The MEDIC Dispatch News From The Front Line September 27, 2010
UPDATE: IT Help Desk Tickets Mecklenburg EMS Agency
Dates to Remember: September 27th CPR Training 1800—2200 CPCC
This Week: County CPR
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New Medical Journal & ECG Club
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24 Hours of Booty
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Employee Highlight
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A One-Time Thank 6 You Offer Medic in the Media
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Training Schedule
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The IT Department is continually looking for ways to improve the level of service it delivers to our growing Agency. With this in mind, Teresa and her team are taking a page out of Medic’s Priority Dispatch System by employing a new feature with their help desk ticketing system; this feature will allow the department to prioritize all requests in addition to providing immediate feedback to the requester so they know when they will receive help. Beginning today, Monday, September 27th, all help desk requests will ask the requestor to answer a couple of brief questions aimed at pinpointing the urgency with which the problem requires attention. Upon submission of every help desk ticket, the requestor will receive an email response denoting the timeframe in which you can expect a member of the IT Department to rectify your problem. If your problem is urgent (this would include anything having to do with field/CMED operations), you will receive immediate attention (Priority 1). If you problem is important but not urgent, you will receive attention within an hour (Priority 2). If your problem is neither important nor urgent, you will receive attention within three hours (Priority 3). (Please note: if the IT department is not currently busy handling other urgent requests, your request will be answered quicker than what is noted)
Priority 1 System Failure, Field/CMED Operations, work stoppage – immediate Response
Priority 2 critical issues – response within 1 hour
Priority 3 non critical issues – response with 3 hours
All request received after 8 pm Monday – Friday will be handled next business day with the exception of System Failures (i.e. CAD and Siren). Regardless of the urgency of your request, you will receive immediate feedback. If you feel your issue is more urgent that the response indicates, please call 6111. Using the help desk system to request support from Medic’s IT Department is very important. Help desk tickets are immediately forwarded to the Blackberry’s of all on duty IT Department staff. It allows the department to gain instant notification for assessment and prioritization. The help desk system also allows the IT Department to track and report on problems they tend to on a weekly and monthly basis. These reports allow trends and nagging issues to be analyzed, ultimately leading to long term, enterprise wide solutions. The IT Department would like to thank everyone for their continued use of the help desk ticket system and welcomes and feedback or questions you may have on its use. You can do so by contacting Teresa Womble, IT Department Manager, at teresaw@medic911.com or ext: 6176. 1
County CPR Please be advised that county-focused CPR training has begun. The following department trainings will be completed by Thursday, September 30th
Davidson Cornelius Huntersville Station #2 North Mecklenburg Matthews Idlewild Mint Hill Pineville In the event of a cardiac arrest in the above areas, County first responders will be placing the King airway and Medic will replace the King Airway and the OG tube from stock on the ambulances. The remaining department trainings will occur in October and November. We will notify you when these departments have been trained. Please be sure to contact Steve Vandeventer via e-mail at stevenv@medic911.com or at 980.406.1220, if you have any questions about the county-focused CPR training. Thank you.
Medic’s Safety Corner
Wedding Bells Congratulations to newlyweds
Allow for a Safe Following Distance
Richard Steinbroner and his new wife Suzanne!
One of the best ways to avoid an accident is to maintain a safe following distance in front of your ambulance. Because ambulances are big, heavy vehicles, they require a lot more time and distance to stop than a standard size car or truck.
Richard Steinbroner is a Crew Chief Paramedic who works A-shift nights. He has been employed, here, at Medic for the past two years.
In order to avoid a panic stop, allow for at least a foursecond following distance. A four-second following distance gives drivers enough time to evaluate situations as they occur on the road, consider the available options and make
For those who may not know, the new Mrs. Suzanne Steinbroner is a RN at Presbyterian Main hospital. She works as charge nurse at night.
the decision to brake hard or take evasive action. Remember, the goal is to provide excellent patient care without incident. One way to help achieve this goal is to maintain a four-second following distance while on the road
The awesome duo got married last month in the bride’s hometown of Hamburg, NY, just south of Buffalo.
and check it frequently. In adverse weather conditions, drivers should increase their following distance to sixseconds.
