PULSE Magazine | October 2019 Issue

P U L S E October 2019 ANAUSTIN-TRAVIS COUNTY EMS PUBLICATION

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ON THE COVER: Pretty as a picture! Communications Captain Tara Spencer

October 2019

Contents

Featured News

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ATCEMS WINS CIVIC FUTURES AWARD

On Wednesday, October 2, 2019, Austin-Travis County EMS won the Civic Futures Award for the Recruitment Messaging project, a collaboration between EMS and the City of Austin’s Innovations office .

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NATIONAL CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY WEEK

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When it comes to child safety, ATCEMS Injury Prevention’s goal is to ensure that all children are properly secured in an appropriate car seat or booster seat. A child’s age, weight, and height can all play a factor when determining proper safety harnesses, so it’s important to keep up-to-date with all current safety regulations and suggestions.

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RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS

Six weeks ago, an Apple watch appeared on the desk at Medic 9. Somebody finally said they found the watch on the gurney, but had no idea who owned the watch. An ATCEMS medic made an extraordinary effort to find the owner of the watch.

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FALL PREVENTION & COMMUNITY EDUCATION

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Clinical Specialist and Injury Prevention team mem- ber Cheryl Bakhtiari conducted recently conducted a safety presentation at Gold’s Gym for members of the Silver Sneakers group. Community Relations & Injury Prevention team members routinely engage in these types of presentations to provide valuable information to our community concerning falls and how to mitigate them.

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HALLOWEEN SAFETY ON AND OFF THE ROAD

Here’s a scary statistic: Children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year! In 2017 October ranked Number 2 in motor vehicle deaths by month, with 3,700 deaths.

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Division News

In Every Issue

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FACILITIES DIVISION UPDATE

The Austin-Travis County EMS Facilities Division oversees all aspects of the department as it relates to our brick and mortar buildings and stations. This includes EMS Headquarters, training building, and the academy facility.

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EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION

ATCEMS employees receive kudos, special thanks and congratulations for a job well done.

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SAFETY SCORECARD

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Our Safety Division wraps up statistics from FY2019.

CUSTOMER SERVICE SURVEY

Results from the ATCEMS Customer Callback Program.

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WHAT IS: HEALTH?

In 1986, the World Health Organization (WHO) further clarified that health is defined as: "A resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities."

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Each year, our City organization demonstrates its commitment to our community through our annual City of Austin Combined Charities Campaign (COACCC). It’s our chance to positively affect our communities through giving to charitable organizations serving causes near and dear to our hearts. Our 2019 campaign runs October 1 st through October 31 st . With outcomes ranging from pets finding homes and the planting of trees to healthy food options for the homeless, our campaign offers a wide selection of charitable organizations for you to choose from, each of which addresses an important need in the Austin community. You’re sure to find at least one, if not many, organizations that serve the needs of our community that represent your area of interest. With your support, charities will receive the ongoing funding required to provide these important services, which are needed every day of the year. The charities and their programs serve your communities, your neighbors, and perhaps you and your family. Remember: Every dollar counts, and no pledge is too small.

To make a pledge online visit COACCC on Cityspace.

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While the prevalence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in the United States has decreased by 50% over the last 20 years, SIDS remains the leading cause of death for U.S. infants 1 month to 1 year of age. Each year, about 4,000 infants die unexpectedly during sleep time from SIDS.

This SIDS Awareness Month , is to highlight SIDS resources and research to help parents, caregivers, and medical professionals reduce the risk of SIDS.

SIDS is defined as the sudden, unexplained death of an infant younger than 1 year of age that remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation. This includes a complete autopsy, a full examination of the death scene, and a review of the infant’s and family health history. The exact cause of SIDS remains unknown—in fact, researchers suspect multiple conditions may lead to SIDS —but we do know many ways to reduce a baby’s risk.

