Pike County Advanced Life Support, Inc.

On May 15, 2014 at 15:01 hours Pike County Advanced Life Support, Pennsylvania State Police and the Milford Fire Department & Ambulance were dispatched by the Pike County Communications Center for a motorcycle accident involving another vehicle on Route 6 in Dingman Township. A helicopter was initially placed on standby and then later cancelled.  The accident that occurred in the area of Buist Road resulted in one male with minor being transported to the hospital by Milford Ambulance with a Pike County ALS paramedic onboard. PA State Police investigated the incident.

Harrisburg – With the increasing popularity of motorcycling in Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Corbett has signed a proclamation commemorating May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. “More people are traveling Pennsylvania roadways on their motorcycles, but it’s important that riders and motorists alike are sharing the road safely,” Corbett said. “If car, truck and motorcycle operators follow simple steps like looking out for each other and obeying speed limits, we can work together to reduce the number of crashes and highway deaths we see each year.”Last year in Pennsylvania there were 854,493 licensed motorcyclists, a 13 percent increase from a decade ago, and 409,017 registered motorcycles, 54 percent higher than a decade ago. PennDOT data shows there were nearly 4,000 crashes involving motorcycles statewide last year, resulting in 210 fatalities. This marks an increase from 2011 when there more than 3,600 crashes involving motorcycles and 199 fatalities in those crashes.

Motorcycle safety was emphasized with Corbett’s signing of Act 84 of 2012, which requires motorcycle permit holders under 18 years old to take and successfully complete the Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program’s (PAMSP) Basic Rider Course (BRC) in order to receive their license.

The 15-hour BRC consists of five hours of in-class instruction and 10 hours of practical riding experience. The course provides valuable training for new riders and gives experienced riders the opportunity to polish their skills and correct any unsafe riding habits they may have developed. Students taking the BRC are provided with a motorcycle and helmet; however, students are responsible for providing all other protective
gear. The 15 hours of training count toward the required 65 hours of training a permit holder under 18 must complete in order to receive their license.

The PAMSP offers a variety of training to help develop safe riding skills for all motorcyclists, no matter how experienced or inexperienced the rider. The courses include: the six-hour Basic Rider Course 2 (BRC2); the eight-hour Advanced Rider Course (ARC); and the 12-hour 3-Wheeled Motorcycle  Basic Rider Course (3WBRC). (PennDot)

To help promote safety and communication among the members of the motorcycling community, PennDOT offers an interactive website designed specifically for motorcyclists: www.livefreeridealive.com. The
website challenges riders to take personal responsibility for their own safety and offers an open forum for riders to share experiences. They can also promise to be safe riders by taking the “Be One Less” pledge.

For more information on motorcycle rider training or to schedule a course, visit www.pamsp.com or call 1-800-845-9533, Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and noon.

On Friday, April 26, 2013 the Wallenpaupack Area High School’s Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) presented a mock drunk-driving car accident to educate fellow high-school students about the dangers of drinking and driving.  This event, held two days before Senior Prom at the school was viewed by approximately 400 students. The real-life scenario showed a mock two-vehicle accident, mock injuries to well-known students including the homecoming queen and school athletes, response and treatment by emergency service personnel and a mock arrest of a student.  Emergency service agencies that participated included Pike County Advanced Life Support (PCALS), Tafton Fire Company, Hawley Fire Department, Lehigh Valley MedEvac, Pennsylvania State Police and the Pike County Coroner.  First Assistant Chief of the Tafton Fire Company and PCALS Emergency Medical Technician, Michael Cozza said, “The students were very receptive to the demonstration and he hopes that by actually seeing the terrible things that could happen if someone drives intoxicated – they won’t do it.” PCALS Director of Operations, Kyle Wright reiterated Cozza by stating “One ounce of prevention goes a long way and if we can save one life, prevent one accident or avert one student from making a poor decision this demonstration was completely worth it”.  The school holds the SADD demonstration every two to three years.

Photo Credit: Wallenpaupack Area High School

On Wednesday, April 17^th, students part of the Wallenpaupack Area High School’s Emergency Responder Club visited with Pike County Advanced Life Support, Tafton Ambulance and Lackawaxen EMS at the Tafton Fire Company on Route 507 in Palmyra Township, Pike County. Students learned about training, equipment and careers in Emergency Medical Services. Students also learned how to treat several emergencies including bandaging of wounds, splinting of extremities and relief choking. Started in late 2010, the Wallenpaupack Area High School Emergency Responder Club hopes to inspire students to both consider volunteering and pursuing a career in emergency services

Wayne Memorial Hospital and Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers have launched a comprehensive study to determine the most critical unmet health care needs throughout Pike and Wayne Counties and the Carbondale area in Lackawanna County.  The study will analyze needs and associated priorities for seven different communities. The public is encouraged to participate in this effort to help determine the future direction of health care services and delivery on a local basis.

