Old Dominion EMS Alliance
 January 2015 Newsletter

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

 

Changes to the Regional Trauma Triage Plan

CJW - Chippenham Medical Center is undergoing the state review process to become a Level II Trauma Center, which will open up additional resources in our region for trauma patients.In preparation, the ODEMSA Trauma Triage guidelines have been updated and are available on the ODEMSA website. We are fortunate to have 4 trauma centers in our region: 

VCU Medical Center - Level I

CJW - Chippenham Medical Center - Level III (pending Level II) 

CJW - Johnston-Willis Medical Center - Level III

Southside Regional Medical Center - Level III 

Vasopressin Shortage
Unfortunately, the medications in the ODEMSA Drug Kits are not immune to the drug shortages that are plaguing healthcare. Due to a national shortage of vasopressin, many of the pharmacies in our region are not able to stock it in the drug kits. Until this shortage is resolved, if your box does not have Vasopressin, there will be a "Medication Alert" note on top of the box with further instructions (see example to the right).
If there is no Vasopressin in your drug kit, simply revert back to using 1.0mg of Epinephrine 1:10,000 during a cardiac arrest.
Don't forget!

Prehospital Patient Care Reports (PPCRs) become part of the patient's medical record. Hospitals use them to understand what happened to the patient before he or she arrived at the hospital - including what care EMS provided. These documents are also used by pharmacies to account for medications when restocking the drug kits. Please always be sure to leave a copy of your ePCR or a MIVT with basic demographic and assessment information, as well as the details of any medications or other interventions that you provided, before clearing from the hospital.  

Clinical Tip of the Month

Even though most adult medications are listed as a specific dose in our regional protocols, did you know all medications are weight-based? This is especially important for pediatrics. All patients should have a weight recorded in the ePCR. You can ask an adult how much he or she weighs or estimate it pretty well, but pediatric patients are tricky. The best way to determine a pediatric patient's weight if the parent doesn't already know it is to use the Broselow tape. Make sure your ambulance or emergency department has one, and learn how to use it quickly and accurately! If your EMS agency needs financial assistance to obtain Broselow tapes, contact the ODEMSA office at (804) 560-3300 - government grant programs are available to help cover the cost.  

A review of 18 months of regional data showed that a weight was recorded when a medication had been administered to a patient under 6 years only 2% of the time - let's work together to improve that statistic! 

 



Health and Safety Tip of the Month hand-washing.jpg

Cold and flu season is here! Universal precautions can help protect you and your patients from most infectious diseases, but that may not help you when you are out and about enjoying civilian life. Handwashing with warm water and soap for 60 seconds, or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer for 30 seconds, will kill most germs. Clean your hands using one of these methods at least before and after patient contact (even if you were wearing gloves), before eating, and when using the restroom, to help prevent the spread of disease. Don't share drinks or utensils, and stay home from work when you are ill. You can't care for your patients when you are sick yourself! 

January Meetings

All meetings are open to the public.

 

Date

Time

Event

Location

01/13/15

1100

Air Medical Committee

ODEMSA Office

01/13/15

1300

Professional Development Committee

ODEMSA Office

01/15/15 

0830

Pharmacy Committee

ODEMSA Office

01/15/15
1200
Metro Richmond EMS Sub-Council
ODEMSA Office
January Classes and Other Educational Events

The Central Virginia EMS Expo will be held February 28th-March 1st, 2015. Registration will open this month 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

01/13/15
1900-2100
PD15 South Monthly CEU
ODEMSA
None needed
01/14/15
1900-2100
PD19 North Monthly CEU
Southside VA Emergency Crew
None needed

01/17-18/15 

0800-1700

AMLS

Greensville VRS 

Click here  

01/17-18/15
0800-1800
PD 13 Super CE Weekend
South Boston Fire Department
Contact Helen Compton @ 434-579-4899 or email Medic9702@gcronline.com
01/22/15
1900-2100
PD14 Monthly CEU
Cumberland VRS
None needed
01/27/15
1900-2100
PD15 North Monthly CEU
Henrico Fire Training Center
None needed
01/28/15
1900-2100
PD19 South Monthly CEU
Greensville VRS
None needed

01/31/15 -  

02/01/15

0800-1700 

PHTLS 

New Kent Fire and EMS

Click here 

 

January Testing
Register for CTS Testing - Registration closes 2 weeks prior to test date.
Register for National Registry Psychomotor Exam (ALS levels) - Registration closes 3 weeks prior to test date. 

 

Date

Time

Event

Location

01/15/15 

1800 

CTS Testing

Colonial Heights Tech Center

01/22/15 

1800 

CTS Testing

Monacan High School 

01/29/15
1800
CTS Testing
Colonial Heights Tech Center
01/31/15
(date change!)
0800
National Registry Psychomotor Exam
Chesterfield Fire - Eanes-Pittman Public Safety Training Center
 
Questions? Contact the ODEMSA office at
(804) 560-3300.
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