FitResponder: Coming Soon to HVA
Thursday this week, the line officers and training staff participated in a program designed to help all of our providers. It was a train the trainer session on how to stay loose and some pretty neat ways to lift that will save our backs. In the coming days or so we will be rolling out some portions of the program to all the staff members. I will share a personal story in hopes the value of this program will be understood. I began my EMS and Fire career in 1978 as a volunteer with Gates... read more
CPR Changes
There is a new matrix for CPR from Dr. Cushman. Essentially it states that CPR will be performed uninterrupted, except for defibrillation, on all cardiac arrest patients. This was discussed at the SIM sessions this month and will be reviewed at the staff meeting in October.
Congratulations - Nick, Kayleigh and Jess...
...on becoming certified as NYS paramedics. Great job!
Dr. Chris Harmon Joins our Team
Dr. Harmon has been assigned as our Associate Medical Director. He will be assisting Dr. Cushman in his duties as our medical director. This will enhance our overall access to medical direction, although Dr. Cushman does a fantastic job. Dr. Harmon will be working under the current agreement that we have for medical direction and his services will NOT cost HVA anything additional. Dr. Harmon graduated from UofR and is currently doing a pediatric fellow ship at the UofR. He lives in Henrietta.... read more
EMS Week Picnic
EMS Week runs from May 17th – 23rd. On Sunday, May 17th, there is an EMS Week Kick-Off Picnic at Genesee Valley Park from 1200 – 1600.
Ambulance Washing in Cold Weather
If the temperature is 30’F or below, you do not need to wash your ambulance at the end of your shift. The only exception to this would be if the ambulance isn’t being staffed immediately following (e.g. it’s moving to the back of the garage or will be used by a crew later in the day). When in doubt, check with the on-duty supervisor. Thank you.
MEDIC 51 USE
Going forward, as a general rule, Medic 51 should not respond to calls requesting Paramedic intercept, unless it is the only vehicle available or the assigned supervisor is using it to respond. There are a few reasons for this: 1) the partner can assist our paramedic with initial patient care, 2) your vehicle won’t be stranded in another district, 3) in the event the requesting service needs an additional ambulance, you’ll be available.
emsCharts Outcome Change
Changes to Billable Refusals & Outcomes For billing purposes, we now have two options for billing refusals on the back-end: An ALS refusal and a BLS refusal. For sign-offs, when selecting the OUTCOME in your chart, please continue to make a determination on whether you feel it should be billable or not. This may be subject to change at the discretion of the Billing QA Auditors and/or the Billing Department. As a reminder, you should never promise or guarantee that there will not be a bill... read more
Awards, Awards, Awards
Thanks to all of your hard work. We have been honored with many accolades recently. Congrats! Eric Thomas - Henrietta EMT/BLS of the Year 2015 Eric Rathfelder - MLREMS Paramedic of the Year 2015 Chief Allen - MLREMS Harriet C. Weber EMS Leadership Award Henrietta Ambulance - MLREMS Agency of the Year 2015 American Heart Association - 2016 Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold Level Recognition Award
New Full-Time Employees
Congratulations to our newest full-time employees: Jenna Cirincione and Paige Demick!