Praise for ASM’s Bob O’Neil and Jared Krajewski

In a letter from early March 2016:

Praise

To Whom it May Concern:

For the first time in my 54 years, I had to call an ambulance for transport to the hospital for a severe [condition]. The paramedics, Jared and Bob, who were dispatched from the SWPD, were professional, compassionate, and skilled. They made me feel comfortable and provided top-notch care.

With sincerity and gratitude,

[Patient who is a physician] 

(16-16321, South Windsor)

Words That Describe Us: Volume 76

Aetna Ambulance Service, Inc. - Ambulance Service of Manchester, LLC.MANCHESTER and HARTFORD — Aetna Ambulance and ASM send Patient and Customer Satisfaction Surveys to a random sampling of patients who have received emergency or STAT inter-facility services from our companies.

The final part of the survey asks that the respondent, “Please use a word or phrase to describe us and/or the ambulance crew.”

Some of the answers/responses included:

  • Competent + Caring.
  • They seemed well trained.
  • They were very pleasant.
  • Very nice + caring.
  • I have never experienced anything that painful. The EMT/Paramedics not only relieved my pain, they made sure I was responding to the medication appropriately, checked my heart rate, etc. I felt the outstanding work they did was worth my response to you, even at this late date. (15-63667; M. Campbell, E. Grey).
  • Did their job perfectly. Couldn’t ask for a better crew! Crew was very kind + compassionate. (16-1000; C. Everest, R. Grzywinski with Manchester Fire Rescue EMS).
  • Caring & understanding of the medical situation.
  • Friendly.
  • I’m glad I made the call for your help. I’ve called you people three times in the past and I couldn’t feel more secure each time. Thank you. (16-8061; S. Dybdahl, J. Basora).
  • They were excellent. They also made sure my son was comfortable and talked to him the whole way to the hospital. (16-7175; M. Glazier, R. MacDonald).
  • I was having a heart attack and the crew did a great job. I am alive because of their skill. Thank you so much! (16-4211; R. Balkun, M. Kleza).
  • Caring.
  • Excellent, personal care and concern. EMTs were calm, capable + very professional.
  • Professional. I had a trainee and never knew it until talking with him in the ED. He was ready to be on his own.
  • Great.
  • Considerate + professional.
  • Caring and very professional.
  • Excellent and caring + friendly.
  • Considering the circumstances the EMTs were friendly and thoughtful of my needs.
  • T. was professional, skilled, caring and attentive. I had confidence in him immediately. (16-10041; T. Wain, P. Piotrowski).
  • The paramedic was excellent! He was kind + did everything to make sure I was safe + comfortable. (16-10524; M. Traber, C. Haag).
  • Everyone was awesome. Made me and my wife feel comfortable + safe. (16-8665; R. Jones, W. Valencia with East Hartford Fire Department).

Cleared for Independent Dispatch: ASM’s Matthew Buerk Completes Precepting Phase

Matthew Buerk BMANCHESTER –  As of March 11, 2016, ASM’s Matthew Buerk has been cleared by Eastern Connecticut Health Network medical control for independent dispatch as a paramedic to the towns that ASM serves. His preceptor were Paramedic Supervisor Melissa Osborne and Paramedic Greg Derosier.

Matt started at ASM in April of 2013. He graduated from the Capital Community College Paramedic program. Born and raised in East Hartford he obtained his EMT certification in 2007 and worked for Hartford Hospital for three years. Ultimately Matt plans to become a flight nurse.

As with all precepting phases at ASM, Matt’s final approval came from Eastern Connecticut Health Network after shadowing him and his preceptors in the field as they responded to emergency calls.

On behalf of the ASM Family, we would like to wish Matt the best of luck and say we are very proud to have such skilled professionals on staff.

Worlds Apart: Part 4 – Conclusion

by Aetna’s Tom Sopel

Read Part 1 here…

Read Part 2 here…

Read Part 3 here….