Entitled the 2013 Community Health Needs Assessment for Pike and Wayne Counties and Carbondale, Pennsylvania, the study will analyze statistical data from a variety of sources and, as importantly, gather and analyze public opinion on community needs.  The study includes an internet survey, conversations with key community and health care leadership and people receiving care at Wayne Memorial Family Health Center sites.

The internet survey, which is available to all community residents and takes about ten minutes to complete, can be accessed at

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/waynehealth

The link will be active until March 31, 2013.

The project is guided by an ad hoc committee chaired by Lee Oakes, president of the Wayne Memorial Hospital Board of Directors and composed of representatives from the hospital and health centers, Pike and Wayne Counties and the Carbondale community; the Pennsylvania Dept. of Health; PPL, Inc.; Wayne and Pike County school districts; United Ways; Chambers of Commerce; elected officials; businesses; clergy; and, financial institutions. Technical assistance is provided by HMS Associates of Getzville, NY, a nationally recognized consulting firm specializing in rural health.

Completion date for the study is June 30, 2013 and the final product will be made available to the general public via Wayne Memorial Hospital’s web site at www.wmh.org.  A similar study, completed in 2009 is currently available on the same website.  That study heightened awareness of the most urgent health care needs at the time in Wayne and Pike counties and provided valuable data used to secure grants to answer some of those needs. Included in those successes were the establishment of a new behavioral health clinic and dental clinic in Lords Valley and an expansion of the Honesdale Family Health Center, both currently under construction. (Wayne Memorial Hospital)

This week, Pike County Advanced Life Support (PCALS) will be mailing subscription notices throughout Pike and Wayne counties as part of their annual subscription drive. Annual fees are $30 for an individual, $50 for a couple, and $70 for a household, but the benefits are exceptional.

As a subscription member, you will not be billed for balances owed on services that are partly covered by your insurance carrier, including co-pays and deductibles (with the exception of deductibles mandated by Federal Law). In other words, you are not responsible for whatever fees are not covered by your insurance, unless Federal Law mandates you pay.

President Mary Lou Corbett stated, “Unfortunately we have to bill our patients, but our annual subscription drive allows participants to be protected from a large ambulance bill. The subscription drive also helps offset the cost of providing such high quality paramedic services.”

Without their dedicated staff and volunteers, many sick and injured people in Pike and Wayne Counties would suffer from lack of advanced emergency treatment before arriving at a hospital. Fortunately, since 2003, PCALS has been providing advanced life-saving support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In 2012 alone, PCALS responded to nearly 1,400 emergency calls with state-of-the-art technology, including 12-lead EKG machines, cardiac defibrillators, external pacemakers and bone drills.

Pike County ALS works with local ambulance services, which provide pre-hospital care to critically ill and injured patients in the absence of advanced life support. Local ambulance services provide basic life-saving treatment like oxygen administration, splinting and transportation, but do not include cardiac monitoring, medication administration or invasive skills such as IV therapy and surgical airways.

Pike County Advanced Life Support is a not-for-profit organization comprised of volunteer Board members, volunteer fundraisers and paid paramedics and EMTs. For more information on Pike County Advanced Life Support or how to become a subscription member, please visit www.pikeals.org or call (855) 745-3257.

The United States Congress has failed to act and the “Sequestration” is in place. What was supposed to be a rider to a bill in 2011 to incentivize the “Super Committee” to make difficult cuts, has now come back to haunt all involved, as no one ever expected we’d get to this point without an alternative plan of action.

The law that puts sequestration in place calls for any cuts to begin exactly one month from the day that the sequester order hits. The effective date was March 1, 2013, which means that the Federal Government has one month to make the cuts and the order will begin to take effect on April 1, 2013.

The cuts that will impact ambulance service is a two-percent (2%) reduction in Medicare reimbursement for ambulance services. Medicare is the largest insurer in Pike and Wayne Counties and this reduction, if continued, will definitely affect the bottom line for most ambulance services serving the area.

Contact you congressman and advise them to act now! Click here to find out who your congressman are and how to contact them.

At the Shohola Township Board of Supervisors Meeting on Thursday, February 14^th Township Supervisors discussed the possibility of choosing a different ambulance provider for Shohola Township.

Pike County Advanced Life Support (PCALS) is the current provider and has been serving Shohola Township for is advanced life support needs for over 10 years. In 2008, when the Shohola Township Fie Department had difficulty to responding to emergencies, the fire department and Township Supervisors requested that PCALS assist in providing basic life support services to the Township. In 2009, both of these parties requested PCALS become the sole ambulance provider for the Township.

During that time, PCALS has responded to hundreds of emergency calls, reduced ambulance response times by nearly fifty percent and provided quality and efficient service to the resident and visitors of Shohola Township.

