EMT City Administrator

By Deborah Laverty, The Times, Munster, Ind. March 11--Merrillville turned its emergency medical services over to a private ambulance company in 2008 as a way to cut costs, Merrillville Fire Chief Ed Yerga said. Now, nearly five years later and with the addition last year of 14 full-time firefighters, Yerga is considering moving to a cross-trained ambulance crew staffed by firefighters. "I'm still in the research stage but, personally, I think public service belongs with the community. That's what people pay their taxes for and I believe they are entitled to receive those services," Yerga said. A year ago, East Chicago turned its emergency medical services over to Prompt, a private ambulance company, East Chicago Fire Chief Emiliano Perez said. The move has been a deemed a success by officials despite bitterness at the time by some emergency medical services positions lost. "Every community has to judge for itself...It was a good move. It was certainly cost-effective," Perez said. The question of whether to go with fire-based emergency medical services, retain a private ambulance company or use hospital--based services is an issue area communities have wrestled with in recent years. Hobart officials earlier this year met with Superior and Prompt, private ambulance companies, to consider a possible move away from fire-based services and toward privatization as a way to reduce costs. Bob Fulton, who Mayor Brian Snedecor appointed to team up with Hobart Fire Chief Brian Taylor, is looking at ways the Fire Department can cut costs given the property tax levy freeze and a bleak economic future. "We assume there is only one model to follow as far as EMS services, but there are probably six different models...There continues to be a need to look at the tax dollars we have and make the best use of them," Fulton said. In Porter County, the trend has been toward fire-based ambulance services, according to Scott Arnold, who serves as Valparaiso's assistant chief of EMS. Valparaiso operates three advanced life support ambulances with cross-trained firefighters and also runs an advanced life support engine. The fire-based service was started on Sept. 1, 2007, Arnold said. Prior to that date, Porter hospital's EMS handled all ambulance calls in Porter County except for South Haven, Portage and Lakes of the Four Seasons. "It was a no brainer. ...For us we were already going on the calls and the only way to grow our department was to take on the ambulance service. It allowed us to bring money back into the city," Arnold said. No Porter County communities are currently using a private ambulance company for emergency services, Arnold said. "We're not sinking; we're covering our expenses," Arnold said. Chesterton is strongly considering the move toward a fire-based ambulance service later this year, Fire Chief Mike Orlich said. Chesterton's emergency medical services are handled by Porter Regional Hospital, Orlich said. "We're reviewing the feasibility study and are looking at our funding options...We are hoping to provide our citizens with advanced life support services through the fire department," Orlich said. The Burns Harbor Fire Department kicked off its advanced life support ambulance services at the start of the year, Burns Harbor Fire Chief Bill Arney said. The department operates two ambulances on a 24-hour basis with part-timers who are cross-trained. Burns Harbor had used the ambulance services of Porter Regional Hospital. "But they have their hands full and we're the farthest north, so several times we had a huge delay for patient response....We can be at a resident's door within five minutes," Arney said. Gary Miller, the CEO of Prompt, said his ambulances handle services in Highland, Dyer, Griffith, Munster, Merrillville, East Chicago and Calumet Township. Miller said primarily there are no differences in the type of services his company provides when compared to a fire department-based service. "The benefit is it's usually a cost savings primarily because the economy is a scale," Miller said. For instance, Prompt is buying 20 ambulances while a community is only buying one. Miller said communities, particularly those in Lake County without the 1 percent personal income tax, are looking at ways to improve their budgets. "And this is one way they can save money," Miller said. Highland Fire Chief Joe Kruzan and Tom Castle, president of Hobart's Professional Firefighters Local 1641 union, say the national trend is toward fire-based ambulance services. "When you have a problem who do you call? 911. What a better marriage than the fire department and EMS," Kruzan said. ___ ©2013 The Times (Munster, Ind.) Visit The Times (Munster, Ind.) at www.nwitimes.com Distributed by MCT Information Services A service of YellowBrix, Inc. View the full article

Ambulance hit by road bomb in Mali's Gao region BAMAKO, March 8 (Xinhua) -- An ambulance was hit by a road bomb in Mali's northern region of Gao, injuring the driver, according to local sources. The vehicle was hit in the Bourem zone of Gao on Thursday morning. "A military convoy was the first to fall into an ambush in the Bourem zone and shortly after, an ambulance vehicle stepped on a mine, leaving the driver seriously injured," a Gao resident told Xinhua. The incident occurred on the same day, when French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian arrived in Mali for a visit. The minister's visit was scheduled to begin in Mali's extreme northeastern region of Kidal and end after talks with Malian President Dioncounda Traore and other government officials in the capital Bamako. A service of YellowBrix, Inc. View the full article