The campaign provides information on how to create a safe sleep environment for babies, as well as on ways to reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death, including:

 Place a baby on his or her back when you are putting them to bed. Make sure to do this at all times. It’s a common mistake that parents think placing a child on their back to sleep may cause them to choke on spit-up, but their gag reflex will wake them up and stop them from choking. If a child sleeps on their stomach, they are more likely to breathe in less air.  Use a firm sleep surface, like a mattress in a safety approved crib. Put a tightly fitted sheet over the mattress. It’s very important That you keep toys, even cuddly teddy bears, out of the crib while the infant sleeps. The less that’s in the crib, the less chance there is of suffocation when a baby is rolling around in their sleep.  The baby can share your room, but not your bed. Even though it may be tempting to snuggle your little one at all hours of the night, accidental suffocation and strangulation can happen quite easily if you share a bed. Sharing a bed may increase the chance of SIDS by about 50%.  Dress your baby in cozy sleep clothing instead of using a blanket.  Making sure nothing covers your baby’s face or head  Keeping pillows, blankets, or crib bumpers out of your baby’s sleep area  Breastfeeding your baby  Do not allow smoking around your baby. Smoking around an infant is a major risk factor for SIDS.

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ATCEMS Wins Civic Futures Award

On Wednesday, October 2, 2019, Austin-Travis County EMS won the Civic Futures Award for the Recruitment Messaging project , a collaboration between EMS and the City of Austin’s Innovations office. Austin Mayor Steve Adler opened the ceremony congratulating this years award recipients and Mary Hoad, HR Supervisor for EMS Recruiting, accepted the award on behalf of ATCEMS in the “Unlocking Human Potential” category recognizing the team’s work in 2018. Mary described the year long project in a panel discussion at the ceremony (pictured above) moderated by University of Texas Professor Rich Reddick. The project’s Core Team conducted months of research resulting in a comprehensive marketing plan which helped redefine the strategies and methods EMS Recruiting uses to recruit potential candidates. The project produced two distinct marketing campaigns: “You Care for the Community, We Care for You” which targets candidates for Field Operations. The second campaign, “ Heroes Behind the Headsets” targets potential candidates for Emergency Communications. The success of both campaigns along with the hard work and diligence of the EMS Recruiting team resulted in an increased candidate pool and more qualified applicants participating in hiring processes. Congratulations to everyone involved in the project and to Austin-Travis County EMS for another significant award win!

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New career paths for emergency medical professionals City of Austin Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

The problem Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services needed to increase its hiring pool and wanted a more diverse workforce. EMS roles allow for a multitude of backgrounds with training to move through the possible career paths. How might we attract and recruit qualified, experienced medics into EMS? Solution / Approach EMS conducted qualitative research with current staff and analogous careers with the community to understand how to attract candidates to fill the diverse set of roles that are required to operate emergency medical services. They developed new strategies for hiring and recruiting based on research that highlighted where roles in EMS could provide career path growth for members of our community that might not normally perceive this path as achievable . Core Team Key Advisors Lisa Sepulveda EMS Chief Ernesto Rodriguez Hillary Berquist Tina Graves Julia Byron Mary Hoad Michael Henderson Rance Marion Courtney Jacinic Assistant Chief Teresa Gardner

What can make it sustainable? Continuing to iterate on where we might look for candidates and our outreach strategy. Current roles will continue to change with time, and career paths will continue to evolve.

Advice to others Involving executive leadership helps to ensure that initiatives that show value are priori- tized and implemented. It’s key to involve stakeholders as recruitees and internal staff for implementation.

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FACTS TO KNOW ABOUT BREAST CANCER

 In the US, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.

 Breast cancer deaths have been declining since 1990 thanks to early detection, better screen- ing, increased awareness, and new treatment options.  Each year it is estimated that over 220,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die.

 The most significant risk factors for breast cancer are being female and aging. About 95% of all breast cancers in the US occur in women 40 and older.  Women who get regularly screened for breast cancer have a 47% lower risk of dying from the disease compared to those who don’t.

