Ambulance Advisory Committee

AMBULANCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES February 11th, 2010 9:00 AM Meeting called to order at 9:00 a.m. by Kerran Vigroux ACC Members Present: Brian Morrissey, Fire Chief Donald Conley, Police Chief Kerran Vigroux, Director of Public Health David Fredette, City Treasurer Christopher Stawasz, Executive Director of Rockingham Regional Ambulance John Fisher, Divisional Supervisor-Police Department Public Present: Scott Cote, Southern New Hampshire Medical Center Mark Hastings, Southern New Hampshire Medical Center Fran Dupuis, St. Joseph’s Hospital The Committee Members were given the meeting Agenda and a binder with the following information: (1) Purpose & Advisory Board Membership; (2) 2010 Calendar of Meetings; (3) Agenda/Submission Requirements; (4) Rockingham Regional Ambulance Monthly Reports; (5) Meeting Minutes (will be posted on the City of Nashua S drive and copies will be given out at the next meeting); (6) City of Nashua/Rockingham Ambulance Contract; (7) Staffing, Liability, Accreditation – Chris provided updates (8) Notes Rockingham Regional Ambulance Report Dec 09, presented by Christopher Stawasz: 1. Christopher Stawasz referred each Board member to the December 2009 Activity Report he provided at the meeting. He offered to answer any immediate questions and extended an invitation to contact him if members had other questions. 2. Mr. Stawasz reported that Hospital Diversions continued to be an issue in 2009. He explained that when a hospital is in Diversion Status, routine transports to the facility cannot occur. While not frequent, Mr. Stawasz reported that it places his EMS providers in the position of telling a patient in an ambulance that they cannot go to the hospital of their choice. Patients are not diverted if their emergency is life threatening. Area hospitals go into Diversion Status if: a. The hospital has a power outage or major equipment failure b. The hospital staff are tasked with a serious medical event, for example a shooting, and have committed most of their resources to the event c. * Both city hospitals had representatives at the meeting and were able to report that they had significantly reduced their number of Diversion Status events in the last year. Each offered to provide statistics for the next meeting. 3. In response to Board questions, Mr. Stawasz reported that 29% of all of their calls are Alpha Calls. This means that neither lights nor siren are used during response to the calls. The response type is categorized at the time of the report according to established protocols. 4. An overview of information available through tempsys, the State’s emergency medical reporting system, was provided. 5. Mr. Stawasz also reported on the following additional work and initiatives by Rockingham Ambulance and its employees: a. They are partnering with local schools to get additional AEDs in the schools. b. They are members of Nashua’s “Green Team” that is charged with providing the City with ideas for energy efficiency. Specifically, they are investigating the use of alternative vehicle fuels, including bio-diesel c. Rockingham surveys approximately 1500 calls for service every quarter i. 43% are in Manchester ii. 41% are in Nashua iii. 16% are in other communities d. Rockingham has a Patient Satisfaction survey tool that provides feedback. Mr. Stawasz provided copies of the 4th quarter scores from 2009. Overall patient satisfaction was reported as 94.9 (100 scale). e. Mr. Stawasz let the Board know that several of his members were participating in the “Muddy Angels” charity bicycle ride in May 2010. The ride begins in Maine and ends in Virginia and the fund benefits the families of fallen EMS practitioners. Member Contributions 1. A brief discussion was held regarding the Vegas initiative including: a. The labor intensive process of dealing with highly intoxicated individuals b. Chief Conley provided an overview of the partnership and scope of the problem c. * Mr. Cote reported that SNHRMC has partnered with Keystone Hall to fund and staff this important initiative. The initiative will send intoxicated individuals from the Emergency Room to a Keystone Hall facility after any medical issues have been addressed at the hospital. Previously, patients would remain in the Emergency Room after receiving medical treatment (or determination that their issues were limited to alcohol or other drug intoxication) until the sobered to a safe level. Public Comment and Contributions 1. It should be noted that both Nashua hospitals were represented at the meeting. 2. Mr. Cote and Ms. Dupuis weighed in on topics discussed during the regular meeting. The comments are listed in italics and * in the minutes above. 3. The hospitals requested that they each be allowed a seat on the Board as they have important input and comment. Mr. Cote cited for example that 2 mass casualty training events are part of the Rockingham contract for this year. Chief Morrissey reported that Nashua’s LEPC (Local Emergency Planning Commission) is currently working on the city’s Emergency Operations Plan and that it appears there will be an All Hazards Plan coming out of the meetings. When this occurs, he stated we may need to adjust the Rockingham contract to incorporate this language and delete the 2 mass casualty event trainings. Executive Session 1. Kerran Vigroux called for an Executive Session at 9:50 AM to discuss recommendations. The Executive Session concluded at 10:30 AM. The next meeting of the Board is schedule for April 8, 2010. Respectfully Submitted, Barbara Scacco Administrative Assistant II City of Nashua