PCALS has the closest EMS stations in relation to the Township, bills patients nearly half of what other services charges and has a long history of providing excellent ambulance service to Shohola Township.

PCALS has introduced new innovate patient treatments to the area and in 2010 PCALS even won an award for care given to a patient in Shohola Township.

If Shohola Township designates another ambulance provider residents may be forced to pay nearly double for ambulance service. Shohola residents cannot afford $2,000.00 for an ambulance bill.

If you have a concern about PCALS it is dealt with here in Pike County, not in an office nearly seventy miles away in a different state.

Further, PCALS may be forced to shut down one of its stations and lay off up to ten employees.  PCALS jobs are local jobs. Approximately ninety percent of PCALS employees live in Pike or Wayne Counties.

We are very concerned for the future of emergency services in Shohola Township, but you can help!

What can you do to help?

Write us to let us know that you want Pike County Advanced Life Support to continue to be the primary ambulance provider in Shohola Township. We will forward your concerns to the Township Supervisors.

Mail
Pike County ALS
Attn: Shohola Concerns
PO Box 384
Dingmans Ferry, PA 18328

E-Mail
info@pikeals.org

You can also contact the Township directly at:

Shohola Township BOS
159 Twin Lakes Road
Shohola, PA 18458

shohtwp@ptd.net

(570) 559-7394

Pike County Advanced Life Support (PCALS) released its 2012 Annual Report last week. This 20 page report is intended to provide information regarding the operations of PCALS during 2012 to elected officials, other emergency service agencies and the general public.

In 2012, PCALS responded to 1,389 incidents in 31 different municipalities and PCALS units travelled over 78,000 miles.

Pike County ALS units 401-2 and 401-5 and Shohola Fire Police at a medical emergency in early 2012.

Automatic Vehicle Locators (AVLs) were installed in the remaining PCALS vehicles. First implemented in 2011, AVLs allow the Communications Center to track the location, direction traveling and speed of ALS units in real-time. The system  is integrated with Google Maps so in addition to regular street maps, the Communications Center has access to satellite imagery, high resolution aerial photography, terrain maps, a live traffic feed and street view photographs.

Mobile and portable radios were either reprogramed or replaced to comply with Federal Communications Center narrowbanding requirements. The change to narrowband frequencies is to increase the efficiently and availability of the radio spectrum in the UHF and VHF private land mobile bands. This in turn will provide for less interference with extended specialized mobile radio such as cellular telephones.

PCALS added one additional medication to its pre-hospital treatments, bringing the total amount of medications and IV solutions carried on PCALS units up to 37.  PCALS continued to provide quality improvement data to the regional department of health regulating ambulance services.

PCALS was awarded Pocono Medical Center’s STEMI Cup Award for an emergency incident that occurred in January of 2012 in which a patient had a heart attack in the Pocono Mountain Lake Forest Community. The award was given for PCALS’s role in the “door to balloon angioplasty” time of 28 minutes. It is the fastest time for Pocono Medical Center in the 2011-2012 reporting year.  Door-to-balloon is a time measurement in emergency cardiac care, specifically in the treatment of a STEMI, “heart attack”.

PCALS increased its educational requirement for personnel to triple what the Pennsylvania Department of Health requires. In March, several personnel from PCALS attended the EMS Today Conference in Baltimore, MD and in October, several personnel attended the 17^th Annual Pocono EMS Conference in Pocono Manor, PA. Throughout the year, PCALS provided several courses for the volunteers of local fire departments and ambulance squads. PCALS was also reaccredited as a Continuing Education Sponsor for an additional three years. This accreditation allows the Pennsylvania Department of Health to give continuing education credit to those EMS providers who attend classes sponsored by Pike County Advanced Life Support.

In order to improve our communications, PCALS launched a new phone system consolidating several numbers into one incoming number – (855) PIKE-ALS / (855) 745-3257. This number now has an emergency extension that will be answered 24/7.

In July, Emergency Medical Services of Northeastern Pennsylvania (EMS of NEPA), an affiliate of the Pennsylvania Department of Health conducted the triennial inspection of PCALS. EMS of NEPA completed an inspection of PCALS’s records to ensure that PCALS has developed and maintained all required documents. In addition, EMS of NEPA inspected each emergency response vehicle ensuring that it is equipped and supplied for advanced life support service.

PCALS participated in several public outreach activities including parades, special event standbys and public health campaigns. Fundraises included a Spaghetti Dinner at the Delaware Township Municipal Building, a Penny Social at St. Vincent’s Church, a Tricky Tray at the Delaware Valley High School and the annual Lottery Calendar Fundraiser.

To request a copy of the full Pike County Advanced Life Support 2012 Annual Community Report or if you have any questions about PCALS call (855) 745-3257.