Category Archives: Community Relations Event

Regional Food Drive – Another “Excellent” Year

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hc-manchester-hunger-results-1126-20141125-001HARTFORD COURANT

Delivering donated food to the MACC Charities pantry recently are, left to right, Sean Gregg of Ambulance Service of Manchester, Rotary Club members Ana Ramos and Marty Fins and MACC Executive Director Beth Stafford. (Rick Lawrence).

By Jesse Leavenworth

NOVEMBER 25, 2014, 1:27 PM

Read the full, original article here…

The Emergency of Hunger drive collected nearly 40,000 food items, an outpouring of generosity that an organizer characterized as “excellent” and a good gauge of citizens’ holiday spirit.

The regional collection by police, fire and emergency medical agencies and Rotary Club members benefits food pantries in Manchester, Vernon, South Windsor, Rocky Hill and Windsor.

Conducted over the past two weekends,the drive took in 39,956 food items, $23,839.80 in cash, checks and gift cards and 788 turkeys, organizer Dave Skoczulek of Ambulance Service of Manchester said Tuesday.

“It was an excellent year, once again surpassing our expectations,” Skoczulek said.
Collections in each town go to pantries that serve those towns. The drive provides a big lift to pantry stocks, not just for the holidays, but sometimes extending into February, pantry
representatives said. Organizers said the need has not diminished since the first drive in 2009.

The drive’s six ­year totals, which Skoczulek reported Tuesday, were 186,956 food items, $120,025.80 in cash, checks and gift cards and 5,498 turkeys.

“Emergency Of Hunger” Food Drive Begins Saturday

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Emergency response agency and food pantry representatives gathered Thursday at the Hockanum Valley Community Council in Vernon to kick off the Emergency of Hunger Food Drive. (Jesse Leavenworth/The Hartford Courant)

Emergency response agency and food pantry representatives gathered Thursday at the Hockanum Valley Community Council in Vernon to kick off the Emergency of Hunger Food Drive. (Jesse Leavenworth/The Hartford Courant)

HARTFORD COURANT

by Jesse Leavenworth

VERNON — Emergency response agencies in the region are teaming up again to boost food supplies for poor and struggling residents. Read the full article here…

Police, fire, emergency medical services and Rotary Club representatives gathered Thursday at the Hockanum Valley Community Council to kick off the Emergency of Hunger Food Drive. Collections are set for Saturday and Sunday at supermarkets in Manchester, South Windsor, Vernon and Rocky Hill. Collections in Windsor, Manchester and Rocky Hill also are scheduled for Nov. 22-23.

Now in its sixth year, the drive has collected a total of 147,000 food and personal care items, 4,170 turkeys and about $96,000 in cash, checks and gift cards, organizer Dave Skoczulek of the Ambulance Service of Manchester said. Collections in each town go to pantries that serve those towns, Skoczulek said.

Full article here…

Following are locations and dates for collections (locations are Stop & Shop supermarkets, unless otherwise noted):

  • Manchester, 286 Broad St. — Saturday and Sunday and Nov. 22-23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Rockville section of Vernon, 50 Windsorville Road — Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Rocky Hill, 80 Town Line Road — Saturday and Sunday and Nov. 22-23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Vernon, 10 Pitkin Road — Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • South Windsor, 1739 Ellington Road — Nov 22-23, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • South Windsor, (Geissler’s Supermarket) 965 Sullivan Ave. — Nov 22-23, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Windsor, 1095 Kennedy Road — Nov. 22-23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Born Rolling Down I-84

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Reunited two months after Kyra Deschene's birth on I-84, (l-r) Jamie and Andy Deschene, ASM paramedic supervisor Beth Sheils, holding Kyra, and ASM emergency medical technician Julie Bissell. (Jesse Leavenworth/The Hartford Courant)

Reunited two months after Kyra Deschene’s birth on I-84, (l-r) Jamie and Andy Deschene, ASM paramedic supervisor Beth Sheils, holding Kyra, and ASM emergency medical technician Julie Bissell. (Jesse Leavenworth/The Hartford Courant)

By Jesse Leavenworth

HARTFORD COURANT

MANCHESTER — Andy and Jamie Deschene had to make a quick decision on the night of Sept. 5.

