Tag: COVID19

Sandra Lindsay, Critical Care Nurse, Is First To Receive COVID19 Vaccine

Sandra Lindsay

Sandra Lindsay, a critical care nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, received the first COVID19 vaccine dose in the United States.

The shot was administered by Dr. Michelle Chester, director of Northwell Health employee health services and the injection was broadcast across multiple platforms.

 

“This is a special moment, a special day. This is what everyone has been waiting for,” said Dr. Yves Duroseau, MD, chair of emergency medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital. “To hopefully see this is the beginning of the end of the COVID issue.”

Dr. Duroseau urged New Yorkers to continue to comply with safety measures like mask wearing and social distancing even as the vaccine begins to be deployed.

Despite an International Association of Firefighters push to be at the front of the line for COVID19 vaccine delivery, more than half of FDNY firefighters said they would decline the COVID19 vaccine if offered.

Sandra Lindsay

Lindsay started nursing in 1994.

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Lower COVID19 Vaccine Priority For EMS Per Cuomo

COVID19 Vaccine Priority

EMS will have a lower COVID19 vaccine priority per Governor Andrew Cuomo (NY) and Governor Jared Polis (CO).

EMS organizations are now calling on the state to let their workers get the first doses, but there may not be enough to go around due to poor planning and preparation.

COVID19 Vaccine Priority

The state is getting 170,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine if it gets FDA approval. The governor is hoping for that to happen soon. That first batch will be divvied up among healthcare workers and those in nursing homes.

Lower COVID19 Vaccine Priority While Others Refuse Vaccine

The International Association of Fire Chiefs and International Association of Firefighters lobbied for their responders to be at the front of the line despite a recent survey of a large union saying fifty percent of its membership did not want the vaccine.

 

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Kidder County (ND) Ambulance Service Hit Hard By COVID19 December 2020

Kidder County Ambulance Service

Kidder County Ambulance Service, like their sister agencies in bigger departments, have been on the frontline in the fight against COVID19.

The Kidder County Ambulance Service takes care of a more rural part of the state, serving six communities — and they say it’s bad. It’s not just big city medical facilities facing capacity issues.

Kidder County Ambulance Service

In an interview MonaThompson, EMS Director for Kidder County Ambulance, said, “Come fall time where we started to see this really big increase in calls, it’s kind of gotten a little bit overwhelming.”

During the last two weeks, they have seen an influx of calls and say it’s beginning to take a mental and physical toll on their staff.

“The one thing I did tell them, just a few days ago, if they become overwhelmed, they just need to let me know and I’ll take them off of the call shift. We’ll have someone else cover their shift because I’m beginning to see that,” said Thompson.

The ambulance service is also responding to more calls that aren’t COVID19 related.

“They’ll put off their medical condition or putting off getting help in a timely fashion. So some of these patients are much more sick than what I’ve seen in the past. And unfortunately, I’ve seen also an increase in the death rate amongst our community members. That is really taking its toll,” Thompson continued.

Staff has been running non-stop responding to calls and some calls can take up to four hours before they’re done.

“Usually we’ll, in most out cases, we will go to Bismarck to transport our patients. But they’ve been at max capacity on a couple of different occasions so we had to take patients to Fargo and Jamestown too,” said Thompson.

Thompson says she has also responded to plenty of COVID19 calls that are young adults suffering with serious symptoms.

COVID19 has become more dangerous for responders than 9-11 both medically and politically. Secondary to COVID19 budget shortages several municipalities are considering laying off the very front line responders helping with COVID19 now including FDNY EMS.

This was a preventable tragedy though. Per our Foundation Board Member, Christopher Suprun, COVID19 did not have to be this bad. He wrote an article in March for Rolling Stone detailing his concerns that this would stretch our surge capacity nationally and would be Katrina like.

Kidder County Ambulance Service

Kidder County EMS is a licensed Basic Life Support (BLS) Service with enhanced skills and Advanced Life Support capabilities. They serve the area around Steele, North Dakota.

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FDNY Says No To COVID19 Vaccine

A recent internal Fire Department of New York (FDNY) survey revealed that more than half of the department’s firefighters says no to COVID19 vaccine when it becomes available.

In the past three days, the Uniformed Firefighters Association polled 2,053 members, and around 55 percent of them said they wouldn’t get vaccinated for the virus, Andy Ansbro, the union president, told local New York media. Those polled make up around a quarter of the the union’s 8,200 active members.

No To COVID19 Vaccine

Last month, an FDNY memo stated the department would not mandate firefighters and EMS workers take the COVID vaccine. As of Friday, the FDNY had more than 130 positive cases, with at least six firehouses having three or more cases, a department source told the Post.

In a statement late last month, the International Association of Fire Fighters pushed for firefighters and other first responders to be at the front of the line for the COVID19 vaccine.

