CHKD now a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center
The Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk obtained conditional Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center designation by the Virginia Department of Health. In anticipation of this approval following a successful site visit in late July, the council’s Trauma Triage and OMD Committees revised and approved revisions to the Tidewater EMS Prehospital and Inter-Hospital Regional Trauma Triage Plan. The change is primarily the addition of CHKD to page 13 of the plan as a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center. For purposes of the regional plan, pediatric patients are those less than 15 years of age. The services include burn treatment as well. CHKD announced they will initiate the Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center services on October 2, 2017. EMS providers should immediately utilize CHKD as a destination for pediatric patients who meet criteria defined in the regional trauma triage plan (see pages 5-8). Facilities should utilize CHKD for transfers for pediatric patients with a trauma score less than or equal to 6 (see pages 9 and 10).
Medication administration is an essential skill for EMS providers but it is also one of the riskier procedures because of potential adverse effects due to errors. One of the best ways to avoid mistakes is by using the "six rights" of medication administration. The six rights are easy to remember.
Diabetic care practices are often overlooked in EMS. Blood glucose testing can expose people to bloodborne viruses such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C Virus, and HIV when testing supplies and materials are used on multiple patients. Outbreaks of Hepatitis B infection associated with unsafe diabetes care have been identified with increasing regularity particularly is settings where individuals require assistance with monitoring their blood glucose levels and glucometers are used on multiple patients. EMS is one of these settings.
The Tidewater EMS Council, Inc. seeks proposals from qualified EMS educators, organizations and jurisdictions (“vendors”) to plan and conduct Category 1 EMS continuing education courses and/or EMS auxiliary courses throughout the Tidewater EMS region. The council intends to contract with one or more vendors or optionally employ individuals to plan and conduct these courses. Funding associated with this program is available for approved courses conducted between August 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018.
