Region I EMS Newsletter
August 1997
western massachusetts
emergency medical services
Issue 13
Comfort Care - Do Not Resuscitate Program
At long last, Comfort Care has been distributed to physicians, nursing homes, ambulance services and police and fire departments. As you know, Comfort Care is the new statewide program which allows EMTs and First Responders to honor a patient's wish to not be resuscitated. This program provides a state Comfort Care/Do Not Resuscitate Verification form and bracelet which are easily recognized by prehospital personnel. Now that the information has been widely distributed, prehospital personnel may be presented with the Comfort Care forms and/or bracelets in the field at any time. Currently the Comfort Care form or bracelet is a valid DNR in Region I. In January, 1998 that will be the only valid DNR in the field.
WMEMS has scheduled four Comfort Care/Do Not Resuscitate Train the Trainer Programs. This program will be held once in each county. The class is designed to educate representatives from all ambulance, police and fire departments so that they can educate their own personnel about Comfort Care. All participants will receive a packet of information that will enable them to put on their own training program. WMEMS will have available for loan overhead transparencies targeting both prehospital personnel as well as the public at large.
The Train the Trainer program is only one hour long with one multilevel OEMS EMT credit awarded. There is no cost to attend this program. Preregistration with WMEMS is necessary so we may be prepared with the appropriate number of handouts. Call WMEMS at 586-6065 if you would like to attend one of the following programs: Franklin County: Tuesday, August 26, 1997, 7-8pm, Conference Rms A-C, Franklin Medical Center, Greenfield; Hampshire County: Wednesday, August 27, 1997, 7-8pm, Conference Rm A2, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Northampton; Berkshire County: Tuesday, September 2, 1997, 4:30-5:30 pm, Private Dining Rms C & D, Berkshire Medical Center, Pittsfield; Hampden County: Wednesday, Sept. 3, 1997, 6:30-7:30pm, Fire Station, Big E Grounds, West Springfield.
Volunteer and Get into the Big E Free
This year the fair runs from September 12-28th. Once again we will be handing out educational material to educate fair visitors about EMS. As you know, and have heard over and over again, WMEMS needs all the help we can get for this 17 day long project. We still have a huge number of open slots, including whole open days that need to be filled. Shifts available are 10am-2pm, 2pm-6pm or 6pm-10pm. Two to four people are needed for each shift. This is a project that most volunteers really enjoy. All you do is staff the booth for one four hour shift, answer questions and hand out material, and, in turn, we give you free admission to the fair (so you can play at the Big E on us before or after your shift!), free parking, a complimentary EMS t-shirt, and our undying gratitude. Reserve your shift now by calling (413-586-6065), dropping in at the office or emailing us at WMEMS@aol.com. We encourage squads, services and departments to cover an entire day. To date only a handful of groups have signed up for an entire day (Florida Fire, County Ambulance, Ware Fire/Mary Lane Hospital, Hilltown EMTs, Deerfield Rescue, AMR and BHS Ambulance).
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Training Program
WMEMS is sponsoring a Basic CISD training program for people interested in being part of a CISD team. There will also be a one day Advanced training program for those people with experience on CISD teams. Brochures will be going out in the next few weeks but we thought we would get the word out. The Basic program is scheduled for Friday, October 31 and Saturday, November 1, 1997 to be held at the Inn at Northampton. The Advanced program will be held Sunday, November 2, 1997. Tuition cost is $100 for Basic and $55 for Advanced. If you are interested in receiving a brochure when it is available please call WMEMS at 586-6065. (Please Note: Training does not guarantee you a spot on the regional CISD team as many other factors must be considered (ie: mental health, time availability, people skills.) )
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