Pregnant with her second child, but not due to deliver until Nov. 9, Jamie Deschene, 30, was having labor contractions when she called Andy at work and told him to hurry home. A doctor at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford told the couple that if they could make it to the hospital from their Bolton home in 20 minutes, they could drive. If not, the physician advised, call an ambulance.

Jamie’s water had not broken, and the Deschenes decided to drive. Her water broke on I-384 near the Spencer Street exit.

Soon after, the infant’s feet emerged, and the couple were faced with a potentially dangerous breach birth in their car. Andy pulled off on Exit 56 of I-84 and called 911. The off-ramp was soon bustling with state troopers, East Hartford firefighters and medics from Ambulance Service of Manchester.

Pregnant herself, ASM emergency medical technician Julie Bissell had answered four or five maternity calls within the past month. Each patient’s due date was closer than the one before, Bissell said. On the last call before the Deschenes’ emergency, the woman’s water broke on the ambulance stretcher.

Andy Deschene made his 911 call at 7:42 p.m. Within minutes, East Hartford firefighter/paramedic Tamarah Collins and firefighter Judith Geier joined Bissell and ASM paramedic supervisor Beth Sheils at the scene. They secured Jamie Deschene for transport and headed to Hartford. Read the rest of the story here…

ASM at Downtown Manchester’s ‘Halloween Happenings’ 2014

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Halloween Happenings 1Halloween Happenings 3 Halloween Happenings 2MANCHESTER — On October 25, 2014 Ambulance Service of Manchester Paramedic Genevieve Geres and AEMT Stephanie Boutot set up an “Amb-boo-lance” near Pinewood Furniture as part of Downtown Manchester’s Halloween Happenings.

Genny and Stephanie gave out treats to the trick-or-treaters making their way to each store and business taking part in the event on Main Street.

Update to CDC’s Response to Ebola

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CDCCDC Tightened Guidance for U.S. Health Care Workers on Personal Protective Equipment for Ebola

CDC is tightening previous infection control guidance for health care workers caring for patients with Ebola, to ensure there is no ambiguity. The guidance focuses on specific personal protective equipment (PPE) health care workers should use and offers detailed step by step instructions for how to put the equipment on and take it off safely.

Recent experience from safely treating patients with Ebola at Emory University Hospital, Nebraska Medical Center and National Institutes of Health Clinical Center are reflected in the guidance.

The enhanced guidance is centered on three principles:

  • All healthcare workers undergo rigorous training and are practiced and competent with PPE, including putting it on and taking it off in a systemic manner
  • No skin exposure when PPE is worn
  • All workers are supervised by a trained monitor who watches each worker putting PPE on and taking it off.

All patients treated at Emory University Hospital, Nebraska Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center have followed the three principles. None of the workers at these facilities have contracted the illness.

For more information visit:

CDC Newsroom — Tightened Guidance for U.S. Healthcare Workers on Personal Protective Equipment for Ebola Fact Sheet – Oct 20

http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/fs1020-ebola-personal-protective-equipment.html

CDC Guidance on Personal Protective Equipment To Be Used by Healthcare Workers During Management of Patients with Ebola Virus Disease in U.S. Hospitals, Including Procedures for Putting On (Donning) and Removing (Doffing) – Oct 20 Continue reading →

Department of Public Health Provides Update on Ebola to EMS

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CDOFHThe following is a message from CT-Department of Public Health:

To all EMS Organizations (including Fire and Police First Responders) and EMS Sponsor Hospitals:

Good afternoon. Attached is a “Detailed Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Checklist for Ebola Preparedness” issued by CDC and ASPR as well as a general press release from the Office of Governor Malloy on the issue.

Governor Malloy Briefed on Ebola Situation

As stated in the checklist, its purpose is to “ensure the agency is able to help its personnel detect possible Ebola cases, protect those personnel, and respond appropriately.” Coordination and communication with receiving hospitals will also be an important element of managing any suspected cases of Ebola. Please review this information and consult with your EMS Sponsor Hospital for specific guidance.