The trip was eye opening for me, both as an EMT and a human being. Seeing the disparities between life there and what we have here is astounding. The things I’ve seen and the people I’ve met were unforgettable, and I want to personally thank Dr. Rafael Vela, Jorge Antonio Hernandez, and Arturo Pineda for having us with open arms. The level at which Dr. Vela gives back to the community is incredible and I aspire to be as great a man as he. Jorge and Arturo both provided our group with amazing insight into the Guatemalan health care system and they did so eagerly and with the warmest of hearts. Thank You.

The opportunities given to us by these people were places of personal growth and understanding for me and my group. We learned so much and I’d like to think we helped some people while we were out there. Looking through the eyes of an EMT, I was very grateful for the tools and technologies available to us here in America, and although the field of emergency medical services is ever growing and developing, compared to what it could be, we are Worlds Apart.

-Tom Sopel

ASM’s Jaime Decaprio Promoted to Assistant Office Manager

Jaime DecaprioMANCHESTER — On March 9, 2016 ASM’s Jaime Decaprio was promoted to the position of Assistant Officer Manager in the Billing and Call Taking Department.

Jaime has worked for ASM since July 2000, working on areas such as bundle billing agreements for Paramedic services, Medicaid billing issues, non-emergency call taking, customer service, private insurance authorizations and much more.

On behalf of ASM we would like to congratulate Jaime and look forward to more great things from her.

Words That Describe Us: Volume 75

Aetna Ambulance Service, Inc. - Ambulance Service of Manchester, LLC.MANCHESTER and HARTFORD — Aetna Ambulance and ASM send Patient and Customer Satisfaction Surveys to a random sampling of patients who have received emergency or STAT inter-facility services from our companies.

The final part of the survey asks that the respondent, “Please use a word or phrase to describe us and/or the ambulance crew.”

Some of the answers/responses included:

  • Life savers and very professional.
  • They were extremely professional, competent + compassionate. I could not say enough about the care I received. They were excellent! Note – H. Roy has been wonderful to work with in regards to insurance and bill. (15-93938; S. Dybdahl, B. St. John).
  • Great
  • Excellent crew and excellent service.
  • Thank you for your help and assistance in my moment of need. I am very appreciative of your services.
  • Caring.
  • Caring professionals.  🙂
  • Friendly
  • Life savers.
  • Thorough, courteous.
  • They were very patient and caring to my son who was scared. They kept him calm and were very friendly. (16-6054; J. Platero, B. Gregorieff).
  • Ambulance crew was extremely polite + helpful. Your men did a great job. (16-1455; R. Bilodeau, R. Anderson).
  • Professional – efficient – caring.
  • Very fine care, professional, courteous. Made sure my wife followed the ambulance and helped her with parking. Top notch! (15-90678; A. Fine, T. Luetjen)
  • I understand that the woman with me in the ambulance was from your Manchester team. She was very caring and did an excellent job in caring for me and I am truly thankful. Please forward my thoughts to her. (16-235; M. Osborne).
  • Professional and caring.
  • Very professional.
  • They were outstanding and compassionate! Quick to arrive.
  • Satisfactory.
  • Prompt, professional and personable.
  • Every one of them were great + very kind to me.
  • Very kind, professional and empathetic.
  • Professional.

Worlds Apart: Part 3

Worlds Apart 3by Aetna’s Tom Sopel

Read Part 2 here…

As for Guatemalan EMS, we were very fortunate to be introduced to Mr. Arturo Pineda, Chief of Services, EMT, who was a longtime friend of Jorges. Mr. Pineda was kind enough to show us their base of operations.

He explained that most services, like their own, were Fire/EMS, and that EMS was provided under three different systems in Guatemala. There were the private companies that catered to the wealthy, the semi-private system that catered to the elderly and special populations, and lastly there was the public system, which he operated under.