A Centers for Disease Control advisory panel, however, recommended last week that health care workers and long-term care facility workers and residents be placed in the 1a priority group for the vaccine.

No To COVID19 Vaccine

Ansbro said that many FDNY firefighters in their 30s and 40s aren’t as threatened by COVID-19, especially if they’ve already battled the virus. He added that he would be getting vaccinated.

“A lot of them probably feel they are not in a risk category, they are younger, stronger, they may have already had it and gotten through it, and feel it’s not their problem,” Ansbro told the Post. “They are more familiar with the coronavirus than they are with the vaccine.”

Skepticism about the vaccine also runs high among FDNY EMS members.

“A few are anxious to get it, but there have been a few dozen (online) responses saying, ‘Thanks, but no  thanks,’ ” Oren Barzilay, president of the Uniformed EMTs, Paramedics and Fire Inspectors union, told the Post. “They were thankful it was not mandatory, because they don’t want to be looked at as test subjects.”

Barzilay added that he would be waiting to see about what independent studies reveal concerning possible side effects before taking the vaccine.

One veteran FDNY member told the Post that the resistance toward the vaccine is a source of frustration.

“The 55 percent doesn’t surprise me. They’re called the Bravest, not the Smartest,” the FDNY member said about members saying “no to COVID19 vaccine.

“It’s saving their lives, and the lives of their co-workers, families, friends, and the people they take care of. They respond to live-threatening medical emergencies. The last thing you want is a family member in dire straits being worked on by an unvaccinated firefighter.”

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IAFF Says Firefighters First In Line For COVID19 Vaccine

Firefighters First In Line For COVID19 Vaccine

The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) says firefighters first in line for COVID19 vaccine and is urging Governors to give firefighters and emergency medical personnel “the highest priority” when vaccine for COVID19 is released.

“The level of risk to responders has never been greater than it is today,” the organization stated in a letter to the  National Governors Association.

According to the IAFF, more than 30,000 career firefighters have had known on-duty COVID-19 exposures, which has led to more than 17,000 of them needing to quarantine or isolate. Nearly 150 career firefighters also have been hospitalized because of the virus, and at least 19 firefighters have died from coronavirus.

“All this, despite PPE use and rigorous decontamination procedures, makes vaccinating fire fighters and emergency medical personnel all the more urgent,” the IAFF wrote. “The virus not only places the lives and health of responders at risk, it also poses a risk to the larger community as well as to fire fighters responding to emergencies in homes, businesses and elsewhere before they may be aware of an infection.”

Firefighters First In Line For COVID19 Vaccine

The IAFF went on to state that vaccinated first responders will allow them to continue serving their communities during the pandemic. Not giving firefighters and emergency workers priority for the vaccine could create challenges for municipalities across the country.

“Absent adequate vaccination, responders will continue to be subject to lengthy quarantines when they are exposed to COVID-19 positive individuals, imposing significant costs on local governments as they backfill positions or operate understaffed, increasing response times and negatively impacting public safety,” the letter stated.

Currently, 132 firefighters and emergency medical workers are quarantined, and 188 personnel had been diagnosed with the virus since July 1, according to the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

Firefighters First In Line For COVID19 Vaccine

The virus is also taking its toll on responder ranks. Some in the profession argue to maintain public safety responders must be given the peace of mind knowing they are protected.

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American Heart Association Updated Standards

American Heart Association

The American Heart Association today announced their new guidelines for CPR and emergency cardiovascular care with an emphasis on the recovery phase following cardiac arrest. The recovery phase continues long after hospitalization and is now included as a key link in the Chain of Survival, a widely adopted series of critical actions that work to maximize the chance of someone surviving cardiac arrest, according to the “2020 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiovascular Care,” published today in the Association’s flagship journal, Circulation.

American Heart Association

Cardiac arrest – when the heart suddenly stops beating – results in death 90% of the time in the United States when it happens outside of the hospital setting (which is most of the time). The Association’s 2020 Guidelines provide an extensive review of evidence-based new and updated recommendations for CPR and emergency cardiovascular care training and response.

The new, sixth link in the cardiac arrest chain of survival addresses recovery. It highlights the need for treatment, surveillance and rehabilitation for cardiac arrest survivors and their caregivers.

New American Heart Association Recommendations

Recommendations that are critically important to this concept include:

  • structured assessment for anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress and fatigue for cardiac arrest survivors and their caregivers;
  • rehabilitation assessment and treatment for physical, neurologic, cardiopulmonary and cognitive impairments before discharge from the hospital; and
  • comprehensive, multidisciplinary discharge planning for cardiac arrest survivors and their caregivers, including medical and rehabilitative treatment recommendations and return to activity/work expectations.

