Alerts

This Monday there will be a blood drive at the TransCare Garage located at 25 14th Street, Brooklyn. The blood drive is in honor of Liam Matthew Gorman, the son of Paramedic/CIC Anthony Gorman.

Over the years I’ve had the privledge of working with Tony (aka Doc Croc) in a bunch of different settings. We’ve worked Warped Tours together, transport tours together, 911 tours together, and four years ago he was a vital part of the Task Force I lead to Texas for Hurricane Rita relief. It was during that deployment that Liam initially became ill, and was later diagnosed with Diamond Blackfan Anemia. There are less than 600 people diagnosed with this form of anemia, and the treatment requires a red cell transfusion every 2-3 weeks in order for Liam to survive.

If you are unable to make it to the Brooklyn Blood Drive, go to any NY Regional Blood Center and use Liam’s Group Number: 18159

More Information: Diamond Blackfan Anemia

In response to the Influenza Vaccine shortage New York State Department of Health Commissioner Doctor Richard F. Daines has instructed NYS Healthcare Providers to use vaccinations with a higher mercury level than previously considered safe for use as ordered by New York State Public Health Law Section 2112.

In a letter dated October 29, Dr. Daines points to the vaccination shortage as the primary reason why these vaccines that were disqualified for use previously because of the mercury level from the vaccine preservative Thimerosal. The FDA and CDC have encouraged all vaccine manufacturers to cease using Thimerosal since 1999. It is important to note that the recommended consumption amount has been based on methyl mercury toxicity levels and Thimerosal is actually a derivative of ethyl mercury. The FDA continues to recommend that pregnant women, women of childbearing age who may become pregnant, nursing mothers and young children do not consume certain kinds of fish that may contain high levels of methylmercury, the same at risk groups from the H1N1 Influenza Virus.

While the letter does instruct providers that informed consent is required for vaccinations, and consent should only be given to patients and parents authorized to provide consent, this does not change the fact that the NYS DOH has probably now stricken parents and pregnant women with the fear of mercurial poisoning from a vaccine that is already hotly debated.

More Information: Thimerosal in Vaccines from the FDA

Download: NYS DOH Thimerosal Waiver Letter

Related articles by Zemanta

• Why You Can’t Get the Swine Flu Vaccine (online.wsj.com)
• Mass vaccination of schoolchildren to stop spread of swine flu (telegraph.co.uk)
• Swine flu vaccine arriving, but don’t line up yet (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• FDA Rules Mercury Fillings Pose No Risk (inquisitr.com)
• What’s the Real Story on the Vaccine Debate? Learn More (wired.com)
• 1 dose of flu vaccine working in pregnant women (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Swine Flu Cases Jump 50% In One Week (news.sky.com)

The New York Times is reporting that an acting New York Supreme Court Justice has issued a restraining order temporarily halting the mandation of the controversial H1N1 Vaccine for New York State Healthcare workers.

The restraining order was issued by Acting New York State Supreme Court Justice Thomas J. McNamara in response to a lawsuit filed by three Albany Medical Center nurses who state that the mandation is a violation of their civil rights, and merged their lawsuit along with two other similar suits from New York State United Teachers Union and New York State Public Employees Federation.

The New York State Department of Health is planning to fight the restraining order, and has cited that the state has upheld similar requirements for vaccinations such as Rubella and Tuberculosis.

Justice McNamara will hold a hearing on October 30 regarding all three of the cases that he merged together.

The vaccine mandation was signed into law on August 13, 2009. It affected EMTs and Paramedics employed or contracted by healthcare facilities while free standing municipal agencies were apparently exempt due to the verbage used.

Source: New York Times Blogs

Related articles by Zemanta

• State judge blocks mandatory vaccinations (timesunion.com)

There has recently been discussion in the news about New York State mandating that healthcare providers receive the H1N1 Vaccination. Title: Subpart 66-3 – Health care facility personnel – influenza vaccination requirements provides the following definition for “Personnel” affected by the mandation:

(b) “Personnel” means all persons employed or affiliated with a healthcare facility, whether paid or unpaid, including but not limited to employees, members of the medical staff, contract staff, students, and volunteers, who either have direct contact with patients or whose activities are such that if they were infected with influenza, they could potentially expose patients, or others who have direct contact with patients, to influenza;

This verbage essentially requires private and hospital based EMS services (31 agencies in New York City alone) to vaccinate their EMTs and Paramedics since they would be considered as either employed by the healthcare facility or contracted by them. Volunteer agencies and municipal agencies are not included in this verbage and are therefore exempt from the state mandation.

State Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines M.D. wrote an open letter on the subject, and was responded to with an open letter from a group of healthcare workers against the mandatory vaccinations. With the verbage of the law being pretty clear, EMTs and Paramedics will have direct contact with patients throughout a healthcare facility in the performance of their duties, and are therefore included.

I know that there are alot of people upset by this. Some are upset because they have lost the choice to decide for themselves. Some are upset because they don’t feel the vaccine is safe, have families they need to provide for, and can’t afford for something to go wrong. I truly understand both these positions and I can understand the strong desire to want to decline.

It’s important to remember that this is NOT being mandated by the services, but by the State Government. There are plenty of precedents to the government doing something like this, such as the polio and rubella vaccine requirements to attend elementary school. While there are religious and medical exemptions available for those vaccines and it may very well be possible to get a medical exemption for this vaccine, where does that put you? This has been declared a pandemic situation so just because you get a medical exemption from receiving the vaccine does not mean that healthcare facilities need to let you in to care for their patients. How are you going to do your job (and get paid) to provide for your family then?

Honestly, I think this is overkill. I think the signing of this bill illustrates why Governor David Patterson has an approval rating practically in the negatives. Personally I will be letting my vote for whoever decides to be his opponent speak as to my displeasure of his draconian methods. Until then, when the vaccine is available and since I’m mandated to get it, then I’ll take it.

Chances of this law getting overturned? Slim to none. Of course, if healthcare workers were really serious about protesting this… they would organize a Facebook Group just like the EMS Professionals Against NBC’s Trauma… because you know… it may be a bad thing to force treatment onto someont… but it’s a worse thing when medics are hot blondes.

NYS Health Care Personnel Influenza Vaccination Requirements

NYSDOH Health Advisory H1N1 Vaccine

I first heard about this yesterday while listening to TWiT 207 and Greg Friese was also nice enough to point it out. A Texas based company called TechRadium™ is suing Twitter over the “process for simultaneously notifying large numbers of people about emergencies through multiple communication gateways, such as cell phones, pagers and e-mail.[1]” TechRadium™ is the creator of a proprietary system called IRIS© that they sell to organizations, public safety agencies, and of course governments.

The Issue According To TechRadium™, Is Us

The supposed issue at hand are TechRadium™’s patent numbers 7,130,389 filed in April 2005, 7,496,183 filed in December of 2007, and 7,519,165 filed April 2009 [2]. These patents outline a process to send a message to group participants via text and voicemail across numerous different devices.

While I am no patent law attorney I can tell you that the idea of one to many communication via text and voice is neither a new idea nor a new technology. E-mail allows you to send one text message to many recipients, cell companies themselves have enabled SMS messaging on their devices to allow e-mail’s to be received on phones (not including BlackBerry’s obvious e-mail feature), paging systems are still used across the country to send out call information, mobile data terminals over both radio frequencies and cellular frequencies do the same, as do two way radios that are now not only analog but digital as well. This is certainly not a new concept and not a technology that TechRadium™ can claim. In fact, their lawsuit doesn’t even really address the actual normal everyday use of Twitter at all as the issue.

The issue, according to TechRadium™, is us.

TechRadium™ has a problem with public safety agencies such as LA Fire (California), The American Red Cross (National Non-profit), Unruh Fire Department (Kansas), The Food and Drug Administration (Federal), South Orange Rescue (New Jersey), and The Center for Disease and Control (Federal). In their opinion these agencies using Twitter to better serve the people in their communities instead of the IRIS© product that they charge for is therefore costing them money and an infringement on their product.

Let me be very clear when I tell you that the TechRadium™ lawsuit, in my opinion, is both treacherous as well as frivolous.

I find it treacherous against the American Public for this company to try and handicap Public Safety Agencies who are already facing budget cuts that are forcing rolling service brown outs or just flat out closures cutting service to their communities. Why can’t Public Safety Agencies be afforded the same opportunities as individuals, small companies, and large corporations? Well it’s because obviously your tax dollars aren’t lining TechRadium™’s pocket.

Of course something they have obviously overlooked is that RSS Feeds have been syndicating messages across platforms since 1999, which is 6 years before their patent was filed. I don’t see them trying to sue AT&T for SMS Messaging, Microsoft for e-mail, or Motorola for pagers even though there are Public Safety Agencies certainly using those services. I also don’t see them suing the FCC for empowering television and radio stations to provide the public access to Emergency Broadcast System… so why is Twitter any different? Oh right, because it’s free, easy to use, popular, and in their minds probably not as powerful (and therefore an easier target for a litigious shakedown) as Facebook.