EMS Ebola Checklist

Additionally, the CDC has updated their Interim Guidance for EMS and 9-1-1 PSAPs for Management of Patients with Known or Suspected Ebola Virus Disease in the United States. The guidance may be accessed at:

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/interim-guidance-emergency-medical-services-systems-911-public-safety-answering-points-management-patients-known-suspected-united-states.html

ASM On Hand at Farm Day 2014 at Fish Family Farm

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Farm Day DBOLTON — On August 30, 2014 a crew from the Ambulance Service of Manchester was on hand at Fish Family Farm for the Lutz Children’s Museum’s Farm Day 2014. The event, which drew over 3,000 people, included animals, live music, hay rides, bounce houses, farmer’s market, games and farm fresh ice cream.

ASM performed a medical standby alongside Bolton Fire Department partners. The standby served a dual purpose as the children were able to take tours of the ambulance and fire apparatus. The ambulance crew was Heather DiGirolamo and Matt Kleza and they took pictures from the event.

Stephanie Boutot Represents ASM in Boom Box Parade Once Again

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WINDHAM — ASM appeared in Willimantic’s 29th annual Boombox Parade on July 4, 2014 care of AEMT and Field Training Officer Stephanie Boutot. Stephanie has been insistent that ASM participate each year as she was in the very first Boom Box parade.

According to the WILI 1400 AM website, the WILI July 4th “Boom Box Parade is the largest of its kind in the world. In 1986, no marching band could be found for Windham’s Memorial Day Parade. Five weeks later, the “Boom Box Parade” concept was born, as WILI plays the marching band music on the air, while thousands march and watch, loudly playing their radios (boom boxes). Anyone can march or enter a float in “Connecticut’s Unique People’s Parade.”

Hartford Hospital ED Presents Plaque Dedicated to Aetna and the Grady Family

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HARTFORD —  A plaque commemorating Aetna Ambulance and the company’s founding family, the Grady’s, was unveiled at a June 11, 2014 ceremony at Hartford Hospital’s Emergency Department. The plaque hangs in the ambulance triage area.

Remarks thanking the Grady Family and Aetna Ambulance for their contribution to EMS in the area were made by Chief Emergency Physician Dr. Jeff Finkelstein. Ms. Diane Evans, the daughter of Howard and Ethel Grady, was on hand to represent the family and accept the plaque. Photos and light refreshments followed.

Learn more about the history of Aetna Ambulance and the Grady family here…

Paralyzed Man Gets Surprise Lift To Son’s Graduation

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Read the original Fox CT story here…

LOUISA MOLLER — Fox CT

A paralyzed Connecticut man was given a special gift Monday by a generous ambulance company. Frank Foster was transported from New Britain to Danbury by the Ambulance Service of Manchester to see his only son graduate from Bethel High School.

“None of us expected this. If it wasn’t for my friends at the ambulance company, it wouldn’t have happened,” Foster said.

Foster has spent most of his time in hospitals since a devastating incident a few years ago. He suffered from an aortic aneurism resulting in a spinal cord injury.

“I was in my living room and all the sudden, I dropped to the floor. Luckily my phone was next to me,” Foster said.

He had discussed his son Paul’s graduation with ASM employees but did not learn that the company was transporting him, free of charge, until a few months later.

“Surprise is an understatement,” Foster said. Read more from Fox 61 here…

Hospital-Bound Dad Gets to See Son’s High School Graduation

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Thanks so much to Hospital for Special Care and to everyone who was able to make this happen. A special thanks to Rachel Buechele and Matt Tuttle who worked with the patient to come up with the idea .

Additional media coverage of the above story can be found here:

Hospital-Bound Dad Gets to See Son’s High School Graduation – NBC Connecticut

Bedridden Bethel father able to see son graduate – WFSB

WFSB 3 Connecticut

Bethel father gets ambulance ride to son’s graduation – News Times of Danbury

Patient information was used with express, written permission.

Thank You Letters from Bowers Elementary Career Day

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MANCHESTER — In April 2014 ASM’s Ted Oliver and Stephanie Boutot attended Bowers Elementary School Career Day to talk to the children about ambulances, Paramedics and EMTs, and medical emergencies.