Mr. & Mrs. Steinbroner followed up the nuptials with a vacation honeymoon in the Mayan
For more information please contact Amy Johnson at
Riviera area of Mexico.
704.943.6095, 980.395.3054, or via e-mail amyj@medic911.com.
Congratulations and best wishes to the happy couple! 2
Employee Highlight
Employee Highlight
Linda Hendley joins Medic as the new Compensation and Benefits Specialist. In her role, Linda will be responsible for overseeing Medic’s compensation plan as well as processing payroll, benefit changes and adjustments.
Kathy Paino rejoins Medic as the new Operations Assistant. In her role, Kathy will be responsible for assisting the Scheduling department as well as processing patient reports. In her spare time, the happily single California native enjoys running, swimming, doing charity work to benefit Southeast Asian countries and performing as a backup singer for a local band.
Linda brings over 20 years of HR-related experience to Medic. The Virginia Beach native enjoys photography, spending time with family and her daily morning run.
1. State Fair or Amusement Park?
1. Grand Canyon or Mt. Rushmore?
State Fair
Mt. Rushmore
2. Favorite Ice Cream?
2. Favorite Restaurant?
Mint Chocolate Chip
Bonefish Grill
3. Favorite Action Hero?
3. Favorite Cartoon?
The Governator (Arnold Schwarzenegger)
Scooby Doo
4. Most interesting food combo you've ever eaten?
4. Name one country in the world you would like to visit?
Ox Tail Soup
Ireland
Welcome Our New EMT Class Medic would like to welcome the students from its newest EMT Academy! The class started on Tuesday, September 21st and will run until late October. The EMT class members are: Shannon Deas, Frank Doggett, Katherine Edgell, Brittany Harris, David Hodnett, Nicolette Hodnett, Jeffery Holland, Nicholas Howard, Courtenay Martinsen, Lars Morch, Brandis Ridenhour, Casey Schmidt, Michael Schmidt and David Thompson. Congratulations! Please be sure to extend a warm welcome to the latest additions of our Medic family!
(from left to right): Back row—Michael Schmidt, Christopher Steele, Jeffery Holland, Frank Doggett, David Hodnett, David Thompson, Nicholas Howard, Lars Morch and Courtenay Martinsen. Front row—Shannon Deas, Casey Schmidt, Brandis Ridenhour, Brittany Harris, Katherine Edgell and Nicolette Hodnett. 3
Paramedic Graduation Medic would like to recognize the hard work and great achievements of its 2010 Paramedic Academy graduates. An academy graduation and awards ceremony was held in their honor on Friday, September 10th at the VanLandingham Estate in Charlotte. The proud graduates from Medic’s Class of 2010 Paramedic Academy are:
Mike Carter **(Academic Excellence Award)**
Bryant Coble
Robin Geck
Brendan Hutson **(Nash Glaze Memorial Award)**
Christy Iyoob
Matthew Lewis
Alexis Moose
Courtney Todd
Andrew Williams **(Outstanding Graduate Award)**
Please be sure to extend a congratulations to the above graduates for their tremendous hard work and dedication. We are all so very proud of your accomplishments!