One of the supposed key components of IRIS© is the ability to take one message and translate it across multiple mediums. Therefore a text message would be translated into voice and a voice message into text. Does Twitter do that? No… but Kindle can! So the possibly only innovative idea that TechRadium™ came up with isn’t even being accomplished by the defendant, which is why I think it’s a frivolous lawsuit by a company who has a history of doing this.

The bottom line is treacherous corporate mongers suck.

Source 1: Law.com: Twitter Sued Over Emergency Tweets

Source 2: TechCrunch: Here Come The Twitter Patent Lawsuits

Related articles by Zemanta

• Twitter is Not An Emergency Broadcast System (readwriteweb.com)
• Twitter is IM (and Why the Limit is 140 characters) (cloudave.com)
• Facebook Lite looks like Twitter rival (telegraph.co.uk)
• Twitter on the blink again, no word on cause (news.cnet.com)

In three months and three days we will be observing the eighth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks. While New York City has yet to build their permanent memorial on the site labeled Ground Zero, other communities have to honor the lives lost and the ultimate sacrifices made that day. The excerpt below is from this article:

ESSEX — County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. announced today a special memorial for the flight crews killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The idea for the memorial was proposed by Deborah Calimano, who has been a flight attendant for 17 years.

The existing memorial includes bronze service caps that sit atop pedestals, one honoring law enforcers who perished that day, another honoring the 343 New York City firefighters who perished as well when jets commandeered by terrorists slammed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

“When I saw this, I said, ‘What about us?’ We were in the line of duty just like everyone else,” Calimano said. “It’s still a brotherhood.”

Now, a five-foot stretch of granite will be added to the existing memorial. It will carry the names of the 33 flight crew members who died and be topped by a bronze pilot’s cap. The new memorial, designed Patrick Morelli, who also designed the West Orange memorial, will be dedicated Sept. 11, 2009 — correcting what Essex officials termed an “oversight.”

The County of Essex has chosen to honor Flight Crews distinctively instead of the EMTs and Paramedics who perished that day providing Emergency Medical Services to the injured. Across the nation EMS providers have always taken a back seat to our peers in public safety working in law enforcement and fire services. Now it seems we are taking the back seat to those who work in private services that have nothing to do with public safety.

Enough is enough.

We respond to situations where people are in potentially the most desperate and tragic moments of their lives. Our call volume surpasses that of the fire service and often is equal if not greater to law enforcement. Yet we receive little to no recognition for that and are far too often relegated to being lumped in with others. These practices over the years has resulted in an acute lack of pride within, causing a form of professional depression from our own members that has resulted in erratic and unprofessional behavior.

The blame for this predicament can be placed on no one but ourselves. We must be willing to speak up. Not as an EMT or a Paramedic but as The Emergency Medical Services, when these injustices occur. We need to stand by our own when they are unjustly persecuted just as law enforcement and the fire service do. We must be willing to speak out when our profession is the victim of an “oversight”.

We must commit to not just excellence for our patients, but excellence for ourselves. Now is the time to take action on that commitment.

Send an e-mail to Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr.’s office by filling in your name and e-mail address and pressing Send:

Your Name (required)

Your Email (required)

Executive DiVincenzo,

I read the Star Ledger article on-line about the monument for the airline crew-members who died on September 11. I am a member of the Emergency Medical Services and I vote and my family votes. Before you erect a monument for airline personnel, do the right thing and recognize the EMS personnel who gave their lives so gallantly on September 11.

Additional Message To Send (Just insert a \"Thanks\" if you have nothing more to add)

Sincerely,

(Your Name)

Or you can call Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. at 973-621-4400

Tell whoever answers the phone:

Executive DiVincenzo, I read the Star Ledger article on-line about the monument for the airline crew-members who died on September 11. I am an EMT (or paramedic) and I vote and my family votes. Before you erect a monument for airline personnel, do the right thing and recognize the EMS personnel who gave their lives so gallantly on September 11.

Let us begin being proud of our profession by insisting that our brothers and sisters who made the ultimate sacrifice be treated as the heroes they are.

Thanks to Daniel R. Gerard for making me aware of this situation

This week is National Hurricane Preparedness Week. When NOAA’s 2009 Hurricane Disaster Forecast was publicly announced, it was accompanied with a strong recommendation for preparedness. Disaster Preparedness is an important step that is often overlooked when considering the well being of yourself and your family.

Here are a two steps that you should be sure to take whether you live in a known disaster zone or not:

• Create A Plan – If your area is hit by a disaster that will require your evacuation, whether natural or man made, have a plan of what you are going to do. Make sure that your entire family knows what the plan is
• Create A Supply Kit – A supply kit will help you whether you stay during the disaster or evacuate. Creating one should be a top priority. You can find a list of recommended items here

While landlocked communities generally are not directly affected by a hurricane, they should keep in mind that when the coastal regions are struck by such a disaster there is a chance that they will receive evacuees from the affected areas. It is important for non-hurricane prone states to plan and prepare accordingly as well.

