1

This Week:

Flu Shots 1

Hospital Contact Info

2

Performance

Pay 3

Training Schedule 8

Medic Calendar 8

For the second year in a row, John Stroup and Steven Ward will be traveling to Greensboro to compete at the State Paramedic Finals on Sunday, October 4th. There they will be challenged by some of the toughest paramedic competition the state has to

offer, including the three-time defending champions from Stokes County EMS.

The final competition is an incredibly realistic and challenging scenario the

teams have to perform in front of an audience of hundreds. The final competition is a part of Emergency Medicine Today, the state’s symposium for emergency medical care and targets a wide range of medical professionals from paramedics to ED physicians and nurses.

Good luck to both John and Steven! Please help the Agency congratulate them on making it so far in he competition and the Dispatch will update you on how they placed at the State Finals in Greensboro.

Medic Employees Compete in State Paramedic Finals

News From The Front Line October 5, 2009

The MEDIC Dispatch

Mecklenburg EMS

Agency

Dates to Remember:

October 9th

CPR Training

Seasonal Flu Shots are HERE!

This is a reminder to ALL employees.

Kim Kuriger received her second shipment of seasonal flu shots and is distributing them to em-

ployees throughout the agency.

If you need a seasonal flu shot, please top by Kim’s office during the following days/times:

MedTV and the Dispatch will update you on when the H1N1 Flu Shot Arrives, which should be mid to late October.

Steven Ward and John Stroup will compete in the State Finals

Monday: 6 am - 4pm Tuesday: 8 am - 6 pm

Wednesday: OFF Thursday: 6 am - 4 pm

Friday: 6 am - 4 pm

2

Are you Looking for Medic Movie Tickets??

Contact either Miki (michellep@medic911.com) or

Pat (patriciav@medic911.com) -

or stop by the front desk during the hours of 8 am - 5 pm

Do you have a story from the Field or CMED?

Share it with the PR Department!

Contact Kristin (6165 -kristiny@medic911.com)

or Jeff (6160 -jeffk@medic911.com)

UPDATE: Lucky Hearts Campaign

PLEASE READ: Contacting Gaston Memorial or Northeast Medical

When contacting Gaston Memorial or Northeast Medical for an in bound patient you will need to call via phone. There are two ways to do this:

1) Call the E.D. direct on the cell phone provided at: Gaston Memorial 704-834-2790 Northeast Medical 704-403-1269

2) Call CMED and asked to be transferred to the appropriate E.D. – This is a one button transfer that CMED can get you into the triage desk.

There is a GASTON and NORTHEAST talk group in the mobile and port-able radios, however this is a “placeholder” for a future talk group on the state-wide or appropriate neighboring radio system that will be available shortly (after re-banding). The GASTON and NORTHEAST talk group in your radios will not work at this time. There have been several transports to Gaston and Northeast in which encodes were attempted on the radio and the facilities have not been notified of in bound patients. If you have any questions, please contact your immediate supervisor or Todd Simms (todds@medic911.com).

On Thursday, October 1st, the Lucky Hearts Campaign trained is 500th individual in CPR/AED Awareness. Currently, Medic, along with our partners the Mecklenburg Medical Alliance and En-dowment have donated a total of 14 AED’s to 12 deserving organizations. In addition, the Lucky Hearts Campaign trained its first English as a second language class on Thursday, October 1, 2009. Medic and MMAE chose St. John Neumann Catholic Church to re-ceive a donation of an AED because they were in need of an AED. St. John Neumann also has both an English Mass and a Spanish mass that meet every week. Together with their coordinator, Medic set up two separate training - one in English and one in Spanish. The campaign continues to roll on and the next donation will be 14 AED’s to local public high schools. With the AED donation to the schools, Medic and MMAE are making sure each high school in our area has at least TWO AED’s on their campus - one will be in Athletics and the other will be mounted inside their front offices. Thanks again to our Lucky Heart instructors - Tracy Gaskins, Jason Faulkner, Randy McKown and Katie Phillips.

Gaston Memorial Hospital

3

New Shift Bid Announced

The scheduling department is currently holding shift bids for field employees.

Shift Bid forms can NOW be picked up from the employee lounge, the break room and from the OA’s desk.

Deadline to turn forms into scheduling is 12 noon on October 6, 2009.

The new shift bid will be effective on October 20, 2009.

If you have any questions about shift bids, please contact the scheduling department as soon as possible - 6234.

The latest results for the first tracking period of the Performance Pay Program are in! Everything is still on target with the exception of Patient Satisfaction. On the bright side, Patient Satisfaction continue to tick upward. We have not yet begun to receive data from September’s polling, so keep working hard and focus on those patient and family interactions.

We only need to see a 3 % increase in Patient Satisfaction over the next 6 weeks to hit this target—a very achievable target if everyone stays focused on it.

If you have any questions or concerns about the Performance Pay Program, feel free to speak with your Supervisor or Jeff Keith anytime.

