The IEMSA Mission
To provide a voice and promote
the highest quality and standards of Iowa’s Emergency Medical
Services.
IEMSA CELEBRATES EMS WEEK
IEMSA began EMS Week with a
special EMS Memorial Ceremony on Saturday, May 18 in West Des
Moines. A photo slideshow of the event has been put together and is
available for viewing
here. Thank you for your service!
CLAY COUNTY IOWA CELEBRATES EMS WEEK
Local TV stations will run a special ad honoring EMS providers in
Clay County next week as part of EMS Week 2013. Stay tuned to local
TV in Clay County to see the spot, or watch it on IEMSA's Facebook
page
here now.
AMERICAN AMBULANCE ASSOCIATION SURVEY
The American Ambulance Association (AAA) has commissioned The Moran
Company to survey ambulance service providers and suppliers to
collect data on the costs of providing ambulance services to
Medicare patients. The AAA is conducting the survey as part of a
broader effort to make the current temporary Medicare ambulance
relief permanent and determine potential future reforms of the
Medicare ambulance fee schedule. The AAA is strongly encouraging
service providers to participate in the survey and provide cost data
to The Moran Company. Data will be held in strict confidentiality by
The Moran Company which will share only its overall findings with
the AAA.
 NEW
IEMSA VOICE ONLINE NOW
The latest issue of The Voice newsletter is
available on the Publications page
now. Are you an IEMSA member looking for back issues? Then head to
the Members Only section here! Not
an IEMSA member? Learn more about IEMSA membership
here today!
 SEN. DANIELSON RESPONDS TO
DES MOINES REGISTER ARTICLE
A YouTube video of Sen. Jeff Danielson's response to the Des Moines
Register article can be viewed
here.
DES MOINES REGISTER ARTICLE
April 11 Update
The Des Moines Register has published
IEMSA’s response to the article, “EMTs and Emergency Medical
Services: How a broken system endangers Iowans,” which appeared in
the Sunday, April 7 edition of their paper. You’ll find IEMSA's
response in the Opinion Section of today’s paper, or you can view
the online version
here.
IEMSA RESPONDS TO
DES MOINES REGISTER ARTICLE
The Iowa Emergency Medical Services Association would like to
discuss further Clark Kauffman's article published in the Sunday,
April 7 edition of the Des Moines Register. IEMSA proudly represents
both the paid and volunteer, as well as the taxpayer-funded and
private EMS services across Iowa. The breadth of our membership
allows us to view the crucial issues facing the EMS profession in
our state from a variety of perspectives.
IEMSA has long advocated for EMS to be considered an "essential
service" at all levels of local government. We believe that this is
the root of many of the problems raised in the articles. Our
brothers and sisters in law enforcement and fire protection receive
this distinction (and the funding that goes with it), while EMS does
not. We have been asking the Legislature to address this for years,
and hopefully these articles will bring this grave disparity further
attention.
Until this happens, not all Iowans can avail themselves of the
benefits of ambulance service when they call 911. For example, many
municipal EMS programs have been subsumed into the fire departments;
however, those economies of scale may not benefit residents of
townships or unincorporated areas, which are not required to provide
EMS to their citizens. Those that do provide EMS in smaller
communities work tirelessly every day to find funding, equipment and
personnel. While the spirit of the EMS Volunteers in our state is
unmatched, it is a shame that the financial support to provide
emergency medical care to Iowans in some communities is contingent
on an annual chili supper, bake sale or other such type of
fundraiser. Iowans deserve better than that.
We have been opposed on this request by organizations representing
some local governments claiming that this is an unfunded mandate. Of
course this is a mandate on local governments - it should be. What
is the purpose of a local government if it is not going to provide
public safety to those in its jurisdiction? Public safety is one of
the first reasons people form governments. You might feel content in
your home in West Des Moines knowing that the EMS is only a few
minutes away, but what happens if you are in a car accident in rural
Iowa? Can you really afford to wait 30 minutes to an hour at that
point?
In the state of Iowa, volunteerism is a key component of public
safety. Our rural EMS services in Iowa have been struggling for
years to develop and maintain the staffing levels necessary to run
their programs. It's easy to choose between a fully-trained
volunteer with a spotless background and one with some history of
criminal or civil mischief, and our volunteer departments do make
the right choices every day. While the dedication and commitment of
the volunteers in our state is second to none, the individual
sacrifice is beginning to fall short in some communities today,
leaving them vulnerable. This is also an issue that needs further
discussion, and a true commitment of those.
It is absolutely crucial for Iowans to understand the deep-rooted
structural problems that EMS faces in our great state. Mr.
Kauffman's article shows the wide variety of issues facing an
under-funded and under-staffed EMS system in Iowa. In fact, two
bills were introduced this year (SF 346 and HF 347) that would have
created a task force to review the many problems facing EMS and
propose solutions to try and answer the very questions Mr. Kauffman
raises. We hope the Legislature can help us address these concerns,
because the future of so many Iowans depends on it.
Sincerely,
Jerry Ewers
President
Iowa Emergency Medical Services Association
IOWA CARE COSTS
If you are a service director, please complete
this
survey regarding Iowa Care costs. Your assistance is greatly
appreciated! You can access the survey
here.
EMS PATIENT SAFETY ERROR REPORT
 The
Center for Leadership, Innovation, and Research in EMS (CLIR) with
sponsorship provided by the North Central EMS Institute (NCEMSI),
the National EMS Management Association (NEMSMA), the Emergency
Medical Services Chiefs of Canada (EMSCC), the National Association
of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) and the National
Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMSO) has released the third
quarter, 2012 aggregated report of the anonymous EMS Voluntary Event
Notification Tool (E.V.E.N.T.) for reported patient safety events.
You can download the PDF file
here.
Additional Links
SPRING/SUMMER OFFICE HOURS
The IEMSA office is open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9:00
AM to 3:00 PM. If you need assistance or have a question, email the
office at
administration@iemsa.net
or call 515-225-8079 and leave a
message.
Transition Requirements
Click here
to go to the Bureau of EMS webpage that has all the information on
what you need to do to transition and the timeline to make that
transition.
Join IEMSA On Facebook
Join us on
Facebook! IEMSA members can join our Facebook page. It’s a great
way to interact with other EMS providers, share ideas, get
information, and more. There are also photos from the 2012 EMS
Cruise posted.
UPCOMING 2013 EVENTS
Another successful conference is over, but we are busy planning for
2013. Please visit the
Training page for more details as they
become available!
Attention Adventure
Seekers!
IEMSA has joined the hunt and has
activated their first geocache. Geocaching is a real-world outdoor
treasure hunting game. Players try to locate hidden containers,
called geocaches, using GPS-enabled devices and then share their
experiences online. See your April-June 2011 issue of The Voice
for more information.
A Trackable will be added to the site today, Wednesday, May 18. A
Trackable is a cache that moves from place to place, picking up
stories along the way. Be the first to discover the trackable and
send it on its way! The information inside the trackable will focus
on the importance of early recognition of cardiac arrest. IEMSA
hopes to spread this message throughout the upcoming year.
For those of you who plan to join the hunt, we are providing you
with a very special hint: N 41° 33.633 W 093° 49.100.
Group Purchasing
Group Purchasing Discounts are available to Affiliate Members in
good standing. Click here
for more information. Please log into your Members Only account if
prompted.
Visitors since
February 23, 2009
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