedic educational program.
  • Knowledgeable about education issues.
  • Qualify as a medical director under the current CAAHEP Standards.
  • If retired and not currently working in a CAAHEP accredited Paramedic educational program, has worked in EMS education within the past 5 years.

To maintain the status of an active CoAEMSP Site Visitor, all are required to:

  • Successfully complete any required Site Visitor Updates.
  • Have consistently acceptable quality assurance reports as determined by the CoAEMSP Board of Directors.
  • Attend any required CE sessions provided by the CoAEMSP (web-based, in-person, or other format) to ensure continuous compliance with CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines.
  • Participate in a minimum of 4 site visits in a 24-month period.
  • If retired and not currently working in a CAAHEP accredited Paramedic educational program, has worked in EMS education within the past 5 years.
  • If with a CAAHEP accredited Paramedic educational program, the program must be in good standing.

Note: All requirements are subject to the discretion of the CoAEMSP Board of Directors.

*Good standing is defined as a program holding active status as a CoAEMSP Letter of Review program (LoR) or active initial or continuing CAAHEP accreditation. A program director, medical director, or faculty from a suspended or revoked LoR program, or a program holding CAAHEP probationary accreditation for any reason in the past 3 years would not be in good standing.
CoAEMSP | Suite 111-312, 8301 Lakeview Parkway, Rowlett, TX 75088

NHTSA | Updated Ground Ambulance Crash Safety Materials Available

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in Operations, Patient Care.

EMS News

Updated Ground Ambulance Crash Safety Materials Available

Comprehensive Analysis and Safety Recommendations for Ambulance Crashes
Ground ambulance crashes remain one of the leading causes of death on the job among EMS personnel. NHTSA Office of EMS and NEMSIS have released updated resources demonstrating the significant impact of proper restraint use for both patients and clinicians on the outcome of ambulance crashes.

These new materials, now available on ems.gov, provide an in-depth look at the latest data and recommendations to improve ground ambulance safety. Expanding on the initial 2011 study, this report examines NCSA crash data over a seven-year period and information gathered from investigations of fatal ambulance crashes.

Significantly, the data underscores a prevalent underutilization of proper restraint mechanisms in ambulance crash incidents. These findings offer observations that agencies can incorporate into training and protocol development. By leveraging these resources, organizations have the potential to establish more robust safety standards, directly benefiting both clinicians and patients.

New Resources Available:

Analysis of Ground Ambulance Crash Data from 2012-2018: Delivers updated data and trends in ground ambulance-involved crashes

Ground Ambulance Crashes Presentation: 2012-2018 Data: Provides a visual overview of recent data and key safety recommendations

Ground Ambulance Infographic: 2012-2018 Data: Offers a concise, graphical summary of safety statistics

 

View Safety Resources

Sign up to receive the latest news from the Office of EMS, including webinars, newsletters and industry updates.

Prehospital Blood Transfusion Initiative

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in Operations, Patient Care, Regulatory.

Press Release from the Prehospital Blood Transfusion Initiative Coalition

PREHOSPITAL BLOOD TRANSFUSION INITIATIVE COALITION BEING FORMED

Contact:

Bill Skillman
bskillman@veli.co
781 315 7537

In cities, towns and rural communities across the US people are dying unnecessarily from severe bleeding arising from limited supply of blood products and lack of blood transfusions after injury or other causes of hemorrhagic shock. Bleeding to death from uncontrolled hemorrhage remains the leading cause of preventable deaths among victims of trauma with nearly half of these patients dying in the prehospital setting.  Unfortunately, in the vast majority of cases, blood products are not available on emergency medical response vehicles because of reimbursement limitations and local regulations which vary by state.

The Prehospital Blood Transfusion Initiative Coalition (PHBTIC) is being established to address these problems. “A growing number of ground and air medical EMS programs have successfully initiated blood programs in recent years, but more needs to be done to ensure patients in the U.S. who need prehospital transfusion are able to receive it, regardless of where they live” notes John Holcomb, MD, Professor of Surgery at University of Alabama at Birmingham, an internationally renowned trauma surgeon and expert on civilian and military hemorrhage control and resuscitation.  The Coalition, led by a steering committee, is building a multi-disciplinary, collaborative initiative to advance four pillars of focused activity to promote prehospital blood transfusion programs:

  • Establish reimbursement for blood products transfused in the prehospital setting.
  • EMS scope-of-practice allowing the initiation of prehospital blood products in states where it currently is not allowed.
  • Strategic preparedness for homeland defense and mass casualties.
  • Outreach and education, including regulatory, protocols, and best practices for programs based on experiences of agencies currently conducting programs.