Preparedness. Prepardness. Preparedness.

Preparedness cannot be stressed enough during these times.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Why global warming means killer storms worse than Katrina and Gustav, Part 1 (climateprogress.org)
• Travelers Ready to Visit Hurricane Prone Destinations if Price is Right (shoppingblog.com)
• NOAA Issues 2009 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook (gcaptain.com)

While I was getting caught up on all the Influenza H1N1 news, I came across this very interesting recommendation:

Now I know what your thinking… because I thought the exact same thing. What kind of an idiot would suggest assessing a patient from more than 6 feet away? You may be surprised that I found it on the National EMS Management Association (NEMSMA) website under their Flu Resources. Of course, they got the recommendation from the CDC Interim Guidance For EMS Systems.

Then we wonder why EMS Managers are considered blind followers and not independent thinkers. Didn’t anyone in EMS Management Leadership think that maybe this recommendation is a little drastic or perhaps too vague for actual EMS patient care providers? How are EMS patient care providers supposed to take a blood pressure, a pulse, listen to lung sounds, or for that matter even treat the patient if they follow this recommendation? It’s not like we’re all Reed Richard or Plastic Man.

The worst part of it all is that it is step one for a patient in a geographical area that has NOT had a reported case of Influenza H1N1:

It’s moments of ambient stupidity by following blindly like this that embarrass me.

My recommendations to my guys is really simple. For any patient with a fever over 100 degrees Fahrenheit they need to do gloves, gowns, N95 respirator, and goggles. They are going to need to assess and treat the patient within normal distance. Then when they are done with the patient they need to do a thorough decon… especially on their stethoscope.

Unless of course someone has a seven foot stethoscope lying around. Then we can just do the assessment as per the recommendation.

Provided the patient is still conscious of course.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Swine Flu: Follow Online! (scienceroll.com)
• Can Swine Flu Be Blamed on Industrial Farming? (scientificamerican.com)
• Swine flu roots traced to Spanish flu (cbc.ca)
• Vital Signs: Hazards: Ambulance Stethoscopes May Pose Risk (nytimes.com)
• Just Say No to Stethoscopes (nottotallyrad.blogspot.com)

The World Health Organization has raised the pandemic alert level for H1N1 (Swine) Influenza to a Level 5 – Pandemic. A pandemic is defined as a worldwide outbreak of disease in numbers clearly in excess of normal.

First Responders

What Am I Looking For?

Patients exhibiting symptoms of Influenza including high grade fever (over 101), cough, body aches, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea

What Should I Do?

- Use Universal Precautions
- Wear N95 respirators or surgical masks, gloves, and goggles/face shield when providing direct patient care
- H1N1 Influenza is especially harmful to the respiratory system, so be on the look out for hypoxia and acute respiratory distress
- Suctioning, nebulization, or intubation Responders should also don gowns
- Offer surgical masks to all patients with symptoms of a respiratory illness who are refusing oxygen mask therapy
- Make a reasonable effort to advise the facility you are transporting to that you are bringing in a patient with these symptoms
- All cases are suspect until confirmed through lab results
- BE SURE TO WASH YOUR HANDS WITH SOAP AND WATER OR HAND SANITIZER AFTER REMOVING GLOVES AND ANY USED PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
- Disregard all used protective equipment in accordance with your medical waste disposal policies
- Report any potential exposures in accordance with your agency’s Exposure Plan

Average Citizen

What should I do if I am exhibiting symptoms of Influenza including fever, cough, body aches, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea?

-Do not panic! Fear and panic are your enemy!
-Consult with your private physician
-Call 911 if you are unable to get to the hospital safely yourself

How can I limit my chances of being exposed?

- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. When soap and water aren’t available use alcohol-based hand cleaners
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or sleeve when you cough or sneeze
- Try to avoid close contact with people who are sick
- Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing
- If you get sick, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them

Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 is a new strain that is an apparent assortment of several strains of influenza, which analysis at the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified as a strain endemic in humans, a strain endemic in birds, and two strains endemic in American and Eurasian pigs (swine).

Related articles by Zemanta

• Masks keep you from spreading illness (cnn.com)
• Mexico City at epicenter of swine flu fears (cnn.com)
• World battles swine flu as death toll rises (cnn.com)
• Mexico swine flu has ‘pandemic potential’ (cbc.ca)
• Track the Swine Flu Outbreak on Google Maps (geeksugar.com)
• Facts on an Unusual Swine Flu Mix (grantlawrence.blogspot.com)