By Matthew Bieniek, Cumberland Times-News, Md. March 9--CUMBERLAND -- Allegany County commissioners voted last week to approve changes to the county's emergency medical services system. "It's a good day in Allegany County," said County Director of Emergency Services Richard DeVore. A recent study emphasizes timely responses to patients from the nearest rescue company with the appropriate staffing level and enforcement of an automatic advanced life support alerting policy for all cases of reported respiratory/cardiac arrest; unconsciousness or unresponsiveness; severe allergic reaction; severe trauma involving rollover; ejections or fatalities; and other calls indicating a life-or-death situation. That means that the first-due ALS company will always be alerted, and if after two minutes that company does not confirm it is responding, the call will be made to the next closest company. "It's very easy for us to implement," said DeVore. Dr. Richard Alcorta of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems updated the work he did in 2005, which studied the county's emergency medical services, including communications. Alcorta was asked in 2011 to complete a new study with recommendations by county EMS officials and county commissioners. The 2005 study brought important changes to the county's emergency medical services system. Adding a county paramedic corps was one of the significant changes brought about by the 2005 report, DeVore said. Annual reports for volunteer companies also need to be prepared in a timely manner, DeVore said. The study recommends some form of disciplinary procedure to be developed to encourage compliance. Suggestions for funding of emergency medical services were also included in the report, but County Administrator David Eberly was quick to squash any talk of a tax, saying the county is not particularly interested in pursuing that idea. The study said the county should encourage the 22 services that do not have a fire and EMS tax approach to come to county commissioners about developing one. Special fire and EMS taxing districts already established include Bedford Road, Bowling Green, Cresaptown, LaVale and Rawlings. County Attorney William Rudd has said establishing such tax districts is a complicated and time-consuming process. The analysis by Alcorta is termed a SWOT study, which looks at strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the county's emergency medical response system. Contact Matthew Bieniek at mbieniek@times-news.com. ___ ©2013 the Cumberland Times News (Cumberland, Md.) Visit the Cumberland Times News (Cumberland, Md.) at times-news.com Distributed by MCT Information Services A service of YellowBrix, Inc. View the full article

A quarter of the District's 39 ambulances were unaccounted for on the night a D.C. police officer injured in a hit-and-run accident had to be taken to a hospital by a transport unit from Prince George's County, city officials said Thursday. "Roughly 10 of those ambulances were unavailable and we want to know why," said Pedro Ribeiro, spokesman for D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray. "We want to know why those ambulances were not providing the services needed." Officials, who pledged to conduct a formal investigation into the incident, have verified that the other 29 ambulances were in the process of either responding to calls for service or transporting patients Tuesday evening at about 6:30 p.m. when a Metropolitan Police Department officer on a motor scooter was struck by an apparent drunken driver. With no D.C. ambulances responding, an ambulance from neighboring Prince George's County eventually was dispatched to the scene. Though a D.C. paramedic arrived on a fire engine within about eight minutes from the call, it was still 30 minutes until the county ambulance arrived and was able to transport Officer Sean Hickman, who suffered multiple fractures to his left leg, to a hospital. An official with knowledge of the investigation, who discussed the situation on background in order to speak candidly, said six of the 10 ambulances reported mechanical issues close to a 7 p.m. shift change, another two were out of service in order to sanitize between calls, one was low on fuel and another provided no reason for being unavailable. Because of the proximity to the shift change, investigators are regarding the six ambulances that reported mechanical issues with suspicion, the official said. But union officials have pointed to long-standing maintenance, staffing and communications issues as possible aggravating circumstances in Tuesday's incident. D.C. Fire Fighters Association President Ed Smith, who identified four ambulances with which there were mechanical issues, said it was still unclear whether any reserve ambulances were brought in to replace those that reported problems. Neighboring jurisdictions sometimes provide "mutual aid" for one another, but Tuesday's incident, coupled with a New Year's Eve incident in which a D.C. man died from a heart attack after waiting 40 minutes for an ambulance, has highlighted what another union official calls a "system failure." "It's not uncommon for us not to have any units at that time of day because it's a busy time," said Kenneth Lyons, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3721, which represents the department's civilian paramedics. "We've got a real problem and it's just going to get worse." D.C. Council member Tommy Wells, the head of the council committee with oversight of the police and fire departments, pledged to hold a hearing on Tuesday's incident as well the New Year's Eve lack of response. "To any degree which an ambulance was delayed either due to administration or employee fault is unacceptable," said Mr. Wells, Ward 6 Democrat. Mr. Wells promised to dig into the District's long struggle with delivery of emergency services and said he expects the hearing in two to three weeks to cover concerns dating back to the 2006 death of New York Times journalist David E. Rosenbaum, who was beaten during a robbery as he walked near his Northwest home. He died two days later. An inspector general's investigation resulted in findings of an "unacceptable chain of failure" in the response to the medical call and "alarming levels of complacency and indifference" on the part of first-responders. Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Paul A. Quander Jr. said he hopes an internal investigation will shed light on what the department can do to avoid any delay of ambulance service in the future. As officials continue to investigate the fire department's response, more details emerged Thursday about the three men arrested in connection with the crash that injured Officer Hickman. Court documents state that Kevin Maurice Burno, the 24-year-old driver, had been drinking alcohol "all day" before the crash and that Officer Hickman had signaled to Mr. Burno to turn on the headlights of his Lexus just before the officer was struck. After police got Mr. Burno into custody, he acted erratic and incoherent, attempting to urinate on and then strike a heater at the 6th District police station, according to a police affidavit filed in D.C. Superior Court. When Mr. Burno was taken to the D.C. Jail, six bags of a "green weedlike substance" and one bag with "six white rocklike substances" were confiscated from his possession, as were the keys to the Lexus, which were found "secreted in his buttocks." Mr. Burno was charged with aggravated assault while armed while the two passengers in the Lexus - James "Antonio" Parks, 22, and Darrin Twisdale, 25 - were charged with being accessories to the assault. Officer Hickman has undergone two surgeries thus far for his injuries and officials said he could have a long road to recovery. Fraternal Order of Police Chairman Kristopher Baumann has called Tuesday's incident and the lack of an ambulance to transport an eight-year-department veteran "inexcusable" and criticized the leadership of Fire Chief Kenneth Ellerbe. "When you look at his tenure, it is full of examples of mismanagement from mechanical problems to attrition issues to staffing and overtime," Mr. Baumann said. "The D.C. Council cannot continue to overlook mismanagement when we are dealing with life and death situations." A service of YellowBrix, Inc. View the full article

