FL Firefighter-Paramedic Charged in Capitol Riot
A Florida firefighter who was photographed inside the Capitol during a riot by loyalists of President Donald Trump has been charged with disorderly conduct. A charge of disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds was filed Tuesday in the District of Columbia against Andrew Williams. Previous: Sanford (FL) Firefighter-Paramedic on Leave after Taking Part in Siege on Capitol Williams has been a firefighter with the Sanford Fire Department since 2016. He was placed on administrative leave from the fire agency last week pending an internal investigation. Sanford is located about 25 miles outside Orlando. Fire department ...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - January 13, 2021 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: AP News Arrest Washington Source Type: news

University Hospitals (OH) Implements Vaccine Platform to Track COVID-19 Vaccination Process
University Hospitals, a super-regional health system serving northeast Ohio, has partnered with Logis Solutions to use innovative new software to track administration of COVID-19 vaccines to its 28,000 employees and affiliated caregivers. Building on the cutting-edge Logis Intelligent Decision Support (IDS) system, Logis IDS Vaccines can be used to simultaneously schedule first and second dose appointments, to assign vaccine batches to dispensation sites, and to track adverse events or side effects. Providers at any location can access Logis IDS Vaccines through a secure web portal, allowing organizations with multiple ...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - January 13, 2021 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: Coronavirus Ohio Source Type: news

Muskogee (OK) Police to Provide Transport to Free Up Ambulances
D.E. Smoot Muskogee Phoenix, Okla. (MCT) Escalating numbers of new COVID-19 cases requiring emergency health care or hospitalization continue to hobble local resources. An increase in the number of patients requiring hospitalization and staffing shortages have resulted with a shortage of available hospital beds at area hospitals. As a result, Muskogee County Emergency Medical Service employees have experienced a corresponding increase in the amount of time spent on calls. Extended transports to hospitals in Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri limit the number of ambulances availa...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - January 13, 2021 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: Coronavirus News News Feed EMS Oklahoma Police Source Type: news

Ogden (UT) Man Accused of Stealing Ambulance, Resisting Arrest
An Ogden (UT) man was charged after stealing an ambulance just after the New Year, according to authorities. Police said Mitchell Bryce May stole the ambulance on January 3 after first responders were called to a medical call at an apartment complex, the Deseret News reported. The ambulance was later found abandoned behind a house several hours later. Video footage was also obtained that showed the man who stole the vehicle, police said. On January 11, police were called to a disturbance where May was accused of being violent. Officers saw May was allegedly in possession of a bag of suspected methamphetamine. T...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - January 12, 2021 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: Ambulances & Vehicle Ops News Stolen Ambulance Utah Source Type: news

71 TX Hospitals Now Have Real-Time Access to Mobile Medical Data
Chambers County Emergency Medical Services was deployed to the city of Del Rio last week to assist with the care and transport of patients suffering from the coronavirus. To support its partner-client’s mission, Beyond Lucid Technologies (BLT) — a software firm that shares EMS & Fire data with hospitals and public health agencies and tracks patient care over time (including COVID-19 exposures, labs and vaccines) — today announced that it has activated access to inbound patient records for all 71 hospitals that are affiliated with the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Network (STRAC). All NEMSIS-compliant p...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - January 12, 2021 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: Coronavirus News EMS Hospital Mobile Integrated Healthcare Texas Source Type: news

U.S. to Speed COVID-19 Shots as Cases and Deaths Rise
By ZEKE MILLER and RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Barely a month into a mass vaccination campaign to stop the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump administration unexpectedly shifted gears Tuesday to speed the delivery of shots. The move came after widespread concern over a slow start even as coronavirus cases and deaths reach new highs. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced a series of major changes to increase supply of vaccines and expand the age groups eligible as well as locations where people can get shots. One change will have some teeth to it. Azar said going forward...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - January 12, 2021 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: AP News Coronavirus Source Type: news

Backus (MN) May Increase EMS/Fire Service Contract to Surrounding Areas
According to a report from Brainerd Dispatch, the Minnesota townships of Bungo, Deerfield, Bull Moose, and McKinley may experience up to an eight-percent increase in their emergency medical services (EMS) and fire coverage contracts from Backus (MN) Fire Department (BFD) crews. In an address to the Backus City Council, BFD Chief Jason Smith said that 2020 was a record year for EMS calls, with an unexpectedly high amount of those calls being to the aforementioned townships. Although those townships are subject to some of the lowest contract prices currently, the number of all-terrain vehicle and car accidents, search and...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - January 12, 2021 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: News Source Type: news