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 Every minute, somewhere in the world, a woman dies from breast cancer. That’s more than 1,400 women every day.

 Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the US and the first leading cause of cancer death among women globally.

 A man’s lifetime the risk of breast cancer is about 1 in 1,000.

 In the US today, there are more than 3.5

million breast cancer survivors — the largest group of all cancer survivors.

 Each year, it’s expected that about 2,670 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the US, and about 500 will die.

 Every 2 minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the US.

October is BREAST CANCER Awareness Month

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Six weeks ago, an Apple watch appeared on the desk at Medic 9. Somebody finally said they found the watch on the gurney, but had no idea who owned the watch. Medics at EMS Station 9 charged the watch but it had never been “pinged” by the owner to find it, possibly because the cell service in the hospi- tal is spotty at best. Last week one of the medics at Station 9 (who wishes to remain anonymous) decided to take the watch to the Apple store to see if they could help find the owner. As it turns out, there is no way to “ping” in the other direction to the watch owner. Our medic stayed while Apple store employees charged the watch just in case the owner still had the “find my watch” app turned on, in which case once the watch was fully charged it would send an alert. But unfortu- nately there was still no luck. Our EMS medic was about to leave the Apple store and one of the employees noticed that the watch owner had set a medi- cal ID tab that included his contact information and wife’s phone number. Our anonymous medic shot a picture of the watch and texted the owner’s wife who immediately respond- ed back. She couldn’t believe the watch had been found! Both the owner and his wife were incredibly grateful. The wife told our medic that her husband had been in an MVA in Austin and transported by ATCEMS to an area hospital. The watch must have been removed during treatment and accidentally left on the gurney. The couple were amazed that our medic took the time to track down the owner and that the watch had not been lost forever. The watch owner provided his address and our ATCEMS medic mailed the package to San Antonio. The owner received the watch in the mail a few days ago. As it turns out, the watch owner is a member of Air Force Special Forces. So our medic did an incredible Random Act of Kindness by going above and beyond the call of duty and tak- ing the time to locate the owner and return the watch. Our medic provided excellent customer service while honoring a member of our military. Way to go! A very special thank you to the medic who provided this story.

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Facilities Division

The Austin-Travis County EMS Facilities Division oversees all aspects of the department as it relates to our brick and mortar buildings and stations. This includes EMS Headquarters, training building, and the academy facility. We have 44 stations that must be maintained with most medics working for 24-hour shifts in those stations. In some instances we have stand alone EMS stations and in some instances we co-locate with the fire department. The EMS Facilities Project Coordinator, Gadiel Arellano, will be working on the upcoming projects listed on the following page to ensure EMS accommodations meet the needs of our staff for many years to come.

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ATCEMS Facilities

EMS/ Rebuild Renovations

NEW EMS Fire Stations Underway

EMS Facility upgrades remodels

EMS Renovations

NEW EMS Fire Station

Bond funds dictate reno- vations only

EMS/Fire Collabration

In conjunction with Fire

Completed Joint Station

24 hour staffing

EMS station 12 Fire 22 Rebuild 2020

Diesel exhaust/ plymovent station upgrade

Del Valle Moore’s Crossing Under construction

EMS 2 Station Renovation complete

EMS station 20 Fire station 49

EMS station 6 Fire 1 Renovations 2021

Travis Country Site located design phase

EMS Headquarters Situation Room upgrade

EMS Station 8 Renovation complete

EMS Headquarters 5th floor expansion

Loop 360 Davenport planning

EMS Station 11 Renovation underway Completion early 2020

2018 Bond Project

EMS Station

EMS station 1 /5/13 ~ Fire 23 renovation design phase 2020 EMS 7/AFD 8 EMS 10/Fire 25 renovation design phase next 3 yrs