RESIDENTS of a retirement village took a trip to the Cornwall Air Ambulance service in Newquay to present them with a cheque for Pounds 700. The money was raised by residents and staff from Roseland Parc retirement village in Tregony, near Truro, at the annual Christmas fair. Resident Elizabeth Sharratt said: "There's no question that every penny raised for the air ambulance counts towards saving precious lives. "The helicopter was called out to an emergency three times in the hour we were there, which showed us more than anything the importance of the work these brave men and women do." Residents have been longterm supporters of the service, which has been serving the county for 25 years. They were invited to visit the Newquay headquarters to hand over the cheque and to see how the money will be spent. The Pounds 700 was raised from the sale of crafts, home-made cakes, tombola tickets and stall rentals at the Christmas fair. A service of YellowBrix, Inc. View the full article

Staff Writer BINGHAM -- Voters decided to cut funds to the ambulance service that the town shares with others in the upper Kennebec Valley at the annual Town Meeting on Monday night. They also approved a purchase of property to be used for a fire department expansion and to make the position of town clerk appointed rather than elected. The total budget approved for the coming year is $615,350, said First Selectman Steve Steward. It is down about 7 percent from the current budget of $666,248, although that number included $25,000 for the bicentennial celebration. The town has been using the Upper Kennebec Valley Ambulance Service, which is a shared service with other towns including Caratunk, the Forks, Moscow, Pleasant Ridge, West Forks and unorganized territories in Somerset County, for about 30 years, said Steward. In the last year and a half, he said, annual costs have gone up and the town went from paying about $40,000 to $100,000. In 2012 the cost was $88,500. "It needs to be fairer. They provide a good service, but I think many people feel the upper river towns are not contributing what they should be to the cost," said Steward. He said the cost of the ambulance service is divided among the areas that use it based on population counts from the most recent census. For 2013, selectmen asked the town to raise $69,985, but the request was amended to $35,000. Steward said that should pay for the service through the end of June and in the meantime the town is trying to negotiate a lower price for the rest of the year. The town also voted to change the position of town clerk from elected to appointed, said Steward. Selectmen already appoint the town treasurer and tax collector and will now do so for the town clerk beginning in 2014. In elections, Laurie L. Attwood and Raymond L. Francoeur won seats on the School Administrative District 13 board. Attwood received 56 votes and Francoeur 34. The other candidates in the race were Terina M. Adams, who received 16 votes, and Melissa Thompson, who received 24. Juliana J. Richard was elected to a three-year term as second selectman with 77 votes, and Jeanette A. Jacques was elected to a one-year term as town clerk with 78 votes. Rachel Ohm -- 612-2368 rohm@mainetoday.com A service of YellowBrix, Inc. View the full article

Text of report in English by Bahrain newspaper Gulf Daily News website on 6 March [Report by Noor Zahra: "Unrest Case 23 Medics File Appeal"] Twenty-three medics convicted of taking part in illegal gatherings and unauthorised rallies during unrest in 2011 have filed appeals against their convictions. The Lower Criminal Court handed down three-month suspended sentences to each defendant on November 21 - meaning, they would avoid going to prison unless they broke the law again in that period. Each one was also ordered to pay BD200. They lodged an appeal at Supreme Criminal Appeals Court, where they appeared yesterday. During the hearing, lawyer Mohsin Al Alawi asked judges to summon prosecution witnesses. Meanwhile, lawyer Abdulla Al Shamlawi claimed prosecutors did not state where the defendants took part in illegal gatherings, as he sought the acquittal of his clients. Judges have yet to respond. The defendants were accused of taking part in illegal gatherings at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) and illegal rallies to the former GCC (Pearl) Roundabout, according to court documents. They were all found not guilty of refusing to treat patients, failing to report crimes and possessing knives. Prosecutors had earlier dropped charges of inciting hatred against the regime and making false reports. All the accused had earlier been released from custody while their case was underway and had pleaded not guilty. Five others were earlier acquitted of all charges. The date of the next hearing has yet to be announced. Originally published by Gulf Daily News website, Manama, in English 6 Mar 13. © 2013 BBC Monitoring Middle East. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved. A service of YellowBrix, Inc. View the full article

