Lake-Sumter EMS » General

LSEMS Receives NACo Achievement Awards

Laurie Adams — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:31:46 +0000

Lake-Sumter Emergency Medical Service, Inc. will receive Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) on July 18, 2010. Two outstanding programs which are integral parts of Lake-Sumter Emergency Medical Services’ cadre of services have garnered the national awards: the When to Call 911 Program and the EMS Telemetry Program.

When to Call 911 Program: Faced with an industry-wide problem of an ever increasing volume of non-emergency requests for ambulance service, Jim Judge, Executive Director of Lake-Sumter EMS took a bold new step to educate people on how to make the right call in an emergency by launching a public education program called WhenToCall911.com in August 2008. The focus of the program is to educate people to know who, how and when to call for help in an emergency; what to do while waiting for the ambulance; and what information should be gathered to help emergency personnel when they arrive on the scene. The innovative public awareness campaign consists of billboards placed along highways; flyers and posters distributed at community events and presentations; advertising in local newspapers and magazines; and the website Whentocall911.com.

Lake-Sumter EMS estimates that about 10% of its calls are for non-emergencies, and that this campaign has cut that in half. This reduction has the effect of saving tens of thousands of dollars by lowering the cost of providing ambulance service. “The bottom line is, we’ve seen a decrease in people using ambulances as a taxi service for non medical/non-emergency calls,” says Lake-Sumter EMS Executive Director Jim Judge.”

EMS Telemetry Program: Through a coordinated effort with all four Lake and Sumter County hospitals and their physicians, Lake-Sumter EMS implemented a life-saving telemetry program in October of 2008 designed to transmit heart monitor data to attending physicians prior to hospital arrival. While 12-lead electrocardiograms (EKGs) have been a regular part of the pre-hospital assessment for many years, the idea of transmitting the EKGs directly to the emergency room physician, before the patient’s arrival, is a new undertaking for Lake-Sumter EMS.

The EMS Telemetry Program goal was to reduce the “door-to-balloon” time once a heart attack victim arrives at the receiving facility. National guidelines developed by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) state that, “hospitals treating STEMI (ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction) patients with emergency PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) should reliably achieve a door-to-balloon time of 90 minutes or less.”

As a result of this program, Dr. Paul Banerjee, Lake-Sumter EMS Medical Director has received reports from hospital administrators of door-to-balloon time as low as nine minutes, 90% shorter than the guidelines. Additionally, Lake-Sumter EMS provides EMS coverage for Sumter County in a cooperative agreement with Lake County; therefore, the citizens of both counties benefit from this life-saving program.

In announcing the awards, NACo Executive Director Larry Naake stated, “NACo is proud to confer these awards and recognize your county’s hard work to promote quality, efficient, and responsive management and administration.” A complete list of winning programs is available on NACo’s website at www.naco.org. Summaries of award winning programs will soon be included in NACo’s Model Programs database which can be accessed directly from NACo’s home page.

Jim Judge, Lake-Sumter EMS Executive Director, commented, “It is so gratifying to see the Lake-Sumter EMS team’s innovations recognized at the national level. Both the EMS Telemetry Program and the When to Call 911 Program go above and beyond the normal scope of our operation as a top-notch emergency medical service. Our staff is always willing to push the envelope to the next level when it comes to serving our community.”

The NACo Achievement Awards for 2010 will be presented at NACo’s 14th Annual Awards Ceremony on Sunday, July 18 during the association’s 2010 Annual Conference in Washoe County, NV. Lake County Commissioner Welton Cadwell, Chairman of the Lake-Sumter EMS Board of Directors, will attend the awards ceremony and accept both the EMS Telemetry Program Award and the When to Call 911 Award.

Angela Lucas named Telecommunicator of the Year

Laurie Adams — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:49:00 +0000

Angela Lucas, Lead Dispatcher

Kimberly Stephens, Communications Manager, is proud to announce that Angela Lucas, Lead Dispatcher at Lake-Sumter EMS has been selected as PSAP’s Finest Telecommunicator of the Year for 2010 by NICE Systems. There were many fine nominations, but Angela won the award! She will receive the honor at this year’s APCO conference taking place in Houston in early August.

