Once again EMS is changing. For the second time since 1996 an EMS Agenda for the future has been released. The EMS Agenda 2050 “A People-Centered Vision for the Future of Emergency Medical Services” describes the changes that EMS will strive to make over the next 30 years. The National...
Contra Costa County Emergency Medical Services and its partner agencies received a two-year $450,000 grant for a pilot program that allows Paramedics to work with outreach workers to improve care for those with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). This is the first project in the State that allows Paramedics to administer...
Emergency medicine is a rapidly changing profession and EMS providers cannot rely solely on the training they received years ago. By updating providers with the latest knowledge and practices, the process of continuing medical education ensures that patients receive safe and competent care. As of 2019, the National Registry of...
On December 12, 2019, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) started the process of designating 988 as a new, nationwide, 3-digit number for a suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline. The FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposes that calls made to 988 would be directed to the existing National...
On September 26, 2019, Representative Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) introduced the Expanding Health Care Options for Early Retirees Act, a bill to allow retired first responders to buy into Medicare beginning at age 50. He was joined by lead original cosponsor Representative Harley Rouda (D-CA). Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced the...
A new Florida law that went into effect on July 1st, gives paramedics and physicians responding to active gunman incidents, hostage situations, narcotics raids, and other situations deemed as high-risk the ability to carry firearms. The Palm Beach Post reports that the new law applies only to medics serving in special-response...
The current series of earthquakes that have occurred in California make the answer to such a question extremely important. Here is a website put out by Ready.gov that will inform you about what to do before, during, and after an earthquake occurs. Ready is a National public service campaign designed...
The NCCP is the National Continued Competency Program. The NCCP was constructed using similar methodology to that of the American Board of Medical Specialties. It streamlines the recertification process for EMTs, AEMTs, and Paramedics when renewing the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) certification, and consists of 3 sections...
Emerging technologies are continuing to be applied and adapted to help in medical emergencies. The use of drones is one such instance. Here is an article written by KOLO News 8 in Reno, Nevada on drones delivering defibrillators to heart attack victims. Source: https://www.kolotv.com/content/news/Drones-will-start-delivering-defibrillators-for-heart-attack-victims-506889251.html
The California Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) has announced that online paramedic licensing is now available. Please follow the link below for more information. Source: https://emsa.ca.gov/online-licensing-information/