The Career Day team wrote to ASM to say thank you. An excerpt reads, “Please accept our warmest thank you for volunteering your time to be a part of our Bowers School Career Day! The day was full of wonderful people like you, positive messages, and appreciative students and staff members.”

CPR & AED Awareness Week Training a Success

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CPR WeekMANCHESTER — On June 5, 2014 some 80 local residents received training in delivering CPR and operating AEDs during an Awareness Week training. The mass event was held at Mahoney Recreation Center in Manchester. Instructors were provided by ASM, Manchester’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), the town’s Health Department and Proactive Safety.

CPR Week 2Sponsored by:

  • Manchester Health Department
  • Fire-Rescue-EMS
  • Eighth Utilities District
  • CPR Program
  • Ambulance Service of Manchester
  • ProActive Safety

CPR & AED Awareness Week: Heartsaver CPR Training 2014

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CPR AEDMANCHESTER — American Heart Association Heart Saver CPR Training. CPR for Adults, Children and proper use of AED. Seats are limited-Register NOW!

Thursday, June 5, 2014: 6:00pm – 9:00pm. Mahoney Recreation Center, 110 Cedar St., Manchester

$15 for Manchester Residents  ~  $25 Non-residents. Cost includes Heartsaver Student Workbook & Certification. Must register online at https://reconline.townofmanchester.org or in person at the Community Y or by phone 860-647-3164.  Click here for more information on HEARTsafe and AED 

Sponsored by:

  • Manchester Health Department
  • Fire-Rescue-EMS
  • Eighth Utilities District
  • CPR Program
  • Ambulance Service of Manchester
  • ProActive Safety

Schedule of EMS Week 2014 Events and Activities

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EMS Week 2013 - Aetna Ambulance Ambulance Service of ManchesterEMS Week 2014

Sunday, May 18th 

  • 0700: Hartford Hospital EMS Room: Fresh fruit available.
  • 1500: Hartford Hospital EMS Room: Fresh fruit available.
  • 2300: Hartford Hospital EMS Room: Fresh fruit available.
Monday, May 19th
  • 0700-0900: Hartford Hospital EMS Room: Breakfast to be served.
Tuesday, May 20th
  • 0800-1300:  Hartford Hospital, EMS Week Symposium, Room 221 of the Educational Resource Center.
  • 1735: EMS Night at The Rock Cats, Rock Cats Stadium in New Britain: tickets available for Aetna and ASM employees through Evalyn and 100 tickets available first come first served for all local EMS through Saint Francis Care.
Wednesday, May 21st
  • 1200-1400: Hartford Hospital (outside of Conklin Building) Annual Cookout.
  • 1700-1900: Saint Francis Hospital, Emergency Department: Burrito BBQ Dinner.
  • 1730: Saint Francis Hospital EMS Champion Awards Ceremony, Emergency Department, ambulance bay area.
  • 1730-1900: Hartford Hospital (outside of Conklin Building) Annual Cookout.
Thursday, May 22nd
  • 1130-1330: Saint Francis Hospital, Emergency Department: Burrito BBQ Lunch.
  • 1800: Johnson Memorial Medical Center BBQ & CME: Two CME hours for “Responding to the Cardiac Arrest – What to do when it is time to stop!” lecture that follows BBQ at CMEC Amphitheater (the building on the right as you enter the main hospital driveway).
  • 1900-2200: Hartford Hospital – Hublein Hall: EMS Goes to the Movies. An evening of fun, popcorn and movies. 
Friday, May 23rd
  • 0700-0900: Hartford Hospital EMS Room: Breakfast to be served. 
Saturday, May 24th
  • 0700: Hartford Hospital EMS Room, Fresh Fruit available
  • 1500: Hartford Hospital EMS Room, Fresh Fruit available
  • 2300: Hartford Hospital EMS Room, Fresh Fruit available

If your organization, facility or agency is having an EMS Week event in the greater Hartford area and you do not see it listed here, please fill out the contact form, post it as a comment or email it to us at DavidS [at] asm-aetna.com.