Congratulations to Angela Lucas – we are proud to have her on our team of professional telecommunicators!

Captain Chapman Honored by State

Laurie Adams — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:10:07 +0000

Capt. Deanna Chapman

Captain Deanna Chapman of Lake-Sumter Emergency Medical Services has been named Florida’s 2010 EMS Injury Prevention Award honoree by the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Chapman is the charter recipient of this new prestigious award which is designed to recognize the outstanding efforts of men and women who serve their communities through injury prevention and other EMS education activities, as well as saving lives on the front lines of Florida’s healthcare system.

Captain Chapman has a long track record in the arena of Injury Prevention, as part of her role as Community Resource Officer. Since its inception, Captain Deanna Chapman has been the guiding force behind K.I.S.S.—Kids in Safety Seats as she sought grant funds, formed the K.I.S.S. team, planned strategies to be used, and implemented an outstanding program. Funded through a federal grant administered by the Florida Department of Transportation beginning in 2007, K.I.S.S. is the first unified Child Safety Seat Program in Lake and Sumter Counties. This collaborative effort combines the forces of staff from Lake-Sumter EMS and area public safety entities. K.I.S.S. is strongly committed to educating the public on the proper use of child safety seats, and as a result, reducing fatalities and serious injuries to infants and children.

Captain Chapman also serves on several committees dedicated to Injury Prevention, including the State of Florida PEIR Committee where she has been actively involved in projects such as production and distribution of an Injury Prevention CD and coordinating a Senior Falls Prevention Seminar. Chapman is also a dedicated member of the Lake County Elder Affairs Council, the New Vision for Independence Committee and the recently formed Safe Kids Lake Sumter Coalition.

Jim Judge, Executive Director at Lake-Sumter EMS, commented, “Over the years, Deanna has proven her commitment to improving the safety of all members of our community—from the very young to senior citizens. She is dedicated to Injury Prevention and it shows in the work she does at the local, county, and state levels. We’re proud to have her on our team.”

The State EMS Injury Prevention Award for 2010 will be presented to Captain Deanna Chapman as part of the 20th Annual Excellence in EMS Awards ceremony at 5:30 p.m., June 29, 2010 at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando. The ceremony will also recognize outstanding individuals including the EMT, Paramedic and EMS Nurse of the Year. For more information on the State EMS awards program and ceremony, please contact Desi Lassiter, Florida Bureau of EMS at 850-245-4055.

Lake-Sumter EMS Launches Life-Saving Induced Hypothermia Treatment

admin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:48:13 +0000

Lake-Sumter Emergency Medical Services, in conjunction with local fire departments and area hospitals, has initiated a new life-saving treatment which will improve the chances of surviving a heart attack if you live in Lake and Sumter Counties. As of Tuesday, 8 September 2009, Lake-Sumter EMS paramedics and EMTs are using a new state-of-the-art strategy to treat heart attack patients – induced hypothermia.

This cutting edge therapy involves lowering a patient’s body temperature below what is required for “proper metabolic functioning.” This slows the heart rate and lowers cerebral metabolism. Decreasing metabolic activity lowers a patient’s chance of neurologic injury and damage. This lessens the chance of neurological complications that occur following a cardiac arrest.

[Central Florida News 13 Article and Video]

Lake-Sumter EMS medical director Dr. Paul Banerjee explains that “by cooling the body, toxins in the brain are prevented from building up and this helps limit the amount of neurologic brain injury and deficit a patient can experience when they have a cardiac arrest.”

Induced hypothermia works best for patients who experience a return of spontaneous circulation-ROSC-after a cardiac arrest and are unresponsive.

Every Lake-Sumter EMS ambulance is now equipped with a special cooler that keeps the saline chilled to 4 degrees Celsius and is used in the induced hypothermia protocol. Paramedics and EMTs begin the cooling process in the field, and the patient is transferred to the hospital emergency department, where the ICU and ED staff continue the cooling process over a threeday period.

Dr. Banerjee states, “We are giving patients a fighting chance of surviving cardiac arrests. When patients reach the hospital where the treatment continues and their body temperature is lowered to 33 degrees Celsius, while they’re maintained in an induced coma for 24 hours and then slowly brought back up over 8-12 hours.”