The public system, although free, was extremely overburdened and having a waiting list of calls was sometimes an unfortunate reality. Mr. Pineda and his team at Cuerpo de Bomberos Municipales de La Antigua would run one or two ambulance for all of La Antigua, covering everything. It’s more understandable when you see that La Antigua’s population of 34,000 pales in comparison to Hartford’s 125,000. They had about three ambulances total, all donated from Japan from what appeared to be the 1980s.

When asked if I could inspect their equipment I found an oxygen tank, a stretcher and an AED/3 lead ECG that dated back to what I’d assume was the 70s, a long ways away from what is available to us in our ambulances. The medications they are legally allowed to provide are oxygen, glucose, albuterol and epinephrine, however they only carried oxygen, the other 3 would have to be provided by the patient. It’s moments like these where you really appreciate being able to collar a patient, or having things like trauma pads and nasal cannulas.

As for the paramedic level, medic positions will usually be filled by doctors, because the political and financial environment pushes them into field. Even then, whether they have any medications to give is a game of chance. This all being said, the work that the men and women working for the Bomberos Municipales de La Antigua is nothing short of amazing.

Cleared for Independent Dispatch: Aetna’s Michael Bouley Completes Precepting Phase

Michael Bouley AHARTFORD –  As of March 1, 2016, Aetna’s Michael Bouley has been cleared by Hartford Hospital medical control for independent dispatch as a paramedic to the towns that Aetna serves. His preceptor was Paramedic Kevin Stock.

Michael started at Aetna in November of 2015. He graduated from the Capital Community College Paramedic program after studying western philosophy and sociology at Central Connecticut State University. Michael has also been a volunteer EMT and field training officer with Windsor EMS for three years.

As with all precepting phases at Aetna, Michael’s final approval came from Hartford Hospital after shadowing him and his preceptor in the field as they responded to emergency calls.

On behalf of the Aetna Family, we would like to wish Michael the best of luck and say we are very proud to have such skilled professionals on staff.

Words That Describe Us: Volume 74

Aetna Ambulance Service, Inc. - Ambulance Service of Manchester, LLC.MANCHESTER and HARTFORD — Aetna Ambulance and ASM send Patient and Customer Satisfaction Surveys to a random sampling of patients who have received emergency or STAT inter-facility services from our companies.

The final part of the survey asks that the respondent, “Please use a word or phrase to describe us and/or the ambulance crew.”

Some of the answers/responses included:

  • They were calm + professional which was greatly appreciated + were careful driving knowing I was following behind them (patient’s spouse).
  • Excellent.
  • Pleasant, professional, concerned + understanding. (15-96431; J. Rassmussen, J. Bak).
  • Very professional.
  • The ambulance crew were very kind people. (16-79; J. Pearson, K. Stewart).
  • Very interested in patient; lighthearted and comforting. I felt very safe with the paramedics, they were all so friendly and really calmed me down despite the situation. Great Job Everyone! J (16-369; M. Karr, B. Sullivan).
  • I think your [staff] was excellent.
  • Very professional and took good care of me. The ambulance crew had a calming effect on me which made me feel I was in the right place. (16-3446; M. Mosebach, J. Pearson).
  • The crew was very professional.
  • All were very thorough, nice and seemed to know exactly what they needed to do. All showed concern. Thank you! (16-2103; M. Carter, T. Webster).
  • Professional and compassionate.
  • They were wonderful.
  • Completely professional, care for my wife as well as me. Very happy with all of them. Wonderful people!
  • Very professional.
  • Professional! Competent! Outstanding! I would like to acknowledge the hard work that your team does and their ability to put people at ease in crisis and their superb care. Please thank them on my behalf. (16-1718; T. Oliver, K. King).
  • Pleased with the ambulance crew.
  • Kind and caring to everyone involved.
  • Professional.
  • Overall service was great. Team arrived in a timely manner.
  • Fabulous.
  • Calm, skilled & professional. Very impressed with the EMT’s skills and calm mannerisms. They explained every step, in such a professional way, helped me stay calm + focused as I was bleeding + traumatized. Thank you!! (16-4267; R. Davenport, M. Guertin with Manchester Fire Rescue EMS).