TLC Emergency Medical Services (NY) Ambulance Director Calls It a Career
Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck said Lon Fricano has made Cayuga County better over the past 30 years. https://t.co/DT0ATJOmKC— The_Citizen (@The_Citizen) January 10, 2021 Kelly Rocheleau The Citizen, Auburn, N.Y. (MCT) Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck said Lon Fricano has made Cayuga County better over the past 30 years. Fricano, 72, is the longtime director of operations for TLC Emergency Medical Services, Auburn’s longtime ambulance provider, and his first day of retirement was Jan. 1. Schenck praised Fricano’s decades of service ...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - January 12, 2021 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: News News Feed Spotlight EMS EMT New York Paramedic Source Type: news

Let ’s Get It Straight: New Information on HIV
Get every episode by subscribing to Let’s Get It Straight using Apple Podcasts or Google Play. While EMS is rightly focused on COVID-19 right now, Katherine West explains why keeping up to date on HIV infection is extremely important. Previous: Katherine West explains what work restrictions are and why they are needed. The post Let’s Get It Straight: New Information on HIV appeared first on JEMS. (Source: JEMS Patient Care)
Source: JEMS Patient Care - January 12, 2021 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: Podcasts HIV Let's Get It Straight Source Type: news

UN: COVID-19 Herd Immunity Unlikely in 2021
By MARIA CHENG and JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization’s chief scientist warned that even as numerous countries start rolling out vaccination programs to stop COVID-19, herd immunity is highly unlikely this year. At a media briefing on Monday, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan said it was critical countries and their populations maintain strict social distancing and other outbreak control measures for the foreseeable future. In recent weeks, Britain, the U.S., France, Canada, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands and others have begun vaccinating millions of their citizens against the corona...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - January 12, 2021 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: AP News Coronavirus Source Type: news

Should I Get a COVID-19 Vaccine If I ’ve Had the Virus?
Should I get a COVID-19 vaccine if I’ve had the virus? Yes. Regardless of previous infection, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people should plan on getting vaccinated when it’s their turn. “It’s a pretty straightforward question,” said Johns Hopkins infectious disease specialist Dr. Amesh Adalja. “Yes, you need to get vaccinated.” After someone recovers, their immune system should keep them from getting sick again right away. “Your immune system is able to identify the virus, and protect itself,” said Dr. Saskia Popescu, an infectious disease expert at George Mas...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - January 12, 2021 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: AP News Coronavirus Medicine Source Type: news

The Child in Status Epilepticus Dilemma
The following case is based on a real-life situation, highlighting the difficulties in applying ethical decisions in the prehospital critical care setting. While the case is based from the United Kingdom, it ought to be applicable to similar EMS systems and settings. Kassirer et al. highlight that discussing real-world scenarios helps exemplify reasoning (both good and bad) that the reader ought to relate to within similar and future contexts.1 During the start of a night shift, an ambulance crew consisting of a paramedic and an assistant (EMT-B) are dispatched to a 10-year-old child in status epilepticus (SE). The pati...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - January 12, 2021 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: Best Practices Exclusives Patient Care Pediatric Care Seizure Source Type: news

Identifying an Acute Coronary Syndrome: Part 1
There are more than eight million cardiac calls that arrive to the hospital in the United States each year. Nearly one million of the cases may have an acute coronary syndrome. About a third of those cases will have a myocardial infarction. Here’s a refresher on how we as EMS providers can play a role in saving lives. Read the original JEMS manuscript here! Previous: Identify the ECG rhythm before you use adenosine, not the other way around. The post Identifying an Acute Coronary Syndrome: Part 1 appeared first on JEMS. (Source: JEMS Patient Care)
Source: JEMS Patient Care - January 11, 2021 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: Cardiac & Resuscitation Patient Care Patient Care Videos Training Videos Cardiac Arrest Master Your Medics Source Type: news

Ambulance Wait Times of 17 Hours Reported in LA County
Soumya Karlamangla, Hayley Smith, Rong-Gong Lin II Los Angeles Times (MCT) At a hospital near South Los Angeles, doctors debate whether an elderly patient should be hooked to one of the few remaining ventilators. Meanwhile, nurses at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Westwood fear they are treating too many patients to provide them all with the best care. And for emergency medical technicians, racing the sick to hospitals has become an obstacle course, with not enough beds for the hundreds of patients in need. Once an ambulance that has responded to a 911 call finds a hospital, it...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - January 11, 2021 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: Coronavirus News News Feed Ambulance California EMS Paramedic Source Type: news

Officials Seek ID for Pickup Truck Driver They Say Hit CT Ambulance
Leah Brennan Connecticut Post, Bridgeport (MCT) WALLINGFORD — Officials are trying to find out who was driving a pickup truck that hit an ambulance near North Plains Industrial Road Saturday, according to a news release. While the ambulance sustained heavy damage and was towed from the scene after the 8:20 p.m. crash, neither of the two people inside — neither of whom were patients — was harmed, police said. The ambulance was heading north on North Plains Industrial Road and making a left turn into a parking lot when it was hit, police said. “It was determined that the op...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - January 11, 2021 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: Ambulances & Vehicle Ops News News Feed Source Type: news