Goodnight Ranc h Planning

4 / 15 / 18

Canyon Creek 620 Planning

EMS Station Demand 4 / 6

Punch list/warranty work continues

2012 Bond funds coupled with Fire Phase V/Phase VI locker room expansion.

2006 GO Public Safety Bond funds for building renovations. EMS headquarters completion late February 2020

EMS 2018 Bond: EMS allocated $25,000 Fire allocated $10,000

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By Mike von Wupperfeld, Senior Safety Specialist

HALLOWEEN SAFETY ON AND OFF THE ROAD Here’s a scary statistic: Children are more than tw ice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year! In 2017 October ranked Number 2 in motor vehicle deaths by month, with 3,700 deaths. Often there is a fine line between Halloween fun and safety concerns, especially when it comes to road and pedestrian safety. S afety Tips for Motorists During trick-or-treat hours in neighborhoods or when near any of Austin entertainment districts on Halloween – Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways. Prime trick-or-treating hours in neighborhoods is often 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.  Enter and exit driveways and alleys carefully! Buildings and vegetation can block sight lines / impair a driver’s view especially in or near entertainment venues.  At twilight and later in the evening, watch for children and partygoers in dark clothing and costumes.  Especially near the entertainment districts and bars, watch out for impaired pedestrians and impaired drivers. Drunk walking can be as dangerous as drunk driving. Costume Safety The American Academy of Pediatrics has compiled a list of Halloween safety tips. Before Halloween arrives, be sure to choose a costume that won’t cause safety hazards.  All costumes, wigs and accessories should be fire-resistant  Avoid masks, which can obstruct vision  If children are allowed out after dark, fasten reflective tape to their costumes and bags, or give them glow sticks  When buying Halloween makeup, make sure it is nontoxic and always test it in a small area first  Remove all makeup before children go to bed to prevent skin and eye irritation When on the prowl for Halloween Goodies  A responsible adult should accompany young children on the neighborhood rounds  If your older children are going alone, plan and review a route acceptable to you  Children and adults are reminded to put electronic devices down when walking, keep heads up and walk, don't run across a street.  Avoid the use of ear buds and headsets while walking as they block outside noises that could alert the wearer to danger  Teach children to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.  Watch for cars that are turning or backing up.  Teach children to never dart out into the street or cross between parked cars  Teach your children never to enter a stranger's home or car  Instruct children to travel only in familiar, well-lit areas and stick with their friends  Agree on a specific time children should return home  Tell your children not to eat any treats until they return home and a parent can inspect the treats. Every Halloween injuries occur from candy that has been tampered with. Some hospitals even offer free X-rays of Halloween candy to ensure its safety from hidden objects.  Take extra time to look for children walking on roadways, medians, and curbs 

References: Nat’l Safety Council, Safe Kids USA, American Academy of Pediatrics

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SAFETY SCORECARD

All percentages are for FY2019

Fleet Collisions 69% of our total collisions have been preventable by the driver. 23% of our preventable collisions are due to spatial awareness on the right side of the unit.

11% of our preventable collisions are due to pivot point errors. 10% of our preventable collisions are due to backing skill errors. 26% of our preventable collisions happen between the hours of 1800-2200. 24% of our preventable collisions occur on Friday.

Driving Pearls  To avoid following too closely, allow yourself at least 3-4 seconds following distance in good conditions, more if weather and road conditions are less than optimum.  A vehicle’s Total Stopping Distance is the combination of perception distance plus reaction distance plus braking distance. As a reminder, our ambulances weigh 4 to 5 times more than the average passenger car or mid-sized SUV and they take longer and further to stop. “Recalibrate” your needed stopping distance to allow for the heavier ambulance when on the job.  When backing or maneuvering on a scene, you may need more than one backer just because of scene circumstances. Don’t hesitate to enlist the aid of firefighters or police officers to act as a ground guide / backer. Some of our backing collisions could have been prevented by use of a second backer / ground guide.  When backing, don’t forget to think about the front end of the unit. When turning and backing, the front end will swing and can easily strike objects.  Drivers, do a 360° walk around of your ambulance before getting in the drivers seat. OJI’s and Exposures 20% of our reported OJI’s dealt with body movement; 26% of those involved getting in and out of the ambulance. 24% of our reported OJI’s were exposures; 50% of exposures occurred in the back of the unit.

