The Leader • Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020 • Page 1B
Life Flight launches nation’s first air ambulance service for K9s
Preferred Health DIRECTORY
By Betsy Denson
Chiropractic Care
betsy@theleadernews.com
Kristin Uhlin, a senior officer with the Houston Police Department and lead trainer with its Narcotics Division Canine Detail, said the bond between an officer and their police dog, or K9, is a strong one. “They live with their handlers,” Uhlin said. And while HPD has been relatively lucky — the last HPD K9 lost in the line of duty was Officer Rony, who suffered a serious injury to his leg during a 2018 chase — Uhlin said the nature of the work is dangerous. K9s work with the bomb squad, patrol squad and narcotics squad. “They are all in harm’s way,” she said. “Especially in Houston, seconds matter, just like with human life.” That is why the rollout of the K9Casualty Care Course and Transportation Service by Memorial Hermann Life Flight is significant. It is the first air ambulance service in the nation, outside of the military, to provide training, treatment and transportation for injured K9 officers. The program, which has been in development since 2016 under the leadership of Chief Life Flight Nurse Rudy Cabrera and Life Flight Outreach Education Coordinator George Tarver III, operates under the four pillars of teach, train, treat and transport. Both the K9 handlers and the Life Flight crew were trained as part of the initiative. Through the K9-CCC program, K9 handlers received emergency care including wound packing, poison control, CPR and tourniquet use. Each handler got a K9 specific Individualized First Aid Kit (IFAK) put together by hospital staff, including wound packing material, gloves, a CPR mask for human-to-K9 CPR and a tourniquet. The IFAKs were donated to Life Flight by We Ride to Provide, an organization honoring fallen police dogs. The handlers were also trained on when to call Life Flight for a severely injured K9. “It’s our hope that through our program we are able to reduce the number of police canine fatalities by providing handlers with advanced first aid training and IFAKs,” Cabrera said.
NORTHWEST CHIROPRACTIC George G. Junkin, D.C. D.A.C.B.N. Nutritionist 11500 NW Frwy - Suite 201 Houston, Texas 77092 Tel: 713-686-0828 www.drjunkin.com Internal Medicine
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Contributed photo Houston Police Department officer Kristin Uhlin, left, sits aboard a Memorial Hermann Life Flight helicopter with Sita, her former police dog, as Memorial Hermann Life Flight nurse Michele Bourgeois looks on in December 2019.
Life Flight paramedics and nurses participated in specialized training developed and approved by Houston veterinarians Dr. Jeff Chalkley and Dr. Michael Seely. Seely, who is chief of staff at VERGI 24/7, said they already treat K9 officers there for less severe situations. “We primarily see them for workrelated injuries,” he said. “Mild soft tissue traumas, sprains/strains, wounds and gastrointestinal upset are the most common reasons.” Seely said a K9 assessment for serious injury would follow the same protocol as with humans – ABC (Airway, Breathing and Circulation). The functions are the same, but the technique differs. “In the critical situation, Life Flight getting them to us quickly will definitely improve their prognosis,” Seely said. “We will be able to stabilize and move forward with any lifesaving
procedures much more rapidly, helping decrease possible complications and improving short-term and longterm outcomes.” Cabrera said the purchase of a specialized mannequin dog helped crews learn to do an IV and CPR as well as other tasks. Uhlin’s K9 dog, Sita, who recently died from old age, was a test dog for the program and trained with Life Flight crews who practiced securing and transporting her. “She was very social and had a sparkly personality,” Uhlin said. “They wanted to see how she’d be if they flew her.” Sita was a successful first “patient.” Airus, the 7-year-old German Shepherd who was on hand at a recent media event for the program, also performed well. Critically injured K9s within Life Flight’s 150-mile radius will be transported to one of three veterinary
hospitals: Texas A&M University Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, VERGI 24/7 Animal Emergency and Critical Care Hospital or Westbury Animal Hospital. Launched in 1976 as the second air ambulance program in the country, Memorial Hermann Life Flight was the idea of the late Dr. James “Red” Duke, who also envisioned a service for dogs. It is fitting then that the simulator K9 is named Jake, after the beloved Catahoula who used to go on rounds with Duke. Agencies were able to enroll in training programs, which began in April 2019. So far, more than 100 K9 handlers and 40 emergency medical services and fire personnel have been trained on treating injured K9s. The Life Flight team is conducting three to five training classes each month and estimates there are approximately 200 police canines in the Greater Houston area.
COVID-19 vaccine headed to local hospital, won’t be immediately available to public By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
Nearly 2,000 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine should soon arrive at Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital. But it could still be a while before members of the general public can receive one. Texas’ Department of State Health Services announced earlier this month that nearly 225,000 doses of the vaccine developed by Pfizer would be distributed to 109 hospitals in 34 counties “as early as the week of Dec. 14, depending on when the vaccine is authorized for use in the United States.” The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had yet to approve the vaccine for emergency use as of press time Wednesday, although its safety and effectiveness in clinical trials had reportedly been promising. A total of 1,950 vaccine doses are to be delivered to Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital, located at 1635 North Loop West. Healthcare workers will be the first to receive the vaccines, per the state’s directive. “Memorial Hermann Health System has been selected as a pre-positioned site for the Pfizer vaccine because of our size, our storage capacity as well as our ability to safely administer the vaccine to thousands of front-line workers,” the hospital said in a statement provided to The Leader. “It’s important to remember that it will take a number of months for the vaccines to reach everyone who wants to take it, so we encourage everyone to continue to wear a mask, practice social distancing and good hand hygiene. We know everyone is probably tired of adher-
Stock photo Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital is expected to receive 1,950 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer.
COVID’s Local Impact The following is a breakdown of COVID-19 cases, deaths and recoveries in the six zip codes served by The Leader, according to the Houston Health Department and Harris County Public Health. Zip Code 77007 77008 77009 77018 77091 77092
Cases 1,449 1,089 1,831 854 1,385 1,595
ing to the safety protocols put in place, but now is not the time to let our guard down.” The hospital said increased availability of the vaccine will depend on how quickly Pfizer can produce and distribute its version and whether other vaccines, including the one being developed by Moderna, can be approved by the FDA. The hospital also said it did not know how much vaccines would cost once they are made available to the general public. Memorial Hermann said the 1,950 doses initially distributed to its Greater Heights location will remain in the Heights area but could be dispersed to other, yet-to-be-determined
Recoveries 1,202 895 1,594 738 1,182 1,412
Deaths 5 16 38 15 22 20
locations besides the hospital. As of Wednesday, there had been a total of 8,203 COVID-19 cases in the six zip codes served by The Leader – 77007, 77008, 77009, 77018, 77091 and 77092 – according to data compiled by the Houston Health Department and Harris County Public Health. The contagious disease had caused at least 116 deaths among area residents, while 7,023 patients had recovered. Houston City Council member Abbie Kamin, who represents part of the area in District C, echoed the sentiment expressed by Memorial Hermann that community members should remain patient and vigilant while COVID-19
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Since 1928
vaccines are being developed, tested and distributed. “This will be a highly coordinated effort to get vaccines to the public as quickly as possible, but they won’t be available to the general public for months,” Kamin said. “It’s critical to remember that in the meantime, COVID cases are on the rise and hospitals are raising warnings about capacity. Everyone must do their part and continue to mask up, socially distance and get tested regularly.”
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