Medic Financial Standing vs. Budget: ON TARGET

Patient Satisfaction: 62 %

Hospital Turn Times: 34:29

Response Time Compliance: P1 = 97.15%; P2 = 97.82%; P3 = 97.40%

Agency Driver Safety Scoring Average: 8

CMED MPDS Compliance: 97.15%

Performance Pay Update — Results Through October 2, 2009

Hickory Grove United Methodist Church received an AED from the Lucky Hearts Campaign on Monday, September 28, 2009. Congrats Hickory Grove!

4

IMPORTANT Focused Cardiac Arrest Modification Based on the feedback and documentation provided by Medic and CFD Employees over the past several weeks, the following modifications are being made to the Focused Cardiac Arrest Protocol effective IMMEDIATELY: • Due to multiple reports of Humeral IOs dislodging in the field, the 1st option for initiating an IO line will now be in the Tibia

• Humeral IOs are still an acceptable second option and may be used if necessary

• You are now expected to start the Tibial IO, push the first round of meds, and begin administering code cool through the IO; then start a large bore IV and administer additional chilled saline up to a total of 2 liters.

• Due to multiple reports of CPR fatigue, the Medic EMT and FF1 will now take turns administering chest compressions every 3-5 minutes while on scene

• Once in the ambulance, the FF1 and FF2 will take turns administering chest compressions every 3-5 minutes in route to the hospital

These changes are a direct result of the information and feedback coming to the Quality Assurance team here at Medic from field personnel. It is everyone’s goal to perfect this protocol and improve patient outcomes as much as possible. We appreci-ate the feedback that led to these changes and encourage Medic personnel to continue sharing it with process improvement in mind. Keep up the good work everyone! This is life changing work you’re doing and it matters greatly.

CMED In-Service Dates

Attention all CMED Employees! The following are the remaining In-Services dates for 2009:

2010 CMED In-Service dates will be released as soon as they are available.

If you have any questions, please contact your immediate Supervisor.

Tuesday, October 13th and 20th Tuesday, December 8th and 15th Time:1000 - 1400 Topic: CPR Time: 1000 - 1400 Topic: TBD

5

The next Crew Chief /BLS Team Leader Orientation is scheduled from 08:30 – 16:30 on Tuesday, October 20 and Thursday, October 22, 2009, in the Central Conference Room. To be eligible for either position, employees must meet the criteria listed below: Paramedic Crew Chief / Relief Crew Chief

• Must attend Crew Chief Orientation Class • Must be a practicing paramedic at Medic for no less than 6

months • Must pass a written test, evaluating clinical protocol and operational policy/procedure knowledge.

It is best to take the written test prior to the orientation session. • The candidate will be assigned to a Field Training Officer or Relief Operations Supervisor, who will ride with

and document performance for a minimum of three shifts. Candidates requiring additional evaluation rides will be considered on a case-by –case basis, dependent upon individual challenges.

BLS Team Leader

• One year as practicing EMT with Medic • All other requirements are the same as Crew Chief

Please RSVP by Friday, October 16, 2009 directly to Deborah Parrish debbiep@medic911.com or 6223. All pre-testing will be scheduled through Robin Pariso, Education Coordinator (ext. 6143).

Paramedic Crew Chief /BLS Team Leader Orientat ion

An important reminder regarding responses to OMEGA calls. Lately there have been crews choosing to stage when responding to an OMEGA call, giving the pa-tient time to complete their phone call with the nurse hotline.

It is imperative that this practice be stopped. All OMEGA calls must be directly responded to in a timely manner AND PATIENT CONTACT MADE WITHOUT DELAY. If a patient is still on the phone with the nurse, please wait patiently for

them to complete the call. I

f you recognize the patient as needing medical attention, intervene accordingly. This protocol is designed with very specific rules that need to be followed to ensure the integrity of the study. Please help ensure the success of this program as we near the end of the study phase and approach imple-mentation in the near future. If you have any questions, please see your Supervisor or Barry Bagwell.

PLEASE READ: OMEGA Protocol Reminders/Update

6

Chi ld Vis i tors at Hospita ls

The big headline in today’s Charlotte Observer read: “Hospitals ban child visitors to slow spread of flu to patients” - you can access the article by clicking here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/topstories/story/975093.html Clearly this is something we need to be aware of, however, it does not get in the way of our need to follow protocol and ensure the safety of our patients and their children. Bottom Line: Medic can still transport children along with a sick or injured parent/guardian to the hospital when necessary.

As always, Medics can still encourage parents/guardians to use other available child-care alternatives. The focus should remain on doing what is right and timely for your patient while ensuring the safety of any children involved. We know you help patients with childcare decisions routinely – so please continue to do the great job you always do while keeping these flu considerations in mind.

If you have any questions, please speak with your Supervisor or Richard Dean.