***You can prevent your exposure***

19% of reported OJI’s involved a combative patient.

Prevention is Key

Utilize good body mechanics Get plenty of rest prior to your shift and come prepared to work Exercise and good diet are proven methods to prevent injury and illness Recognize high risk patients for exposures Wear your PPE

As a reminder, our Sharps Shuttles are single use devices . Once used, they should be locked closed and promptly disposed of in a larger Sharps Container as biohazardous waste. They should not be reused.

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PEER SUPPORT P rofessional E ffective E mpathic R espectful

“Shoulder to Shoulder we will NEVER walk alone”

Confidential line 855-321-3332

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Community Relations

National Child Passenger Safety Week

When it comes to child safety, ATCEMS Injury Prevention’s goal is to ensure that all children are properly secured in an appropriate car seat or booster seat. A child’s age, weight, and height can all play a factor when determining proper safety harnesses, so it’s important to keep up-to-date with all current safety regulations and suggestions. Every day parents and caregivers drive young children to and from school, daycare, and around town in car seats and boosters. Yet nearly half of all car seats are installed incorrectly, which means your child may not be traveling as safely as possible.

During the week of September 15th the ATCEMS Injury Prevention team was out in the community checking and distributing car seats during Nation Child Passenger Safety Week with many of our partners. It was a successful week at keeping our children safe on the streets while riding in a vehicle. ATCEMS held events with partners in the following counties:

Burnet

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Travis x2

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Fayette

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Williamson x2

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Caldwell

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Blanco

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 8 car seat check events held across 6 Counties  138 car seats checked  96 car seats distributed In addition, 30 Child Passenger Safety Technicians received six Continuing Education hours via our CPS Update Class during this productive week.

Partners for events: Ascension Seton Edgar B. Davis , Lockhart EMS , North Blanco County EMS , Marble Falls Area EMS , City of Burnet Fire Department, Fayette County EMS , Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service , Williamson County Emergency Services , St. David's Round Rock Medical Center , Leander Police Department , Hutto Police Department , Hutto Fire Rescue , & St. David's Medical Center

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As National Fall Prevention Week came to a close, here is a look at one of the presentations that Clinical Specialist C. Bakhtiari conducted. This particular presentation took place at Gold’s Gym for members of the Silver Sneakers group. Community Relations & Injury Prevention team members routinely conduct safety presentations and provide valuable infor- mation to our community members concerning falls and how to mitigate them. National Fall Prevention Week September 23—29

Exercise and avoiding falls is extremely important when you look at the statistics regarding falls in the elderly:

- 1/3 over age 65 fall each year - 1/2 of those 80 yrs of age & over fall each year - Falls account for 80% of fractures in seniors

- Falls account for 25% of all hospital admissions in seniors - Falls account for 40% of all nursing home admissions - 40% admitted to nursing homes NEVER return to independent living and of those 25% will die within one year

The ATCEMS Senior Safety and Fall Prevention Program has trained technicians that conduct FREE in-home safety assessments to identify potential fall risks and hazards and address issues for seniors that are causing injury and death.

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Office Of The Medical Director City Of Austin / Travis County Welcoming a new colleague as we say goodbye to another

Dr. Heidi Abraham

Dr. Kate Remick

We are pleased to announce the addition of Heidi Abraham, MD, FAEMS, as an Associate Medical Director in the Office Of The Medical Director - City Of Austin Travis County . Dr. Abraham started her career as an EMT. She completed her Emergency Medicine residency as a chief resident at the Wright State University Integrated Residency in Emergen- cy Medicine. While in residency, she was the assistant medical director for Fairborn Fire Department, a tactical medic with local SWAT teams, and involved in MCI and disaster preparedness in her region. She completed the EMS and Disaster medicine fellowship at University of Texas at Houston, serving as an assistant medical director for Houston Fire Department for two years.