Worlds Apart: Part 2

Worlds Apart 2

Aetna on top of Mt. Pacaya!

by Aetna’s Tom Sopel

Read Part 1 here….

“So how long does it take for an ambulance to show up to these places if people need immediate attention” I asked Jorge and Dr. Vela. Hours. Not one or two, but possibly five or eight. An overburdened, underfunded EMS system meant for longer response times and some of these villages are so remote that they can only be accessed by vehicles in the dry season (summer months), otherwise the rivers grow too torrential to let cars pass. One clinic we ran was particularly deep into the jungle and hadn’t seen a clinic in over 25 years! That was the day a child saw my white, foreign face and ran away crying. It’s like he didn’t even care that I have an awesome personality…

Ok, so let’s say something happens and you can wait the few hours for an ambulance to get there. You were somehow able to stretch that golden hour of your stroke into a tarnished eight, then what? Hop in the back and start burning rubber, right? Wrong. The Guatemalan healthcare system won’t take you unless have all your paperwork signed and filled out for that particular trip, as payments need to be established BEFORE the trip, not after. That brings the interesting question: What if you’re unconscious? Well, you better hope that a loved one is around to do the paperwork for you then! Ok, stroke survived, paperwork filled out, hospital time! Wrong again.

As it turns out, treatment in Guatemala is based on a graded scale where treatment isn’t necessarily catered to acuity. You’re bumped up to progressively more and more developed health care facilities until you reach the one you need. Where first you’re dropped off at a clinic like the ones we ran or an average doctors office, and then they slowly pass you up the chain until you’re finally allowed to be transferred to a hospital. All they do in the meantime is stabilize the patient and pass them along – often a stark contrast to Hartford.

ASM at Manchester’s Early Childhood Fair, 2016

Early Childhood Fair 2016 DMANCHESTER — On February 20, 2016 ASM’s Cory LaChance and Ashley DeBisschop were on hand at Manchester Youth Service Bureau’s Early Childhood Fair held at Manchester High School.

ASM has attended the event for the last five years, presenting emergency medical services equipment, giving out EMS coloring books and interacting with parents and children.

Disaster Triage Online Game Needs EMS Study Participants

HARTFORD —  In a correspondence from Dr. James Parker of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center:

Calling all Paramedics, EMTs and EMS students!

60 Seconds to SurvivalLeaders of the Study are examining the utility of the video game as a learning tool for START/JumpSTART.

You are invited to participate in this fun research study based out of Yale University School of Medicine.

WHAT DO I GET?

  • Access to an online GAME where you learn & practice MASS CASUALTY TRIAGE for PEDIATRIC and adult patients.
  • 3.25 hours of CME time.
  • $15 Amazon Gift card.

WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO?

  • Agree to play the game once a week for 15 minutes (for 13 weeks).
  • Provide feedback on the game when prompted.

I’M IN, HOW DO I SIGN UP?

  • please email me at JFParke@ConnecticutChildrens.org
  • Please include what organization you’re from.
  • She will send you the link to the game and further details about CME.
  • Remember, you can withdraw at any point – (but won’t get the gift card).

Your reply implies verbal consent (information sheet at end of message).

Feel free to contact me with any questions!

Jim Parker, MD

EMS Liaison

860-837-5432

jfparke@connecticutchildrens.org

Aetna and ASM are not affiliated with this study. 

Words That Describe Us: Volume 73

Aetna Ambulance Service, Inc. - Ambulance Service of Manchester, LLC.MANCHESTER and HARTFORD — Aetna Ambulance and ASM send Patient and Customer Satisfaction Surveys to a random sampling of patients who have received emergency or STAT inter-facility services from our companies.

The final part of the survey asks that the respondent, “Please use a word or phrase to describe us and/or the ambulance crew.”