“The 2020 Guidelines represent a synthesis of important science that guides how resuscitation is provided for critically ill patients,” said Raina Merchant, M.D., M.S.H.P., FAHA, chair of the American Heart Association Emergency Cardiovascular Care Committee and associate professor of emergency medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. “As the science evolves over time, it’s important that we review it and make recommendations about how providers can deliver high-quality care that reflects the most updated and state-of-the-art information.”

The guidelines offer suggestions for increasing lay rescuer CPR rates, noting that currently less than 40% of non-hospitalized adults experiencing cardiac arrest receive layperson-initiated CPR before the arrival of emergency medical services. Some of the new or updated suggestions include the following:

  • Raise awareness of the need for lay persons to initiate CPR for presumed cardiac arrest, underscoring that the risk of harm to the patient is low.
  • Use mobile phone technology to increase the rate of bystander CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) use. Emergency dispatch systems could alert willing bystanders via mobile phone technology apps to nearby events that may require CPR or an AED.
  • Bystander CPR training should target specific socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic populations who have historically exhibited lower rates of bystander CPR. CPR training should address gender-related barriers to improve bystander CPR rates for women.

Overall, the 2020 Guidelines outline 491 recommendations specific to adult, pediatric and neonatal life support, resuscitation education science and systems of care. In addition to the updated and new written guidance, all of the algorithms were updated to reflect the latest science and several major changes were also made to improve the visual training and performance aids. Some noteworthy updates incorporating updated or new algorithms and graphics include new CPR steps:

  • New data on respiratory rates during CPR in children are now available. The American Heart Association recommended CPR steps for pediatrics is one breath every 2 – 3 seconds (20 – 30 breaths per minute). Prior recommendations were based upon information extrapolated from adult data.
  • A new chain of survival created for in-hospital cardiac arrest in infants, children and adolescents.
  • A new algorithm and updated recommendations on resuscitation during pregnancy focuses on the best outcomes for both the mother and baby.
  • Addressing the increase in respiratory and cardiac arrests due to opioid overdoses, two new opioid-associated emergency algorithms for lay rescuers and for trained responders.

The guidelines were last updated in 2015, at which point the process of the five-year update transitioned to an online format using a continuous evidence evaluation process rather than periodic reviews to increase the potential for more immediate transitions and updates. The 2020 Guidelines document reflects alignment with the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) and associated ILCOR member councils. The writing group notes there is limited data in some areas of resuscitation research and a need for expanded study initiatives and funding opportunities. It also lists knowledge gaps within each section of the guidelines.

“High-quality CPR steps can make the difference between who lives and who dies from cardiac arrest and dedicated funding and efforts are needed to ensure that everyone who needs high-quality CPR receives it,” said Merchant.

For the first time ever, the latest resuscitation science will be reflected in new high-quality CPR programs that release simultaneously, bringing science to life in the form of a new digital resuscitation portfolio. The programs are rooted in the True Adaptive™ learning design that delivers personalized instruction tailored to individual needs and knowledge levels. Developed in collaboration with Area9 Lyceum, a global leader in adaptive learning, the new digital solutions are delivered by RQI Partners, a partnership between and service provider for the Association and Laerdal Medical.

“In this time of physical distancing, resuscitation education and training delivery must evolve,” said Clive Patrickson, Ph.D. and RQI Partners’ chief executive officer. “The American Heart Association digital resuscitation portfolio uniquely and efficiently delivers safe and effective CPR quality improvement and leads healthcare organizations on an immediate journey to high-quality and verified CPR competence to maximize lifesaving outcomes. The time for digital is now.”

The guidelines were developed by the writing group on behalf of the Adult Basic and Advanced Life Support Writing Group, The Pediatric Basic and Advanced Life Support Writing Group, the Neonatal Life Support Writing Group, the Resuscitation Education Science Writing Group and the Systems of Care Writing Group.

Never Forget 9-11 Foundation provides multiple American Heart Association course offerings designed to make you a critical part in the success of your resuscitation team.

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No PPE From Lifeline

No Personal Protective equipment from Lifeline Ambulance per a lawsuit filed by two California EMTs in made available to employees transporting COVID19 patients. The two former employees have separately filed lawsuits against their former employer alleging they were fired for objecting to transporting COVID19 patients without sufficient PPE.

The two lawsuits fired on behalf of former Lifeline Ambulance EMTs Kaitlin Wilson and Rayan Melendez last week claim wrongful termination and retaliation after the EMTs, who were assigned as partners, protested not having properly-fitted N95 masks while transporting patients with COVID19, according to the Whittier Daily News.

Lifeline Ambulance

Wilson’s lawsuit states that she told Lifeline officials in May that N95 masks that were not properly fitted were not considered protective by the CDC, and that the company’s CFO responded by asking what was “really wrong” with her and that she was “obviously emotional about something,” the Whittier Daily News reports.  N95 masks are required to prevent transmission of COVID19.