We have been very fortunate to have Dr. Remick over the last seven years as an Asso- ciate Medical Director, during which time she also served as an interim Deputy Medical Di- rector. Dr. Remick has been instrumental in growing our clinical practice into one that is focusing on improvement, patient and provider safety. It is with regret that we an- nounce the resignation of Dr. Remick from our system. Dr. Remick will be greatly missed. Her passion and compassion, enthu- siasm at the office, in taking care of patients, on the phone and in meetings will remain with us here at the Office of the Medical Di- rector because of who she is and the legacy that she leaves. Good luck in your future en- deavors Dr. Remick you will be greatly missed.

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PIO

Captain Christa Stedman, Deputy PIO

We are pleased to announce that Captain Christa Stedman has been assigned to the EMS PIO team. Captain Stedman has been with Austin-Travis County EMS since 2007. During her tenure, Christa has served as a Field paramedic, Field Captain, and is cross trained in Communications. In addition to her Austin-Travis County EMS experience, Christa also spent five years volunteering with Safe Call Now, as a Peer Advocate, supporting other First Responders in Crisis. She obtained her Paramedic Certification from Austin Community College in 2007, and before she started in EMS, she volunteered with the Austin Police Department’s Victim Services Crisis Team.

Christa is a fifth generation Texan, and is an Austin original, having been born & raised here. Christa’s education, in concert with her Department and life experiences, make her well qualified and a great addition to the PIO team.

Congratulations Captain Stedman on your new assignment.

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Our values and principles are Excellence in Service, by People Who Care. Your dedication and commitment serve as a vital link in the chain which drives our department. The Years of Service award symbolizes the time you’ve given to help us as we pursue those values and principles. It is also a token of appreciation for the part you’ve played in making ATCEMS what it is today. Your talents and efforts already have helped us achieve excellence in many areas. YEARS OF SERVICE RECOGNIZING LOYALTY & LONGEVITY

Captain M. McDaniel 20 years

Clinical Specialist C. Rust 20 years

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OUT IN THE COMMUNITY

B. Palmer B. Fonnesbeck

Attended the Travis County ESD 4 & Faith and Trust Community Bible Church Community Picnic. About 150 community members were in attended. This was a great opportunity for our medics to talk about our role in the community and provide attendees a first hand look at our ambulance and equipment.

B. Palmer and B. Fonnesbeck (above)

C. Lydon ( below) talking with the Daisy Girl Scouts

Community Services Program Manager L. Sepulveda teaching Hands-Only CPR at the St. Edward's University Safety fair. “Topper” the St. Edward’s mascot learned how to use an AED!

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ATCEMS medics participated in multiple neighborhood parties for National Night Out, which is an annual campaign that promotes the building of relationships between our communities, Police, Fire and EMS crews that serve them. Medics from Medic 2, Medic 8, Medic 15, Medic 24, Medic 33, Demand 6 and Demand 8, all attended block parties in their districts, and gave attendees tours of our ambulances and equipment.

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ATCEMS Medics along with public safety partners from Austin Police Department & Austin Fire Depart- ment took part in an active shooter training drill in downtown Austin. The goal from these exercises is to drill at stopping the shooter, prevent fatalities, and transportation of casualties. Our medics focus on caring for casualties at the point of injury to prevent fatalities and disability of patients. The OMD, ATCEMS Division Chiefs, District Commanders, field and Special Operations ambu- lances, and Special Events staff participated in the exercise. Training with our partners to save lives.

ACL Fest 2019

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Employee Recognition

KUDOS

AWESOME

Kudos for Commander Fitzpatrick.

Kim Blumberg and I are working on m05 today, and it has been a crazy busy shift. We haven’t had time at station to eat meals today. A few hours ago, Fitz showed up on scene of a call to check on us and see if we needed anything. I jokingly said “a pizza”, but appreciated that he took the time to check in on us even though we aren’t his truck. Well, when we finished turning over patient care at the hospital, Fitz walked into the break room with a giant pizza! It was incredibly kind of him, and instantly made our day a thousand times better! Fitz always goes above and beyond to take care of us medics and I am grateful for him.