Health campaigners are celebrating saving three ambulance stations which had been threatened with closure. East Midlands Ambulance Service last year proposed to replace nine ambulance stations in the county with two "super-stations". The plans prompted a series of protests and petitions by campaigners determined to save the stations in Hinckley, Market Harborough and Melton. Now, the Emas board is expected to agree revised proposals at its meeting on March 25. The new plan will still see one super-station created at Gorse Hill, in Anstey, but the upgrade of the Loughborough station into a super-station has been shelved. A new station will be built at Ashby and the Hinckley, Market Harborough and Melton stations will be remain open. However, the proposed closure of Coalville, Oakham, Syston, Narborough and Lutterworth stations will go ahead. Hinckley campaigners, who raised nearly 1,000 signatures opposing closure, have welcomed the change of heart. Borough councillor David Bill said: "We have had to work tremendously hard to achieve this. As soon as we became aware of the threat, we visited the Nottingham HQ of the ambulance service to put our case for the retention of the Hinckley." Bosworth MP David Tredinnick said: "I held a number of top-level discussions with Emas telling them of people's worries in respect of response times if their original proposals had gone ahead, and I am extremely pleased they have listened and Hinckley will retain its ambulance station." The Anstey super-station will act as a base for crews operating from a series of community sites across Leicestershire. It will also have maintenance facilities. Bosses believe changes will help them achieve the targets of responding to 75 per cent of life-threatening calls within eight minutes and 95 per cent of less urgent calls within 19 minutes. Councillor John Coxon, town council leader in Ashby which is to get a new station, said: "This is excellent news for the town and its surrounding area. "We are delighted Emas has selected Ashby and we look forward to the decision being confirmed." A series of public consulta-tion events have taken place since the original proposals were announced. Zuffar Haq, spokesman for the Leicester Mercury Patients' Panel, said: "I have great faith in the chief executive of Emas, Phillip Milligan. He listened to concerns and responded accordingly. It is good news for patients." Harborough councillor Sarah Hill said: "This is very good news for the county. It is good that Emas has listened to residents and reacted positively." Colin Todd, regional organiser of union GMB, which had also protested against the closure, said he welcomed any improvements to the original proposals. However, he said: "The new proposal is a massive reduction in stations. We are also concerned about the cost of this new plan. We hope Emas shares this with the people of the East Midlands before it is ratified." Next Monday, Emas representatives will outline its fresh proposals to County Hall's adults, communities and health overview and scrutiny committee. In the report to be discussed on March 11, Alan Schofield, director of corporate affairs at Emas, wrote: "If approved, it is hoped that the revised proposals will lead to improvement in the service that EMAS offer to the residents of Leicestershire." "We are delighted Emas has selected Ashby and we look forward to the decision being confirmed" John Coxon A service of YellowBrix, Inc. View the full article

By Matt Lloyd A DEVASTATED husband revealed how he returned home with Champagne on the day he retired to discover his wife had died in a road smash with an ambulance. Terry Williams told an inquest how mum-of-two Wendy had been looking forward to Christmas with her family before her tragic death. The 60-year-old, from Castle Bromwich, died when she pulled out in front of an ambulance car on the Tamworth Road, Lichfield. Paramedic Kevin Webster, who hit speeds of over 70mph as he responded to a 999 call, was later found not guilty of causing death by careless driving by a jury. At an inquest yesterday, South Staffs coroner Andrew Haigh said the pensioner had died as a result of a tragic accident on December 23, 2009. Giving evidence Mr Williams, 63, a former consultant engineer, said: "I retired on the same day after 40 years working. "I came home with Champagne and retirement gifts, 30 minutes later there were two policemen on the doorstep telling me she'd been killed. "She was a very active lady, she always looked forward to Christmas and loved having the family around for Christmas. "I'm sure she was looking forward to the holiday break." Witnesses told the hearing they saw Mr Webster's Vauxhall Vectra ambulance car travelling at speed on blue lights and sirens. But Mrs Williams's Ford Ka pulled out just yards in front of him at the junction of Quarry Hill Lane. Giving evidence, the paramedic - who was cleared at trial in 2011 - said he had no chance to stop and didn't expect Mrs Williams to pull out of the junction. He said: "Initially when I saw the car it was in the junction. As I travelled along the road the car appeared to pull out, stop, then it made a second movement. "That was the last movement, it pulled out from the junction. "I applied the brakes quite sharpish but unfortunately still impacted the car." Since her death, Mrs Williams' family have called on West Midlands Ambulance Service to impose speed limits on drivers and bring training in line with that of police emergency drivers. The inquest heard a new ambulance policy now advised drivers not to exceed the speed limit by more than 50 per cent - but that was a guide and not a rule. Tragic accident: Wendy Williams died after the crash on December 23, 2009. Originally published by By Matt Lloyd STAFF REPORTER. © 2013 Evening Mail; Birmingham (UK). Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved. A service of YellowBrix, Inc. View the full article

