BMC ED Temporary Ambulance bay closure Saturday, 2/16 at 6AM through Sunday, 2/17 at 6AM (24 hours)
A friendly reminder that, tomorrow, Saturday, 2/16 at 6AM through Sunday, 2/17 at 6AM (24 hours) the BMC ambulance bay will be closed for work to the vestibule area. During this work, emergent ambulance traffic will be redirected to the Emergency Department Walk-in entrance via Shapiro Drive. Ambulance triage and registration will be moved Pod D to accept crews and patients arriving via ambulance while this work is taking place. A Public Safety officer will be stationed at Shapiro Dr. to assist with traffic flow. This does not impact flow for our non-emergent ambulance transfers and discharges. The ambulance bay will reopen on Sunday, 2/17 at 6:00AM.
Please note that during the 24 hour period the BMC Decon room will not be accessible. Please divert any patient that has been decontaminated in the field or who could be contaminated with a hazardous material to other decon capable hospitals between Saturday, 2/16 at 6AM through Sunday, 2/17 at 6AM (24 hours).
Please assist us in communicating this information to your teams.
For questions and concerns, please contact:
Melissa Kardonsky, Administrative Director Emergency Services
Office Phone: 617-414-5005
Mobile Phone:617-543-9904
E-mail: Melissa.Kardonsky@bmc.org
Stryker Lifepak 15 Urgent Medical Device Safety Notice and Correction
Office of Emergency Medical Services
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
Notice
Stryker Lifepak 15 Urgent Medical Device Safety Notice and Correction
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has been alerted that Stryker is conducting a voluntary Field Action for specific Lifepak 15 Monitor/Defibrillator devices that may lock-up after a defibrillation shock is delivered. This condition is defined as a blank monitor display with LED lights on, indicating power to the device, but no response in the keypad and device functions. A device in this condition has the potential to delay delivery of therapy, and this delay in therapy has the potential to result in serious injury or death. For more information on this recall, or to check if other LIFEPAK 15 devices are affected by this Field Action, please go to the following website: http://www.strykeremergencycare.com/productnotices. Please also see attached letter from Stryker.
Stryker states the devices can be fixed in place with uploading a software modification and will be done at the ambulance services themselves by a Stryker service representative. There will also be some depot service offered based on customer need. Given the very low number of these events, Stryker is not recommending that the devices be removed from service. If your service experiences this issue, call Stryker immediately.
Sanitation Construction on Washington Street Begins Monday, 10/22
We have been asked to share with you the Broadcast below that there will be some road construction in front of Newton-Wellesley Hospital beginning on Monday, October 22nd through November 5th. Both their East and West entrances will be open. Most ambulances typically use the East entrance to access the ED, however you can get to the ED either way. During this construction 4 lanes on Washington Street will go down to two. If you are approaching the hospital from the West you should use the West entrance, and from the East use the East entrance to avoid delays.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Charlotte Roy, MPS-HS, CEM
Safety Officer|Emergency Management Coordinator
Newton-Wellesley Hospital
2014 Washington Street
Newton, MA 02462
Phone 617.243.6923
Fax 617.243.6973
Emily McDonald appointed as Assistant Director for MBEMSC
We are pleased to announce that we have appointed Emily McDonald as Assistant Director for the Metropolitan Boston EMS Council, Inc.
Emily comes to us with almost 12 years of EMS experience. She holds a Master’s Degree in Emergency Management from Massachusetts Maritime Academy and actively works in the field as a paramedic for a provider service and as an EMS educator. In her various positions in private EMS, hospital urgent care and education, Emily has gained a broad-based understanding of the various challenges that face the EMS community in Massachusetts. Although she still enjoys working on the ambulance, she is excited to start a new journey as the Assistant Director of the Council. We believe that the background that Emily brings to the Council will greatly enhance our work.