Both Wilson and Melendez were fired later that month, according to the suit, with Lifeline citing harassment as the reason for their terminations.

Wilson began working at the emergency medical firm in March 2019 as an emergency medical technician and was paired with Melendez in September 2019, according to her lawsuit. Like Melendez, her primary job duties included transporting patients between facilities and assessing them prior to and during transportation.

Lifeline Ambulance

LifeLine Ambulance is a rapidly growing and highly successful company. It is our mission to provide “Complete Customer Care” to each and every client we service. This commitment is made possible by the tireless efforts and dedication to service excellence that is provided by our team of caring professionals.

Lifeline Ambulance says on its website “our most important resource is our people. The people we select to join our team share our commitment to providing exceptional patient care and customer service. In any service industry, people shape the personality of the product. At LifeLine, we recognize and respect the power that can be hidden behind each new face.”

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Heartbreaking: FDNY Says Forget Never Forget 9-11

Never Forget 9-11

Never Forget 9-11 events are discouraged according to a new letter sent by FDNY leadership. A letter sent to FDNY members from department leadership urged members not to attend events marking the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks due to health and safety concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

The letter from Commissioner Daniel Nigro and Chief of Department John Sudnik, issued last week, states that members’ commitment to remembering the fallen must be balanced with an obligation to protect the health and safety of current and former members and their families.

Never Forget 9-11 - Twin Lights Replace Twin Towers

“While our workforce has a high level of health and fitness, we must remember that many of our September 11th families and retired members – who we would normally welcome and encourage to attend September 11th events – are in groups that are most at risk for COVID-19 due to age and health,” the letter states.

Nigro and Sudnik wrote that the department is strongly recommending that members forgo the events but that units who still decide to participate in events must follow guidelines set to prevent the spread of the virus, including holding any events or gatherings outdoors only, limiting gatherings to 50 people maximum and requiring all attendees to wear face coverings.

The statement does not mention the 400 expected layoffs to FDNY EMS – many of whom have been on the front lines of the current disaster.

Never Forget 9-11

The concept that FDNY leadership would be so tone deaf to their front line responders – many of whom signed up because of September 11 is unsurprising from this administration per one engine captain. “Once again there is a stark difference between the firehouse and the clubhouse,” he continued.

 

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FDNY EMS: Lives Are At Risk

FDNY EMS Respond

The FDNY EMS union President says “lives are at risk” as the City of New York plans to cut 400 EMS positions.

FDNY EMS Local 257 President Oren Barzilay said in a statement to NBC News, “Even with the threat of a second wave of COVID19 looming and two recent outbreaks in Brooklyn, Bill de Blasio and his team at City Hall wants to balance the city’s budget on our backs, eliminating some 400 emergency medical responder positions and placing every New Yorker’s life at risk.”

FDNY EMS Respond To Trouble Breathing

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s press secretary did not deny that the city was preparing to lay off FDNY EMS providers, and said in a statement that the city is dealing with a budget hole due to a lack of stimulus funds and borrowing authority. He said the city is working with unions to avoid some layoffs where possible but that every city agency is facing layoffs.

De Blasio previously said in May that FDNY EMS layoffs were “on the table” due to an estimated $7.4 billion in revenue losses from the pandemic.

FDNY EMS

The FDNY has seen historic call volumes during the COVID19 pandemic, with EMS providers responding to up to 6,500 calls per day, the most since 9-11. At least eleven FDNY members, including four EMS providers, have died secondary to COVID19.

“Yesterday, we were praised as heroes, essential workers saving lives. Today, the city government treats us like zeros,” Barzilay told NBC. “New Yorkers who lived through this deadly pandemic know otherwise.”

Some responders liken the situation to September 11 when responders were universally praised only to be forgotten when the smoke cleared.

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COVID19 Challenge More Dangerous Than 9-11

COVID19 is taking it’s toll on EMS responders around the country opposite of 9-11.

Per a CBS News Marketwatch article, many EMS responders are leaving the profession. Veteran emergency medical technicians and paramedics have spent decades intubating patients and performing many other medical procedures in cramped ambulances. Now, a growing number of EMS workers are exiting the field for good. The reason: COVID-19 makes the job too dangerous.

COVID19 More Dangerous Than 9-11

“I knew it would probably kill me if I went out there and had multiple exposures — and I’m not a chicken,” said Robert Baer, an EMT in New York City with 29 years on the job, including 23 as an instructor. “I love the job, but my doctors were telling me I shouldn’t be going in the field, that it was very dangerous.”

Baer was among the first responders to the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and he now suffers from asthma, chronic bronchitis, sleep apnea and other conditions that make him more vulnerable to COVID-19.

COVID19

The new retirements due to COVID19 are a major departure from April when FDNY EMS was on the front lines of battling COVID19. How the virus effects recruitment and retention is yet to be seen lng term.

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