Chili 911 Fall is almost here which means the leaves will soon change, the weather will turn cooler and people will start cooking…..CHILI! The 7th Annual Plaza Midwood Chantilly Chili Cookoff will be held on Saturday, October 9th and feature our very own, Cyndi Griffin, to compete for the title of best chili recipe in Charlotte. Cyndi Griffin has entered her own chili recipe and has creatively dubbed it Chili 911. Each chili competitor not only has to supply enough chili for judging and tasting, but also needs to come up with a creative way to display their chili and decorate their booth. Cyndi’s booth will be representing Medic; which is why her chili is creatively called Chili 911. Cyndi needs your support and invites you to come and taste her Chili 911. There will be a Taster’s Choice contest that spectators can enter – so you don’t have to be an official judge to taste all the excellent chili recipes. The contest will take place on Saturday, October 9th starting at 12 noon at the MMR Racing Parking Lot (1318-D Central Avenue, Charlotte, NC). Tickets are $10 for adults and children 6 and up (children under 5 they ask for a donation only). Proceeds from the event benefit Hospice and Palliative Care of the Charlotte Region. Come out and support Cyndi and her Chili 911! If Cyndi’s recipe wins, she will be donating the prize money to Hospice of Stanley County – what another excellent reason to come up and taste some chili! 4
New Medical Journal & ECG Club Coming Soon! A new interest club is coming soon to Medic! Journal clubs have been around for approximately150 years and provide an opportunity to gather and evaluate recent articles in scientific/medical literature. To this end, Dr. Jon Studnek and Mike Sherriff are looking for participants in Medic’s first ever Medical Journal & ECG Club. You may be thinking, “Sign me up! Let me at those articles and ECG’s!” Below are just a few points to keep in mind:
There will be no pay, continuing education credits or prizes. Like a book club, you will have to read journal articles (3-5 per month). You will be responsible for your own food and beverages at any offsite meeting locations. Here are a few details:
Our first meeting will be October 11th at 1300 in the Post 100 Small Conference Room We will meet once per month in the early afternoon for about 2-3 hours. The meetings will be held on days that A-Shift is off, but all shifts are welcome to attend. We will alternate meeting sites between Post 100 and an off-site location as long as the group size is reasonable. The journal articles will come from a variety of Medical Journals with articles which address some component of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Jon Studnek will educate and facilitate.
The club will discuss an interesting mix of ECG’s evaluated by experts that range from the mundane to the esoteric. We will include a multimedia segment for Post 100 meetings focused on some aspect of Emergency Medicine that pertains to your job and clinical decision making.
The club will run through May, at which point we will decide whether to continue, take the summer off or bin it.
Casual dress code!
If you would like to sign up for this unpaid educational opportunity or if you have any questions about the Medical Journal & ECG Club, contact Mike Sherriff at mikes@medic911.com. Thank you!
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24 Hours of Booty Are you an avid cyclist who is looking to raise money for cancer research? A group of Medic employees, Matt Johnson, Eric Morrison and Sam Pendlay, are looking to form a cycling team for the 2011 24 Hours of Booty charity ride. The 24 Hours of Booty is “an extraordinary cycling event that is safe, fun, and open to all levels of cycling ability, while bringing cancer awareness to the community and raising funds for noteworthy cancer charities.” Currently the race is set for late July/early August of 2011, however, registration begins in January and entry slots fill up fast. Medic would like to have confirmation from all employees wishing to participate by December, so they can register their entire team once registration opens in January. The group is looking to have at least 10-15 riders participate this year! In addition, please keep in mind this is a 24 Hour charity ride. At least one member of the team needs to be riding at all times during the event. You need to be able to ride far distances, however, you will have chances to switch off with team mates and cat nap in Bootyville (the team member camp site!). If you are interested in riding in the 24 Hours of Booty or have more questions about the event, please contact Matt Johnson at matthewj@medic911.com or visit www.24hoursofbooty.org (note: this is still last year’s information). Please watch for further updates about exact event dates, team jerseys, fundraising events and cheering section (for those who aren’t avid cyclists).
Traffic Alert
Tree Removal at CMC Main On Saturday, October 2nd , CMC will remove a large tree from its main campus.
As part of the US 29/ NC 49 Roadway Improvement Project, Rocky Rover Road
The tree removal will require the
will close beginning 9:00 am on Friday, September 17th until Saturday,
need for a large crane and, as a result, Loop Rd be closed at Scott Avenue and ER Drive. No traffic will be permitted to enter or
November 20th, 2010.
exit at Loop and Scott or enter / exit the Scott deck at Loop Rd.
A detour will be set up using University City Boulevard (NC 49) and Harris Boulevard.
The tree removal will begin at 7:30 am and should be
Driveways to residents and businesses will remain open.
completed by 4:00 pm on Saturday. October 2nd. Please contact John Bryant, CMC Grounds Coordinator, at 704.512.7775 if you have any questions. Thank you.