Please join me in welcoming Emily to our staff. She may be reached either by telephone at (781) 505-4371 or by email at emcdonald@mbemsc.org.
Register Today for MIH & Community EMS Webinars
The Department of Public Health (Department) is pleased to announce the rollout of a new set of programs that aim to address gaps in illness prevention and health care service delivery: Community EMS, Mobile Integrated Health Care (MIH), and Mobile Integrated Health Care with ED Avoidance.
· Community EMS is operated by a local public health authority in partnership with the local jurisdiction’s primary ambulance service to address illness or injury prevention through high value public health services in the community.
· MIH is a system of pre- and post-hospital services that utilizes mobile resources, including EMS Personnel, community paramedics, and other health care providers to deliver a coordinated continuum of care at the patients’ home.
· MIH with ED Avoidance is an additional component of an approved MIH Program that allows for management of 9-1-1 patients in alternative settings, as appropriate and in accordance with the DPH ED Avoidance Protocol, such as outpatient clinics, psychiatric facilities, substance abuse treatment centers, or the patient’s home.
Please join staff from the Department’s Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) for a series of webinars to help educate potential applicants and interested parties about these new programs:
Program Overview Sessions for EMS
This one-hour session will be offered on three different dates and will provide an overview of Community EMS, MIH, and MIH with ED Avoidance for ambulance services and EMS Personnel.
· Tuesday, September 4th – 2:00pm
Register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6695297229564456963
Webinar ID: 919-253-211
· Tuesday, September 11th – 10:00am
Register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5187717254343500803
Webinar ID: 156-124-187
· Tuesday, September 25th – 10:00am
Register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5438106838313689091
Webinar ID: 271-494-731
General Application Overview Sessions
The purpose of these one-hour educational sessions is to provide potential Community EMS, MIH, and MIH with ED Avoidance Program applicants with an overview of the application, requirements, and resources for each program type.
· Community EMS
Friday, September 21st – 11:00am
Register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6301403786025645058
Webinar ID: 767-092-379
· MIH
Tuesday, October 16th – 1:00pm
Register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1534167658594483202
Webinar ID: 337-113-947
· MIH with ED Avoidance
Friday, October 19th – 1:00pm
Register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7822237274450102530
Webinar ID: 427-255-643
To see the full list of educational webinars offered by the Department, please visit www.mass.gov/service-details/mih-and-community-ems-educational-resources.
Registration Assistance: If you need additional assistance with registration, please email us at: MIH@state.ma.us.
For More Information: The MIH website is your best resource to learn more about the MIH and Community EMS Program. Information will be posted online as it becomes available, including webinar recordings and materials, details about newly-scheduled webinar and in-person educational sessions, and additional resources for potential applicants.
A New MBEMSC.org
Welcome to the new www.MBEMSC.org! We're celebrating EMS Week 2018 by launching our newly designed site. We are rolling the site out in phases, so everything from the old website may not be available yet. However, we will have everything up and available within the next few months.
Come celebrate EMS Week 2018 in our EMS Week 2018 section. There's a welcome letter from our Executive Director, Derrick Congdon, and every day we will post articles celebrating that day's theme.
To celebrate EMS Week, our PIER (Public Information & Education Resource) Committee has created a new initiative titled: "Key to Safety Features in the Electronic Health Record (EHR) – Register the Correct Patient." This initiative was rolled out in the Fall, but it now has a special place on the new website. Check it out!
Our launch includes the following sections:
A revamped News Page. This is where you will find information on special events, emergency alerts, and general happenings within the Region.
Our About section remains the same. While it shows our Mission Statement and Board of Directors now, we will be expanding that section in the coming months.
You can find links for Continuing Education Numbers, Con-Ed Changes, Blanket Approval Numbers, and the Unaffiliated EMT form (to be used when affiliating with Region IV as your agency training office) on the Home Page, below the Banner.
The Contact Us page now has a map that will take you to Google Maps, for customized directions to us, from where ever you are.