By Stephanie Bell They are the brave female soldiers who deal with the cruellest side of war - -- the horrific injuries of their colleagues and civilians caught up in the bloody battles. While they may not be fighting alongside their male colleagues on the frontline, the women medics of the Territorial Army's 204 Field Hospital (Reserve Volunteers) instead face a frantic battle to save lives behind the lines. Throughout the war in Afghanistan, the Northern Irish volunteers have been a vital support to the regular army in the busy field hospital in Helmand province. Even with their unique medical experience in dealing with bomb and bullet casualties during the Troubles, these dedicated professionals will not have seen anything on the scale they encounter during their three-month deployment to Afghanistan. The role of female soldiers has been put under the international spotlight after America recently announced it is to take the historic step of overturning a military ban on women serving in combat roles. It's a move that could open thousands of fighting jobs to female soldiers in the American services for the first time. The decision came after increasing pressure from service women and activists on the Pentagon to acknowledge the reality that many women in the military already face combat on the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the UK, under European Union equality rules, the issue of women's role in combat has to be reviewed every eight years. The last review was in 2010, when Britain decided it would not change rules excluding women from infantry or combat teams. As it stands in Britain, female soldiers are still prevented from entering into situations where they could 'en- gage and potentially kill the enemy'. Ministers said that while the skill and courage of female soldiers could not be questioned, group 'cohesion' could be compromised in intense battle situations. The Ministry of Defence recently confirmed it has "no immediate plans" for a similar review to the one made in America. A spokesperson said that the "vast majority of roles" in the Armed Forces are open to women and acknowledged that hundreds of servicewomen are currently serving their country with distinction in Afghanistan. Women now account for 9% of personnel across the armed forces, and the figure is rising. Research carried out a decade ago raised concerns about the ability of women in intense, hostile situations. A 2002 review revealed that just 1% of trained female soldiers had the physical fitness required to work on the frontline. The study also found that women 'required more provocation and were more likely to fear consequences of aggressive behaviour'. The ban has not stopped female soldiers from being killed in Afghanistan, where front lines are not clear and landmines and roadside bombs pose a real risk. Corporal Channing Day from Comber became the first female soldier from Northern Ireland to be killed in Afghanistan last October. The 25-year-old medic with 3 Medical Regiment was shot dead alongside a Royal Marine while on patrol in Helmand Province. She died while overseeing the training of Afghan local police. At first it was thought she was the victim of a "blue on green" attack or she died as a result of "friendly fire". The army later reported that she had been killed in a fire fight when her patrol came under attack, from the Taliban or other forces opposing the foreign occupation of Afghanistan. She was proud to be a soldier in the British army. Her family said she wanted to be a soldier from an early age and joined as soon as she left school, aged 16. It was the life she wanted. "She loved what she did and we are so proud of her," said her sister Lauren. Channing was the third female British solider to have died in Afghanistan since 2001. A total of 435 British male soldiers have also lost their lives in the conflict During more than a decade of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, women have served courageously and skilfully under fire. We spoke to three local female soldiers who have served in the conflict. All officers with the TA, they spent three months in the war zone in 2008 serving as medics and witnessing the brutal reality of war. Based at the field hospital in Helmand they talked about why they were eager to risk their own lives and leave home and family to help save the lives of their fellow troops. All three are experienced nurses in civilian life as well as dedicated fully trained soldiers with 204 Field Hospital. Courage and compassion led our soldiers to volunteer for what must be one of the most harrowing jobs on earth - -- treating victims of land mines, gun battles and bombs. Helen Wilson (55) from Loughgall is a Major in the TA and also served in the Field Hospital in Afghanistan in 2008 as a trauma nurse co-ordinator. Helen is a regional manager for Four Seasons Healthcare in Northern Ireland, in charge of eight care homes. She is married to Jim (55) and has four children, Naomi (31), James (30), Bruce (29) and Rachel (25). She says: ? I trained as a registered general nurse in the 1970s. I joined the TA 10 years ago. It was a lifelong ambition but because of family commitments I never got the chance to do it earlier. When I was a child I spent a couple of periods in hospital for minor operations and when I was in hospital an aunt gave me a book about Florence Nightingale. Ever since that I wanted to join the Queen Alexander Royal Army as a nurse. I am now in my 11th year in the TA and it has been everything I had hoped and more. Joining later in life I thought I might not have a long career in the Army so I wanted to make every year count and so in 2003 I volunteered for Iraq. I was mobilised in 2004 to a field hospital there but at the time there were peace negotiations going on and things had settled down. "Then in 2008 I went to Afghanistan as a Trauma Nurse Coordinator. As part of my role I was the only person in charge of clinical photography, taking pictures of all the soldiers being repatriated back home. If anyone died en route to hospital it was my job to record it as part of their repatriation back home. "It was tough but I had worked in A&E at home during the Troubles, which was an experience which really helped. We had a great team and I was very honoured to be part of it. It was a 24-7 job and we saw some horrific sights and many amputees, some triple amputees. "It is difficult leaving your family. I did ask my family if they minded and if they would support me. My children just said they knew how much I had wanted to do it and that they were happy for me to go. I kept in touch with them through regular emails and they did tell me afterwards that they were glad to see me home. "Being a mum it was difficult to deal with the Afghan children who came into the hospital. You just wanted to hug them and often did. There was one little four-year-old girl called Salima who was with us the whole time and who we all fell in love with. We all took turns looking after her and for a long time we couldn't locate her family. She had abdomen injuries as a result of an improvised explosive device going off. "When we did find her father we were worried if the man claiming her really was her father. As she was leaving she looked back at the nursing staff who had given her cuddles for three months and then she smiled at her father and that showed us for certain that he was who he said he was. It was very emotional, everyone was in tears." Joy McGrath (51) from east Belfast is a Lieutenant Colonel and a theatre nurse in the Royal Victoria Hospital. Joy, who joined the TA in 1985, spent three and a half months in the Field Hospital in Afghanistan in 2008 where she was the officer in command of the theatres. She has two children, Jamie (18) and Leanne (15). She says: ? I completed my nursing training in 1981 and joined the TA in 1985. I was young and wanted to do something different and the outdoors stuff in particular appealed to me. My children were 10 and 12 years old when I was deployed to Afghanistan. There is an element of risk and it was difficult leaving my family. People are worried about you and you just have to try to reassure them. I was a bit apprehensive about going to a war zone but at the same time there was some excitement at being able to do something different. Our day-to-day training in the TA, which shows us how to adapt to different situations, all came into play, as did my nursing experience. The Field Hospital was extremely busy. Just trying to cope with the vast amount of work and injuries we saw was a challenge and there was a lot of sleep deprivation. In 13 weeks we had 400 operations and over 1,000 admissions. Some of the injuries were horrific. We had soldiers who had stepped on landmines or had their vehicles blown up. We also had locals caught up in the fighting and a lot of Afghan children, some who had stepped on landmines. We also looked after some of the Taliban - we provided healthcare for everyone . It would be a difficult job for anyone but I think when you are a parent it is even harder, especially dealing with the young soldiers and the children. I had nursed through the Troubles in the Royal Victoria Hospital. and dealt with quite a lot of blast injuries and shootings, so I probably was more exposed to that side of it than some people. But the sheer volume of casualties made it difficult . There were a lot of amputations with very young soldiers of just 18, 19 and 20 years old and children with burns injuries. I think being a nurse you are more able to deal with it as you are exposed to it in your profession and it's not a one-off thing; we have seen it all before. Having been to Afghanistan, I think it is something anyone who has done can be very proud of. When you see how well the system works and how well people are treated, it is a big honour to be part of that. The medical care the soldiers are receiving is excellent and it is one of the best medical facilities in the world. At the end of the day it is what you train for and what you do as part of your medical service. As a woman You don't feel any different. in the TA, You're just part of one big team and there just like the men, to do a job. Major Nuala Green (53) has been in the TA for 30 years and has been a nurse for 33 years. She is a vocational assessor for health care assistants in the Belfast Trust. Nuala is married to Paul (54) a civil servant and has two children, Timothy (22) and Andrew (20). She says: }I joined the TA shortly after qualifying as a nurse. I saw an advertisement in the Belfast Telegraph and thought it looked an interesting career move and I went for an interview and signed up there and then. If anybody had said then that I would still be there 30 years later I wouldn't have believed it. The camaraderie is brilliant; it's like one big happy family. I went to Afghanistan in 2008 for three and a half months as an assessor for trainees doing their NVQs. These were health care assistants who were training on the job. It really is witnessing the harsh side of war -- . It was interesting nursing the Afghan people because of their different culture. They didn't like to be told what to do by female nurses. They were people who didn't have electricity at home and it was a real culture shock for them to find themselves in a brightly- lit hospital. Many of them would not have had access before to professional medical care before, either. Leaving my family was difficult but I knew the boys would be well cared for and I was lucky to have really good family support. The Field Hospital is in the middle of the desert and quite a distance from the frontline. but there is still risk involved. I'm glad to have been there and experienced it. I felt privileged to have helped in some small way. I had great colleagues and we knew we were giving the best care we could. ~ how the 204 Field Hospital has become a vital support unit for our frontline. troops Since the onset of the Gulf War in 2003, 204 Field Hospital has continually sent personnel on operations in support of the regular army. In January of this year a Hospital Squadron was again deployed to Afghanistan. for threemonths. The unit had initially formed in Northern Irelandin May 1961 as 4 General Hospital (Territorial Army) and was set up as an independent medical unit of the Territorial Army's, with its Headquarters at Tyrone House, Malone Road, Belfast . The Commanding Officer, Colonel Gregg, five officers and 31 other ranks were transferred from the former 107 (Ulster) Field Ambulance. By 1962, following an extensive recruitment campaign, it had become a large and experienced unit with several of its personnel having seen service in World War II. The 1960s saw a period of re- organisation, with the Territorial Army'sbecoming the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve. In 1967, 204 (North Irish) General Hospital Royal Army Medical Corps (Volunteers) was formed as a successor to 4 General Hospital with its headquarters in Belfast with a detachment at Elm Lodge, Dungannon. In the 1990s, Options for Change and the disintegration of the former Soviet Union meant re-organisation, with 204 becoming a 200- bed Field Hospital, having an active role in the multi-national ACE Rapid Reaction Corps. The detachment at Dungannon was moved to Armagh. Then in 1993, the Regimental Headquarters moved to its present home at Hydebank, a former centre used by the Royal Irish Rangers (Volunteers) . A third detachment was formed in Newtownards in 1996 and in July 1999 The Field Hospital was divided into geographical Squadrons with the fourth Squadron being formed in Ballymena, giving a current footprint of Hydebank, Newtownards, Armagh and Ballymena. Originally published by Stephanie Bell. © 2013 Belfast Telegraph. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved. A service of YellowBrix, Inc. View the full article