“Our group represents a diverse community of prehospital and hospital-based medical professionals, as well as industry, blood collection, and government partners, whose focus is on improving outcomes of all patients suffering hemorrhagic shock in a data-driven fashion” say Eric Bank, LP, NRP, Assistant Chief of EMS HCESD 48 Fire-EMS and Randi Schaefer, DNP, RN, Clinical Consultant and Scientific Advisor.

The Steering Committee has already reached out to national stakeholder organizations in the EMS, trauma, blood and industry communities and are soliciting others with an interest in ensuring blood products are available in all emergency settings to join the Coalition. They will be scheduling an initial meeting of the Coalition in the coming weeks. Those interested are encouraged to contact Jon R Krohmer, MD at jrkrohmer@gmail.com

Visit Website

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Relias E-Book | Creating a Trauma-Informed System of Care

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in Patient Care.

Free E-book download from Relias.

Creating a Trauma-Informed System of Care: Addressing Individuals, Professionals, and Organizations

Nellie Galindo, MSW, MSPH
Melissa Lewis-Stoner, MSW, LCSW-C

Download Now

Savvik | Summer Deals

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in AAA HQ, Member-Only, Operations, Patient Care.

View our Contracts!
You Asked. We Listened.
Bulk Buys are here! The 5.11 Stryke and Taclite EMS Pants are discounted nearly 40% off retail until July 14th!

Built from the ground up by 5.11 exclusively for First Responders, both the Stryke and the Taclite series offer serious performance and style, as well as a protective Teflon coating and ripstop material so they can handle even the toughest shift.

Grab yours today!
Shop Now!
Learn More

NACRHHS | Access to EMS in Rural Communities Policy Brief

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in Government Affairs, Patient Care.

Access to Emergency Medical Services in Rural Communities: Policy Brief and Recommendations to the Secretary
Provides an overview of issues related to the provision of emergency medical services (EMS) in rural areas. Discusses rural EMS access, financing, and workforce challenges, as well as promising telehealth innovations. Outlines federal programs and resources that support EMS programs. Offers policy recommendations related to access to EMS, workforce, and reimbursement.

Download PDF

Source: HRSA via RuralHealthInfo.org

Prehospital Emergency Care | 2022 Systematic Review of Evidence-Based Guidelines for Prehospital Care

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in Operations, Patient Care.

From Prehospital Emergency Care

Introduction

Multiple national organizations and federal agencies have promoted the development, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based guidelines (EBGs) for prehospital care. Previous efforts have identified opportunities to improve the quality of prehospital guidelines and highlighted the value of high-quality EBGs to inform initial certification and continued competency activities for EMS personnel.

Objectives

We aimed to perform a systematic review of prehospital guidelines published from January 2018 to April 2021, evaluate guideline quality, and identify top-scoring guidelines to facilitate dissemination and educational activities for EMS personnel.

Methods

We searched the literature in Ovid Medline and EMBASE from January 2018 to April 2021, excluding guidelines identified in a prior systematic review. Publications were retained if they were relevant to prehospital care, based on organized reviews of the literature, and focused on providing recommendations for clinical care or operations. Included guidelines were appraised to identify if they met the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) criteria for high-quality guidelines and scored across the six domains of the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II tool.

Results

We identified 75 guidelines addressing a variety of clinical and operational aspects of EMS medicine. About half (n = 39, 52%) addressed time/life-critical conditions and 33 (44%) contained recommendations relevant to non-clinical/operational topics. Fewer than half (n = 35, 47%) were based on systematic reviews of the literature. Nearly one-third (n = 24, 32%) met all NAM criteria for clinical practice guidelines. Only 27 (38%) guidelines scored an average of >75% across AGREE II domains, with content relevant to guideline implementation most commonly missing.

Conclusions

This interval systematic review of prehospital EBGs identified many new guidelines relevant to prehospital care; more than all guidelines reported in a prior systematic review. Our review reveals important gaps in the quality of guideline development and the content in their publications, evidenced by the low proportion of guidelines meeting NAM criteria and the scores across AGREE II domains. Efforts to increase guideline dissemination, implementation, and related education may be best focused around the highest quality guidelines identified in this review.

Read Full Research Paper

Christian Martin-Gill, Kathleen M. Brown, Rebecca E. Cash, Rachel M. Haupt, Benjamin T. Potts, Christopher T. Richards, P. Daniel Patterson & for the Prehospital Guidelines Consortium (2022) 2022 Systematic Review of Evidence-Based Guidelines for Prehospital Care, Prehospital Emergency Care, DOI: 10.1080/10903127.2022.2143603

CMS Publishes New EMTALA Training Materials

Written by Brian Werfel on . Posted in Operations, Patient Care, Regulatory.

This content is for AAA members only.

Please either or Join!