Some of the answers/responses included:

  • Today I had a very positive and professional experience while escorting my grandfather in an ambulance to his doctor’s appointments. We were on ambulance to 211 with M and A. They provided a safe, friendly and appropriate way for my grandfather to go from his rehab center to his appointments. Thank you. (M. Flynn and A. Dias)
  • Professional with a great sense of humor. (15-87242; J. Bak, R. Fross).
  • Excellent.
  • Good.
  • Professional + very helpful.
  • Professional + caring.
  • Fantastic.
  • Great professionalism + personalities (bedside manner). (15-95046; R. McConville, T. Luetjen).
  • Professional and caring.
  • Professional.
  • From Step-1 to end everything excellent! (15-94284; A. Fine, B. Langan with East Hartford Fire Department).
  • Todd was a very compassionate and caring paramedic. (15-94627; C. Heitman, P. Yakushchenko with East Hartford Fire Department).
  • Very good job.
  • Caring.
  • The two gentlemen who provided the care, support and transportation to the hospital were professional and competent. I felt I was in good hands at all times. Excellent. (15-94980; M. Tuttle, J. Bak).
  • Very professional.
  • Awesome.
  • Professional and competent.
  • We are always grateful for the care & professionalism the crew shows. (15-95518; G. Derosier, A. Cichy).
  • Thank you for excellent care!
  • Calming. Excellent service start to finish! (15-77607; C. Willey, J. Pearson).
  • Very kind.
  • Excellent – Professional.
  • Professional x 3.
  • The team who care for me was reassuring and professional. (15-93456; M. Sparks, A. Debisschop with East Hartford Fire Department).
  • Very well organized.

Worlds Apart: Part 1

Dr. Rafael Vela and myself nearing the end of a successful week of clinics.

Dr. Rafael Vela and myself nearing the end of a successful week of clinics.

by Aetna’s Tom Sopel

La Antigua, Guatemala — Hello, my name is Tom Sopel and I’m an EMT here at Aetna. This past January I flew to Guatemala to work under the Medical Humanitarian Society of Uconn in order to provide patient care to rural areas of Guatemala. The culture was as vibrant as it was care free, the kind of atmosphere that lets you slow your clock down and loosen up your laces. I guess you can say that an important medical lesson I learned out there was that the human body naturally wants to smile when it’s never been exposed to (Hartford) winter. But seriously, the place was amazing. We spent two weeks in various villages across Guatemala running health care clinics, working with hundreds of patients to provide much needed medical treatment for those in need.

Out there we were met by our friend and translator, Jorge Hernandez who helped us with organizing patient care sites and Dr. Rafael Vela, who was an amazing doctor who would volunteer his time to go with us out to the different villages and coffee plantations spotted across the jungles of Guatemala. Continue reading

Potential Life Threatening Wind Chills & Near Record Cold Temps This Weekend

MaxWindGustMphOccasionally we will share severe weather information consequential to public health, public safety and EMS response.

An arctic air mass will overspread the region Saturday afternoon into Sunday with potential life threatening wind chills and near record cold temperatures. Now is the time to take action and review the preparedness tips below.

Timing: The core of the cold air arrives Saturday afternoon and settles over the region Saturday night into Sunday. Impacts … this is a potentially life threatening cold air mass for residents of MA, RI & CT Saturday afternoon into Sunday with wind chills 15 to 25 below zero and potentially 30 below zero across the interior. In addition, actual air temperatures will approach record low values Saturday night.

Hypothermia  FrostbiteMarine Impacts: Heavy Freezing Spray Saturday afternoon into Sunday may result in dangerous conditions for any vessel in the near shore waters of MA & RI. The threat of heavy freezing spray will lessen with increasing distance from the coastline as water temperatures are warmer offshore.

Potential Snowfall Friday Evening & Overnight: ahead of the Arctic front a brief period of moderate to heavy snow is possible across Cape Cod, Nantucket & Marthas Vineyard. Snow accumulations of 1-3″ are possible. Elsewhere, only a period of light snow or flurries are expected.