Stop - think hedgehog ; COMMUNITY FOCUS This week''s essay is written by Trevor Weeks founder of the East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service [Edition 6] THE East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service is urging people to "Think Hedgehog" in the coming weeks after a hedgehog was impaled on a garden fork. The hedgehog was found in a garden near Northiam at a time when landscaping and garden clearance was taking place, and was extremely lucky to survive. It was delivered to our casualty care centre in Whitesmith, after being kept in a shed for two days by the finder, who did not know what to do with it. One of the wounds was quite smelly and infected and the second was not so bad, but both were clearly quite deep. I was expecting much worse as quite often the puncture wounds are central on the body and end up causing horrendous internal injuries, which are usually fatal. This fork luckily speared either side of the main body cavity, avoiding the creature's vital areas and this hedgehog is extremely lucky. We are urging gardeners to take care while clearing gardens and to be mindful of locations where hedgehogs might be sleeping. Hedgehogs are still hibernating and depending on the weather will be in and out of hibernation until April time. Any hedgehogs found out during the day time will be in need of help as they are nocturnal animals. They hibernate in all sorts of locations, including under and inside of sheds, in green houses, in pampas grass, in compost heaps, in thick vegetation using grass and leaves. We have even found them in piles of rubble, under decking surrounded by plastic bags and litter, and some have been partially buried in soil and leaves under bushes, so be careful when clearing areas, as it will not always be where you expect. If you do find a hedgehog, place it back and cover it exactly how found. They will often then go and find a new place to stay, but if they don't, please seek advice. If the nest is badly destroyed or the hedgehog is injured in anyway, call for help straight away. The injured hedgehog has been seen by our vet and its wounds have been cleaned using a warm diluted iodine bath. It is now on antibiotics and we hope it will make a full recovery. Our work is funded by donations and we can only carry out this work with the public's support and help. If you can make a donation to support the charity, please call 01825 873003 or donate online at www.wildlifeambulance.org To write this column: Please send 500 words to sussex.reporters@courier.co.uk clearly marked Community Focus A service of YellowBrix, Inc. View the full article

