Old Dominion EMS Alliance

February 2015 Newsletter

Serving the Residents, EMS Agencies, Hospitals, and Local Governments in Planning Districts 13, 14, 15, and 19

RSAF Grant Cycle Is Open

The next Rescue Squad Assistance Fund (RSAF) Grant cycle is now open, and will continue through March 16, 2015 at 1700. As with the previous cycle, all grants will now be submitted through the E-Gift Application. More information on the application process is available on the OEMS website. If you need any assistance or have questions, please feel free to contact the ODEMSA office at (804) 560-3300 and we will do our best to help. There are millions of dollars available for things like equipment, vehicles, and training programs, but you have to apply for it to get it!

Don't forget!

While EMS providers no longer need a signature for most procedures and medication administrations, you still need a signature from a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician's assistant at the receiving hospital in the ODEMSA region for the following:

1) Narcotic administration

2) Any procedure or medication administration requiring on-line medical control

Documentation of this signature, as well as documentation of any medication administration and any needed narcotic wastage, must be left with the hospital. This includes a copy with the drug kit at the time of drug kit exchange to allow the pharmacy to account for the medications.

Clinical Tip of the Month
Calculating a patient's Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is a great way to evaluate a patient's neurological status and to catch early deterioration. It is good to document this for any patient, but in particular, your trauma patients. Did you know that, as a region, we have not documented a GCS in 25% of our trauma patients? This includes any patient with a traumatic injury - not just the "trauma alert" on which we often focus. Try calculating and documenting an initial GCS, and repeating it as you arrive at the hospital on all of your traumatic injury patients (adult and pediatric). Soon it will become a standard part of your assessment. Bonus: you eventually will not have to look it up every time that you need to calculate it!

Health and Safety Tip of the Month

February is American Heart Month. Cardiovascular disease is the top killer of men and women in this country. We often lecture our patients about getting regular checkups, taking their medications properly, and leading a healthy lifestyle, but how often do we do the same? Make an appointment with your PCP and make sure things like your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and weight are in check. It can be hard to eat right and exercise on shift work, but even just taking a brisk walk every day and packing healthy snacks and meals to eat at work can make a big difference in the length and quality of your life. Click here for more ways to take care of your heart.

February Meetings

All meetings are open to the public.

Date	Time	Event	Location
02/05/15	1800	CISM Team	ODEMSA Office
02/10/15	1930	Southside EMS Sub-Council	Chase City VRS
02/12/15	0800	Medical Control Committee	ODEMSA Office
02/13/15	0900	Performance Improvement Committees	ODEMSA Office
02/17/15	1900	Crater EMS Sub-Council	SRMC
02/23/15	1830	South Central EMS Sub-Council	Southside Community Hospital
02/27/15	1100	MCI Committee	ODEMSA Office
02/27/15	1300	Diversion Committee	ODEMSA Office

February Classes and Other Educational Events

The Central Virginia EMS Expo will be held February 28th-March 1st, 2015. Registration is open and available on the expo's website.

Need a class not listed below? Click here for an extended list of upcoming classes.

Date	Time	Class	Location	Registration
02/07/15	0830-1800	PD 13 Super 8 CE Day	Chase City Rescue Squad	Click here
02/09-10/15	0830-1700	PALS	ODEMSA Office	Click here
02/10/15	1900-2100	PD15 North Monthly CEU	Henrico Fire Training Center	None needed
02/10/15	1900-2100	PD15 South Monthly CEU	ODEMSA Office	None needed
02/11/15	1900-2100	PD19 North Monthly CEU	Southside Virginia Emergency Crew	None needed
02/11/15	1900-2100	PD19 South Monthly CEU	Greensville VRS	None needed
02/12/15	1900-2100	PD14 Monthly CEU	Kenbridge Emergency Squad	None needed
02/20-21/15	0800-1730	TCCC	Fort Lee	Click here
02/21-22/15	0800-1700	AMLS	Halifax County Rescue Squad	Click here
02/21-22/15	0800-1700	Super CE Weekend	Powhatan VRS	Click here
02/24/15	1900-2100	PD15 North Monthly CEU	Henrico Fire Training Center	None needed
02/24/15	1900-2100	PD15 South Monthly CEU	ODEMSA Office	None needed
02/25/15	1900-2100	PD19 North Monthly CEU	Southside Virginia Emergency Crew	None needed
02/25/15	1900-2100	PD19 South Monthly CEU	Greensville VRS	None needed
02/26/15	1900-2100	PD14 Monthly CEU	Meherrin Vol. Fire & EMS	None needed

February Testing

Date	Time	Event	Location
02/05/15	1800	CTS Testing	Colonial Heights Tech Center
02/12/15	1800	CTS Testing	Monacan High School
02/19/15	1800	CTS Testing	Richmond Tech Center

Meet our new Office Clerk, JoAnn McCoy

JoAnn served 6 years in the U.S Army during the late 1990s. After moving to the Far West End of Powhatan County with her husband and 2 children in 2014, she decided to learn some extra skills by joining the Powhatan Volunteer Rescue Squad. Immediately after joining, JoAnn found the first available EMT class, which happened to be taught by our very own Adam Alford! During class, her enthusiasm for learning new things and her attention to detail led us to invite her to join our ODEMSA family as a replacement for our retiring Office Manager, Jane Behrend. She received her EMT certification in November and aspires to one day become a paramedic. She is excited to learn all about the world of EMS and to get to know everyone in the Old Dominion Region.

Did you know?
ODEMSA doesn't just provide protocols, drug kits, and educational opportunities for the region. We maintain the pharmacy license to allow agencies to store the drug kits on site so that each individual agency does not have to apply for one on its own. Check back next month to see what else the council does for the region!

Questions? Contact the ODEMSA office at

(804) 560-3300.