EMS Narratives | Friday Night [Under The] Lights

Written by Ed Racht on . Posted in Ambulance Chaser Blog, Employee Wellness, Leadership & Management, Operations, Patient Care, Recruitment & Retention, Uncategorized.

EMS Narratives Columns

Below is the first in a series of monthly personal narratives from EMS leaders. If you would like to submit a column for consideration, please email hello@ambulance.org.

Written Friday, November 25, 2022 | By Ed Racht, MD

Happy Friday, and happy Thanksgiving weekend. I hope by now your blood sugar is slowly but surely heading back to baseline despite all the leftovers calling you from the fridge. Worth it though, right? My dad taught me long ago, “everything in moderation—even moderation.”

So, I want to tell you something tonight, especially because it is the Thanksgiving season. I’ve been thinking for a while about how to say this without sounding cliché, routine, robotic, or insincere. And then—as so often happens in life—I got a little help from a very unlikely encounter.

This past Saturday, my bestie, Heather, and I went to try a local diner for breakfast. This place has been around since air was invented. Cash only. Same tables and seats since the day they opened. Part Formica, part particle board countertops. None of the coffee cups match. Open only until 2:00PM and always closed on Sundays. The ham & cheese omelet is $7.99. Biscuits, bread, or hashbrowns only. Everyone that comes in knows everyone else. And it is packed all the time.

We chose a booth in the corner by the window because our server told us that was the warmest table she had available. She was right.

As we sat drinking our coffee in mismatched mugs, we both noticed an elderly man sitting by himself at the end of the counter. He had placed his walker against the ATM along the wall (cash only, remember?).

Then he slowly got up from his stool, grabbed that walker, and carefully wobbled his way to the restroom. It was one of those moments where we both watched and quietly prepared to jump up to help prevent what seemed like an inevitable fall. We didn’t want to offend him with an offer to help but didn’t want him taking a trip to ground either.

We looked across the table at each other and did that mutual raised eyebrow thingy. Ugh. “Warmest booth we have,” she said. Great.

A few minutes later, he slowly made his way back to his spot. But he went a few feet too far this time with the walker, making a beeline directly toward the warmest booth in the diner. He stopped for a minute (what the heck?) grabbed the handwritten check off our table and turned around, without saying a word, and made his way back to his seat. His walker made those sequential two inch turns.

Great. How do you tell an older man he has OUR check (and why did we come here again)?

“Excuse me?” We both said, eyebrows up again.

He turned to us and said, “I’ve got it.”

Wait. What?

He said, “I come up here every day for breakfast when they’re open. Twice a month, I like to buy somebody else’s breakfast. I’ve got it.”

Wow. We sat in stunned silence as this gentleman made his way back to the counter and sat down on his stool.

To make a long story short, we thanked him and struck up a small conversation with him. A few minutes in, he asked, “can I get closer?”

Of course.

So once again we went through the diner-walker challenge and he made his way over to the warmest booth in the restaurant and sat with us for the next hour. We talked about all sorts of things. His wife had been a nurse (mental health was her specialty). He told us about where they had lived and their adventures. He talked a little about his opinions of healthcare today (you can fill in those blanks).

At one point, he told me he lived in Texas and he’d always travel into Mexico to get his medications because they were so much cheaper than in the US. I asked him if he was nervous about going.

He laughed, and said, “I always went in the morning. Bad guys don’t get up early.”

Now, I’ve been in EMS for a few years and you know what? He’s right. Holy crud. Funny and spot-on relevant.

So, why am I telling you about Gary (his real name, by the way)? First, I need to cover a few more things to pull the meaning of this story together. Bear with me.

Fair warning. This next part doesn’t feel Thanksgivingy, but I’m going to argue that it’s at the very heart of a meaningful “thanks.”

Take a look at some of the toughest parts of our world right now:

  • How can we ever understand recent senseless acts of violence—and how will we ever comfort our own who responded?
  • What do we do about the fact that a recent survey shows that nine in 10 nurses believe the quality of patient care often suffers due to nursing shortages?
  • And, by the way, the majority added that they feel guilty about taking a break because they think they must always be on call (55%).
  • … resulting in half of the nurses polled admitting they have considered leaving the nursing profession altogether (50%).
  • And how about this one? According to a AAA survey of 258 EMS organizations across the country, nearly a third of the workforce left their ambulance company after less than a year. Eleven percent left within the first three months!
  • Did you know that the number of serious patient safety incidents reported to The Joint Commission jumped in 2021, reaching the highest annual level seen since the accrediting body started tracking them in 2005?
  • And … In Minnesota, nearly 60% of the state’s EMTs and about 15% of Paramedics did not provide patient care in 2021. This suggests that they left the EMS workforce altogether.