Nationwide, about 1,000 people suffer heart attacks every day. The mortality rate for cardiac arrest patients is currently 90% which means that only 100 patients will survive. Approximately one-third of heart attack victims obtain a ROSC. Only about 10% are able to leave the hospital without any neurological damage.

According to Jim Judge, executive director of Lake-Sumter EMS, “Our goal is to increase the number of patients who walk out of the hospital post-cardiac arrest and lead normal lives. We feel we are truly on the cutting edge of medicine by instituting this protocol which is only used in a few counties in Florida and across the country.”

Lake-Sumter Emergency Medical Services, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization formed in 2000 by Lake and Sumter Counties to provide quality, community-based EMS services. The agency operates 27 Advanced Life Support units from stations located throughout both Lake and Sumter counties. Lake- Sumter EMS was honored as EMS Provider of the Year for 2008 by the State of Florida’s Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and also received the National EMS Service of the Year Award for 2008. In 2009, the agency’s Communications Center earned its accreditation as a Center of Excellence from the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch (NAED). The company is governed by a Board of Directors headed by Chairman Welton G. Cadwell. Jim Judge serves as Executive Director with administrative offices located at 2761 W. Old Highway 441 in Mount Dora, Florida. Contact Mr. Judge at 352-383-4554 or 352-516-1532.

Lake-Sumter EMS Awarded Dispatch Accreditation

admin — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:30:50 +0000

Lake-Sumter EMS was awarded accreditation as an Emergency Medical Dispatch Center of Excellence by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) on February 23, 2009. Lake-Sumter EMS is the 125th center in the world to be awarded this highest distinction for their comprehensive implementation and compliance with the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) and associated “20 Points of Excellence.”

The MPDS is the world’s most widely-used 911-type pre-arrival instruction and dispatch-life-support protocol system. With scripted telephone instructions for CPR, airway obstruction relief, hemorrhage control, and childbirth assistance, the MPDS has been credited with helping save thousands of lives. In addition to requiring proper system oversight, medical control and quality improvement programs, Accreditation demands careful MPDS compliance and certification for all emergency call-takers and medical dispatchers.

Earning this Accreditation award is voluntary and involves completing a detailed self-study and analysis. This accomplishment demonstrates to not only each individual within the communications center, but also to the administration, community, and the world, that Lake-Sumter EMS is compliant with all international practice standards for Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD).

With headquarters based in Salt Lake City, Utah, the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization comprised of three allied Academies with related programs and standards for emergency Medical, Fire, and Police dispatching. The IAED regularly reviews and updates the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) protocols for EMD and also maintains protocols and certification standards for Fire and Police Dispatch based on the time-proven MPDS logic structure. The NAED is the public-safety dispatch industry’s leading certifying and standard setting body, with over 30,000 members in 20 countries.

See www.emergencydispatch.org for information about the International Academies, or call: 800-960-6236 or 801-359-6916. CONTACT: Carlyoo Page, Associate Director

Lake-Sumter EMS Receives National Honors

admin — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:42:59 +0000

Lake-Sumter EMS Honored As EMS Service Of The Year By National Assoc. of EMTs

Lake-Sumter Emergency Medical Services received national honors for its achievements in the Emergency Medical Services field. The Jeffery Harris Paid EMS Service of the Year for 2008 was presented to executive director Jim Judge at the National Association of EMTs Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony on October 14, 2008.

The prestigious national award recognizes one paid service each year that demonstrates excellence in EMS system design and provision of excellent patient care. The service honored must also foster a positive and safe work environment for EMS providers.

In addition to consistently excellent response times and quality of care, Lake-Sumter EMS, was recognized for service to the community, its many innovative educational programs, state-of-the-art technology advances and an exemplary communications center which not only dispatches emergency medical calls for Lake and Sumter counties but also for 11 local fire departments.
One exemplary educational program which Lake-Sumter EMS has initiated is catching the attention of Lake and Sumter residents, along with EMS agencies around the country. The “When to Call 911” public awareness campaign focuses on an educational website (www.Whentocall911.com) and also consists of educational materials, advertising, posters, and the website. The campaign is a bold step in educating people on how to make the right call in an emergency.