CATS will be affected. Please view the provided map for detour information. For more information about this project, please visit the project website at www.epm.charmeck.org, click on the Transportation Projects section and then US 29/NC 49 or call Sonji Mosley at 704.336.3214. 6
Medic in the Media Total Media Placments from Aug 09 ‐ Aug 10
So far this year, August 2010 has been the busiest month for Medic in the News!
300
250
235
239
226
213
208
196
200
Over the course of the month, Medic and our employees were either
211
176 154
150 Placements
113 86
100
mentioned or featured in a local news story a total of 239 times. There were several incidents that played a large role during the month of August which included several MVA’s with multiple patients, several GSW patients and much more.
50
0 Aug
Sept
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
During the months of September and
October, employees should be on lookout for Medic in the media - the PR Department is currently making plans to celebrate Medic in the News in several different news story pitches. The PR Department is currently working on stories to celebrate the 50th Year of Modern Day CPR and highlight several employees who had research studies published in national medical journals. CPR Anniversary stories include a press conference with Representative Becky Carney on the importance of public use AEDs, cardiac arrest survivor and patient reunion stories and a Focused Cardiac Arrest piece to celebrate and demonstrate the hard work of Medic employees. Again, the PR Department is always looking for story suggestions. If you have a story that you would like to highlight, a bystander you would like to recognize or a call you would like to share, please contact Kristin Young in the PR Department (kristiny@medic911.com or 6165).
A One-Time Thank You Offer Aflac would like to thank Medic employees for being a client for the past 5 years. Aflac is offering a new one time only guaranteed issue Critical Care Coverage policy to Medic employees. The plan is designed as either a stand-alone policy or if you have another policy with Aflac it will pay in addition to your other policies. It pays a lump sum benefit between $5,000 and $50,000 for the employee, up to $25,000 for your spouse and each child is covered at 25% of the employee. The policy will also pay $50 for health screenings in addition to other policies you may have that already pay for these screenings. This plan will only be offered in October and November 2010. Please see our Aflac Representative Drew Fowlie for details in the bay and at the beginning of October In-service and at our Health Fair. Drew’s contact information is: 704-806-6816 or drew_fowlie@us.aflac.com 7
September 2010 Sun
Mon
Tue
5B
Wed
6A
7A
Thu
Fri
Sat
1A
2A
3B
4 B
8 B
9 B
10 A
11 A
CPR Training 0900—1300 CPCC 12 A
13 B
14 B
15 A
16 A
17 B
18 B
21 A
22 B
23 B
24 A
25 A
1B
2B
CPR Training 0900—1300 CPCC 19 B
20 A
New Hire Orientation & Academy to Begin 26 A
27 B
CPR Training 1800—2200 CPCC
28 B
29 A
30 A
CPR Training 1800—2200 CPCC
2010 Training Schedule
Medic Calendar In-Service Training Medic Events Holidays Recertification Testing
MEDIC Mecklenburg EMS Agency 4525 Statesville Road Charlotte, NC 28269
PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR ALL CLASSES. ALL AHA CLASSES HELD AT CPCC.
AHA Refresher Classes at CPCC CPR SEPT - 27 ** 1800-2200 OCT - 4, 7 = 1800-2200 / 18, 21 ** 0800-1200 PALS
Visit Us on the Web!
**YOU MUST RECERTIFY DURING YOUR TEST MONTH** ALL CON ED must be up to date at time of testing.
NOV - 21 = 0900-1300 ACLS
To schedule a test appt date and time, email Robin Pariso at robinp@medic911.com
NOV - 20 = 0900-1300
Tel: 704-943-6000 Fax: 704-943-6001
NC Scope of Practice Recertification Testing
Stay Tuned to the Medic Dispatch for any future date announcements!
www.medic911.com
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OCT 8, 9, 11, 15, 16, 18 (Expiration Dates NOV, DEC 2010, JAN 2011) DEC 10, 11, 13, 17, 18, 20 (Expiration Dates FEB – APR 2011)