I’ll stop there, because I think you get the gist. How (and why) do I go from a Gary story to this?

This is, without a doubt, the most challenging period of EMS and healthcare history that we have faced together. Ever.

It’s really, really hard right now. And it’s hard in a different way than we’ve ever faced. Clinically hard. Operationally hard. Financially hard. Culturally hard.

Which also means that it’s personally hard. Whether you are directly providing care to a patient or supporting all the complexities that make that interaction possible and effective, it’s hard on us. The facts above reflect exactly that.

Now, I’ve been in EMS for a year or two (insert big-eye emoji), and one of the most rewarding feelings on the planet is creating order out of someone else’s chaos. I honestly believe that people like you choose this profession and support this profession in large part to make other people’s lives better.

Our mission is among the purest and most important on the face of the earth. Just think about how many people enjoyed a Thanksgiving with the people they loved because someone years before fixed their distorted anatomy or disrupted physiology.

It’s easy to forget the massive good a profession, an organization, or an individual can do. Gary gave us a little gift. When I first saw him, I was certain we would end up having to help him. But instead, he helped us.

When we work hard to take care of our patients, our communities, each other, our organization and our profession—They. Take. Care. Of. Us.

So. When our workplace is supportive, people want to join us. When our partners are fun, we seek them out. When our medicine is strong and sound, the medical profession embraces us. When our operation is accountable, we grow, evolve, and thrive when the art and science changes. When we come together as a team, we become the model of effective care. And when all that happens, WE, as individuals, can help tackle all the tough stuff in the most effective way possible.

I’d love to have more people choose EMS as a profession. I’d love to see them seek out advancement and growth. I’d love to see the science evolve to support better outcomes in unplanned illness and injury. I’d love to see hospital metrics and EMS metrics get better, not languish. I’d love to help communities become safer. And I would absolutely love for every one of us individually to be a part of that. I promise. That’s the way we make things so much better.

So tonight, on this day after Thanksgiving, I want to tell you that I’m not just thankful for what you do, I’m also extremely grateful. My daughter taught me there’s a difference. The definition of thankful is “pleased and relieved.” The definition of grateful is “feeling or showing an appreciation of kindness and gratitude.” In that spirit, I wanted to share that I’m grateful for you and I’m grateful for EMS.

We need the best in one another right now. There are four legs in our Bench of EMS Strength:

  • Taking care of ourselves
  • Taking care of our partners
  • Taking care of our patients
  • Taking care of our organizations

There is plenty of hard stuff ahead, so let’s do this. We can sit in the warmest booth in the place. I’m so grateful for that.

So, that’s it from my World. Happy Friday, and happy Thanksgiving.

Ed

Savvik Buying Group announces partnership with American Nitrile

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in Operations, Patient Care.

Savvik Buying Group
Mickey Schulte
713-504-7737
mschulte@savvik.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 5, 2022 – Savvik Buying Group announces partnership with American Nitrile

St. Cloud, Minnesota – Savvik Buying Group is proud to announce a national distributor partnership with American Nitrile for domestically made nitrile gloves.  A focus of Savvik in 2022 is to find domestic sources of supply to avoid disruptions going forward with the supply chain.  “As Savvik celebrates our 25th year serving our members, we are excited to partner with American Nitrile.  Having domestic production with a top-of-the-line glove will position Savvik members to avoid supply chain disruptions on a vital product.” said Executive Director Mickey Schulte.

American Nitrile will be manufacturing at its new 530,000 sq ft. manufacturing plant in Grove City, Ohio beginning this fall.  American Nitrile’s production facility will leverage best-in-class manufacturing processes and automation to reduce the impact of higher labor costs and displace volume sourced from Asia, while creating hundreds of new jobs for workers in Ohio. The facility includes a state-of-the-art water treatment and reclamation system that recycles 50% of the wastewater generated by the manufacturing process. This, coupled with the elimination of emissions from transpacific shipping, results in a substantially reduced carbon footprint for nitrile gloves manufactured by American Nitrile when compared to their Asian competitors. “We believe that American manufacturing deserves a comeback,” said Jacob Block, founder, and CEO of American Nitrile.

Please visit Savvik and American Nitrile at EMS World, booth 1002.

About Savvik

Savvik serves over 15,000 public safety services in the United States with a variety of product and public bids.  Formed in 1997, our membership includes EMS, Fire, Law Enforcement, Hospitals, Education, and related agencies.  For more information visit www.savvik.com

About American Nitrile

American Nitrile is a Columbus, Ohio based privately held company focused on manufacturing medical and non-medical for healthcare, government, and industrial use. The company will manufacture approximately 3.6 billion nitrile gloves per year when fully operational. For more information, visit www.AmericanNitrile.com.

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