“Part of the focus of this campaign is to help people know who, how and when to call for help in an emergency, what to do while waiting for the ambulance, and what information should be gathered to help emergency personnel when they arrive on the scene,” said Jim Judge, Executive Director of Lake-Sumter EMS. “We also want to help people understand that any time emergency vehicles are tied up on non-emergency calls, there could be a delay in response time to a life-threatening emergency. We studied the hundreds of non-emergent calls we were receiving, and identified why we were getting these calls. The When to Call 911 program helps address these issues in a positive, informational way. We believe this will help save lives, too,” added Judge.

Lake-Sumter EMS puts into action its motto “In rhythm with our community through a diverse cross-section of community involvement. Staff, from the executive director on down through the ranks, devote hundreds of hours each year to serving the community through charitable events such as the March of Dimes Walk America and leadership roles with many local organizations such as United Way, Leadership Lake County, the Lake-Sumter Community College Foundation and many other non-profit entities.

Another innovative community initiative which has received accolades is the Lake-Sumter EMS Well-Check Program. Started in 2002, the Well-Check Program is a home-based wellness service that reaches out to over 150 rural home-bound community residents. Staffed by agency paramedics who make home visits and provide blood pressure checks, blood glucose monitoring, patient assessments and health education, the program provides an important link between these patients and the medical community. As the Secretary for the Department of Elder Affairs stated at a Lake County forum, “The Lake-Sumter EMS Well-Check Program is one of the best outreach programs for senior citizens in the state of Florida.”

In summarizing the agency’s pride at receiving this national EMS award, Jim Judge explained that this honor, coming on the heels of the agency’s receipt of the Florida State EMS Provider of the Year for 2008, is very rewarding for Lake-Sumter EMS. He noted that these awards are not the result of a single person’s efforts but rather they are the culmination of eight years of hard work on the part of the Lake-Sumter EMS staff, crews, and the Lake-Sumter EMS Board of Directors. Jim Judge remarked, “The agency would not have achieved the success it has without the unwavering support of the Lake and Sumter County Boards of County Commissioners, law enforcement entities, fire rescue departments and so many other community supporters. All of these people have played a key role in making Lake-Sumter EMS what it is today and deserve tremendous credit for building our EMS system which has now been recognized as one of the best in the nation.”

Lake-Sumter EMS Provider of the Year

admin — Wed, 21 May 2008 13:28:04 +0000

Lake-Sumter EMS Honored By State As Outstanding EMS Provider Of The Year

Lake-Sumter Emergency Medical Services has been named Florida’s 2008 EMS Provider of the Year by the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The award honors the state’s outstanding EMS service. Consideration is given to achievement in areas of quality assurance/improvement, patient care, public access, medical control, disaster preparedness, public education and/or training in Florida. The winner must also successfully implement a program or initiative that supports the fulfillment of the Florida EMS Strategic Plan. Lake-Sumter EMS went beyond this requirement, demonstrating how its programs and departments offer services which support all of the State Strategic Plan’s goals.

One educational program which is catching the attention of Lake and Sumter residents, along with EMS agencies around the country, is the “When to Call 911” public awareness campaign which includes an educational website (www.Whentocall911.com). This campaign, which includes educational materials, advertising, posters, and the website, is a bold step in educating people on how to make the right call in an emergency.

In summarizing the agency’s pride at receiving this statewide EMS award, Jim Judge explained that this honor is not the result of a single person’s efforts but rather it’s the culmination of over seven years of hard work not only on the part of the Lake-Sumter EMS staff but also the tireless dedication of the Lake-Sumter EMS Board of Directors. Jim Judge remarked, “The agency would not have achieved the success it has without the unwavering support of the Lake and Sumter County Boards of County Commissioners, law enforcement entities, fire rescue departments and so many other community supporters like yourself. All of these people have played a key role in making Lake-Sumter EMS what it is today and deserve tremendous credit for building our EMS system which has now been recognized as one of the best in the state of Florida.”

The award will be presented at 5:30 p.m., July 9 at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando. The ceremony will also recognize outstanding individuals including the EMT, Paramedic and EMS nurse of the year. For more information on the State EMS awards program and dinner, please contact John Bixler, Bureau Chief, or Lisa Walker, Florida Bureau of EMS at 850-245-4440.