THE East of England Ambulance Service said it is finding it "a real challenge" to recruit staff to operate the 15 extra ambulances introduced this week following patient and staff feedback to identify where more might be needed. The trust said it would be reliant on staff working overtime for the extra ambulances until more staff had been recruited. The EEAS has been criticised in the past for poor response times. A spokesman said: "The extra ambulances have all been delivered to their stations, but we are finding it a real challenge at the moment to fill all the shifts because we are reliant on staff overtime until our new recruits are on board over the coming few weeks." Health minister Norman Lamb last week said he had "real concerns" about how the East of England Ambulance Trust was being run. A service of YellowBrix, Inc. View the full article

About 26,500 "ghost" patients are set to be taken off GP registers. It will save the NHS nearly Pounds 1.7 million a year as family doctors are paid about Pounds 65 for each patient registered at their practice. The "ghost" patients have been found in a review by the primary care trust (PCT) for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. They are people registered with a doctor but not believed to be living in the area any longer. GPs said that while they supported the "list cleansing", ordered by the Department of Health, they feared some patients might suddenly find themselves without a doctor. Dr Angela Lennox, a GP in the St Matthew's, Leicester, said: "Some people move abroad and don't tell anyone and others - particularly young people - move around with work and don't register with another practice so it is important we have an accurate list. "My only worry is that PCTs have been known to get things wrong and remove genuine patients from lists. "It is not uncommon for people, especially vulnerable groups, not to respond to letters. If anyone is worried they should contact their GP surgery." The review began last August when 8,886 letters were sent to the heads of households where seven or more people were registered as living and covered about 80,000 individuals. As a result of responses, 12,700 patients were marked as having moved away. A second letter was then sent to more than 38,000 people who had not replied. A final letter is now being sent to 13,856 patients telling them they will be removed from the practice list where they are registered. The notice to take someone off a GP list will be withdrawn if the patient contacts their doctor within six months. If they have been removed from a list they will have to reregister. As well as the reduction to doctors' funding, the removal will also mean a cut of Pounds 662,500 allocated to the three clinical commissioning groups (CCG) in Leicestershire, due to take on full responsibility for local health services on April 1. Each group has been given Pounds 25 per patient to pay for their office running costs. Sue Malpas, senior contract manager for NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, said: "We have more patients registered than the Census figures show as the area's population, so we need to get a clearer picture of the number of patients registered at each practice. "However, we also wanted to ensure that anyone who wanted to remain with their GP had the chance to do so." Dr Mark Findlay, a GP in Barwell, said: "The difficulty comes if you have someone, particularly the elderly, who doesn't respond to the letter. "They might find when they do contact their surgery their medical notes have been returned to the patient registration centre in Nottingham." A service of YellowBrix, Inc. View the full article