Employee Questions…….Tracy Kelly, Human Resources Intern

The Human Resources department would like to welcome their new Intern, Tracy Kelly, to Medic for her Fall Se-mester. Tracy will be helping out and fulfilling her college internship requirement with the team in HR until Decem-ber 2009. The Dispatch sat down with Tracy to ask her a few questions about herself. Please help us welcome Tracy to the Agency!

1) Where are you from?

Aiken, SC

2) Where did you go to school?

Currently at Winthrop - graduate December 19, 2009!

3) How long have you worked at Medic?

2 Weeks

4) What is your favorite movie?

I don’t have a favorite movie be

cause I love watching movies, but don’t care for Sci - Fi.

5) What is your hidden talent?

Still looking for it…..

6) What do you like to do when not at work/school?

Spend time with family/friends and TRAVEL!!

7) What are 3 things you can’t live without?

- Cool Fall Days

- Breyers Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

- Doing to a new place/city a least once a year

7

December NC Recertification Testing

Below is a list individuals who need to sign up for NC Recertifi-cation Testing. If your name is on this list, please contact Robin

Pariso immediately to sign up for a session/testing (at 6143). If you have any additional questions about testing, please contact Robin as well.

DECEMBER 2009

NC RECERTIFICATION TESTING ALL CON ED AND AHA CREDENTIALS MUST BE

CURRENT PRIOR TO RECERTIFICATION TESTING

TEST DATES: By Appt. Only – NO walk ins

DEC. 11, 12, 14, 18, 19, 21,

KIMBERLY BELTON THOMAS BERNESSER

STEVEN BRIDGES JAMES CAIL

KEVIN CALDWELL MATTHEW CAMPBELL

JASON FAULKNER SAMUEL JONES

CATHERINE JORDAN RANDALL LAURI

MAUREEN TOWNES STEVEN WARD

KENNETH WILLIAMS PAMELA WYKLE

CHRISTOPHER ZORNOW

Plan Ahead: In-Service Dates

November, 2009 *

10 Tuesday 6:00 p.m. – 10 p.m.

12 Thursday Noon – 4:00 p.m.

13 Friday 8:00 a.m. – Noon

16 Monday 8:00 a.m. – Noon and

6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

18 Wednesday 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

December, 2009 No continuing education sched-uled due to the holidays.

* November’s sessions occur one week early due to Thanksgiving holiday later in the month.

The following is a reminder regarding our recently modified PCR transfer process as it pertains to CMC Main. We will no longer be printing PCRs at CMC Main; instead we will only use the faxing feature. The fax number for CMC is 704-355-9681. This number will actually print the PCR to a printer (not a fax machine) in ED Major. We will continue to test this process for functionality over the next week or so at CMC Main and then begin fax-

ing only to all area hospitals once we are sure the process is stable. A fax number list will be laminated to the computers once the process is fully implemented. Also, all STEMI patients transported to CMC should have their ECG transmitted to "CMCSTEMI" via the monitors. Other patients with 12-leads of interest transported to CMC only may be transmitted to "CMCEDONLY" via the monitor. Instructions were dis-tributed last week and will be included in all of the computer bags. Extra copies will be avail-able at the logistics window. If you have any questions or concerns regarding either of these topics, please be sure to speak with your Supervisor.

REMINDER: Faxing to CMC

8

2009 Training Schedule

AHA Refresher Classes at Medic CLASS TIME: 1300-1700 - **except where otherwise noted LOCATION: MEDIC AUDITORIUM CPR OCT 9, 12, 16, 19, OCT 22 & 29 = 1800-2200 PALS NOV 6, 9, 13, 16 ACLS DEC 4, 7, 11, 14

NC Scope of Practice Recertification Testing

EXP DATES JAN – MAR 2010

DEC 11, 12, 18, 19, 21

If you have any questions or to register for a class PLEASE contact the Education Coordinator at extension 6143.

Visit Us on the Web! www.medic911.com

MEDIC Mecklenburg EMS Agency

4525 Statesville Road Charlotte, NC 28269

Tel: 704-943-6000 Fax: 704-943-6001

October 2009 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 A 2 B

3 B

4 B 5 A

6 A

7 B 8 B 9 A

CPR Training

1300 - 1700

10 A

11 A 12 B

CPR Training

1300 - 1700

13 B

14 A 15 A

16 B

CPR Training

1300 - 1700

17 B

18 B 19 A

CPR Training

1300 - 1700

20 A

In-Service 6 pm - 10 pm

21 B

22 B

CPR Training 1800 - 2200 In-Service

Noon - 4 pm

23 A

In-Service 8 am - 12 pm

24 A

25 A

26 B

In-Service 8 am - 12 pm & 6 pm - 10 pm

27 B

CPR Training

1800 - 2200

28 A

In-Service 6 pm - 10 pm

29 A 30 B 31 B

In-Service

Training

Medic Events

Holidays

Recertification Testing

Medic Calendar

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR ALL CLASSES ALL CLASSES HELD IN MEDIC AUDITORIUM