By Zeke Campfield, The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City Feb. 23--The chairwoman of the board that oversees the state's largest ambulance service said its managers are "on the right track" to fix discrepancies outlined in a highly critical state audit. Lillian Perryman said both management and the board of directors that oversees operations of Emergency Medical Services Authority are making significant strides to ensure the authority spends its money and resources in the most cost-effective -- and legal -- way possible. "In my own opinion, we've had many good years of good leadership," Perryman said Friday. "Are there things that weren't done probably as well as they should have been? Very possibly so. I don't think there was any upfront purpose to do anything wrong." The authority, also known as EMSA, is a public trust authority of Oklahoma City and Tulsa and provides ambulance service to more than 1 million Oklahomans in those cities and surrounding areas. A state audit released in January said lax policies and procedures by management and the authority's board may have led to thousands of dollars in inappropriate spending by its chief executive officer, Stephen Williamson. Williamson's business decisions, some made without board knowledge, may have violated the authority's code of conduct, but no illegal spending was uncovered, according to the audit. Management response to the audit was provided to The Oklahoman on Friday, and Perryman said they will be going over each of the audit's findings and recommendations at a meeting Wednesday in Stroud. Perryman said the board will develop oversight committees in finance, ethics and personnel and that she is already personally reviewing all authority expenditures in excess of $2,500, as recommended by the auditors. Are there things that weren't done probably as well as they should have been? Very possibly so. I don't think there was any upfront purpose to do anything wrong." Lillian Perryman, Emergency Medical Services Authority chairwoman "We do want more oversight by the board," she said. "Not every little detail, but I think big items, items that could be considered possibly questionable, we want to address that before any of that is paid for upfront." The audit, which was requested by the board after media reports revealed questionable spending habits by Williamson, indicated he spent more than $400,000 between January 2009 and June 2012, more than half without board oversight. Purchases included room service, spa visits, satellite radio subscriptions and expensive catering events and parties. The audit also revealed EMSA since 2009 used its nonprofit status to purchase at a tax-free rate more than $7 million of fuel and equipment for the contractor it relies on for paramedic services and then having the contractor reimburse the authority at the cheaper rate. Perryman said that practice was reviewed and approved by the board's attorney and said it will continue. "It was used for the public good and also to try and cut down on costs that would have been passed along to the towns involved," she said. But another member of the board, Ed Shadid, who also sits on the Oklahoma City Council, said he doesn't believe EMSA can truly address issues outlined in the audit without a change of management. "I've seen enough to know that the discredited leadership needs to be changed," Shadid said. ___ ©2013 The Oklahoman Visit The Oklahoman at www.newsok.com Distributed by MCT Information Services A service of YellowBrix, Inc. View the full article

By Khetam Malkawi, Jordan Times, Amman Feb. 22--AMMAN -- New regulations published recently in the Official Gazette governing fees for ambulance use, only apply to Health Ministry ambulances, not Civil Defence Department (CDD) vehicles, a ministry official said on Thursday. Khalid Abu Hudeib, the ministry's health insurance director, noted that the ministry's ambulances are only used to transport patients from one hospital to another or from a hospital to the airport. He explained that ambulances that transport patients from their homes to hospitals and victims of road accidents belong to the CDD and do not charge a single "fils". Starting next month, the ministry will start charging patients who are not covered by public health insurance for the use of its ambulances, Abu Hudeib said. According to official figures, 87.2 per cent of the population has health insurance coverage, with around 2.5 million Jordanians covered by public health insurance, or 41.8 per cent of the total number of insured citizens. According to Abu Hudeib, the number of people who ask to be transported from one hospital to another or to the airport does not exceed a score every year. The rate depends on the distance; in addition, the fees for the doctor and the nurse accompanying the patient are JD20 and JD10 respectively for Jordanians. If the service recipient is a foreigner the charges are JD60 and JD30 for the doctor and the nurse. "News reports published last week exaggerated the issue and implied that Civil Defence ambulances are included in these regulations," Abu Hudeib told The Jordan Times. He explained that the fees imposed for the use of the ministry's ambulances are still less than those charged by private and university hospitals. ___ ©2013 the Jordan Times (Amman, Jordan) Visit the Jordan Times (Amman, Jordan) at www.jordantimes.com Distributed by MCT Information Services A service of YellowBrix, Inc. View the full article

The future looks brighter for Retford's threatened ambulance station after service bosses agreed to work alongside local campaigners to find a solution. Save Our Station (SOS) spokeswoman and ward councillor Adele Mumby had a meeting with EMAS chief executive Phil Milligan in which the proposed closure of Retford's North Road ambulance base was discussed. The ex-town mayor put forward suggestions which could see the five-bay building saved from the restructurer's axe. "I have a few ideas that Mr Milligan agreed were worth looking into - it seems likely that the nearest 'hub' could remain in Worksop rather than Mansfield, so Retford would still have to lose its facilities to re-stock the vehicles," said the East Retford North representative. The issue EMAS have is to do with the cost of keeping open a building that only has two of the five bays in use; but he agreed North Road is a good location." Although EMAS chiefs have considered moving the ambulance fleet into a 'shared hub' with other emergency services, Adele has suggested that firefighters currently based at the Wharf Road fire station could instead relocate to the more accessible North Road facility's surplus bays. "There is an issue with traffic and access at the fire station site, from North Road it is easy to get out of the town. Mr Milligan is going to ask his planners to look into the idea as he has agreed that our present location is the best." "At the moment, it is looking like Retford has a good chance of remaining open, with some reduced services, while Worksop will be the 'hub'. I'd like to thank everyone who has supported SOS - this progress shows what we can do if we work together, " she added. EMAS has extended the consultation period until it makes a decision on Retford's future. A service of YellowBrix, Inc. View the full article