Mel

M. Malone, Field Medic

Good Morning!

I wanted to thank you both, for communicating to EMS to attend our Community Picnic on Saturday. What they shared was very informative/enlighten! Please let them know we appreciate with they are doing daily for/in the community. May God always bless and protect them!

Thanks again, take care

Trina Rush Program Specialist, Third Party Recovery Office of Inspector General Texas Health & Human Services Commission

Welcome

We are pleased to announce Nichole Koerth as our new HOST Administrative Assistant. Please welcome Nichole in her new role with EMS.

Amelia Muraida, ATCEMS Human Resource Specialist

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CONGRATS

CHP Medics Right Place Right Time

On September 19th, ATCEMS Community Health Paramedics were attending a training event with Austin Travis County Integral Care. Amy White Program Director White with the Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (MCOT) was the opening speaker that day. During Amy’s speech she suffered a sudden cardiac arrest event. Lucky for Amy, ATCEMS CHP medics sprung into action and were able to rapidly start CPR within seconds.

Amy was successfully resuscitated and was transported to a local hospital. We are happy to announce that she has made a full recov- ery and recently met up with the medics who saved her life. Pictured from left to right are: CHP M. Sasser, CHP A. Blouin, Amy White, CHP A. Price, CHP D. Cummings, and CHP S. Powell-Evans. Not pictured, CHP N. Monson.

MEDIC OF THE MONTH

Congratulations to ATCEMS Medic H. Lawless for being named St. David's Medical Center ER Medic of the Month! The ER staff says that "He is helpful, knowledgeable, and pleasant to both staff and patients. Thank you for all you do, sir!"

Please join us in congratulating Medic M. Ruiz for being recognized as St. David's North Austin Medical Center ER's September Medic of the Month! The team says that he gives the most thorough reports and listens while the patient is triaged so he better under- stands the information needed from the patients. He is ALWAYS positive, fun and smiling. We love getting to work with him.

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Community Health Paramedics

Working the front lines helping the homeless

ATCEMS Community Health Paramedics held their 15th full sized Pop-Up Resource Clinic (PURC). Community Health Paramedics work tirelessly to bring resources & front line services for the homeless to where they are needed most. This event alone eighty three clients were served at a North location.

Our resource partners that are involved were Central Health/MAP, Community Care, CARE, City of Austin Animal Services, ECHO, HOST, Integral Care, VA Services, Austin Public Health, Mobile Loaves & Fishes, CMS, Front Steps, Austin Public Library.

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Customer Service Response:

539 calls were made during September The questions asked focused on measurable

customer service actions.

Patient Comments:  “They were really good about keeping us informed and they were just good on every level. I have been involved with EMS services a lot in my life so my high rate should cost a lot. The EMS dispatch operator was really very good and was detailed in her conversation. I also appreciated that.”  “They were awesome! They were professional and they went out and purchase strips so I could check my blood pressure. My Angels sent from above. They went over and above their job.”  “They did a fantastic job. They let me know everything that was going on. If I could get them a commendation and a slap on the back to say them did really well, I would.”  “They let my boyfriend and me ride together and took care of us both in the same ambulance. I think that showed a lot of humanity, and they also asked me where I wanted to be transported. They were very gentle with me as I was really upset.” Respondents were asked to rate the customer service provided by our medics on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the best 83.79% of the patients rated the customer service they received at a 5 and 13.55% rated their service at a 4. The average rating overall was 4.78 out of 5 for customer service. The response we obtained from our customers is evidence of the great medics we have and the tremendous job they do each and every day.

 “They were kind and passionate, with my mom. They were knowledgeable and very professional.”

 “They were professional, being so quick to respond. They did their job and did it very well.”

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Medical News Adam Felman

WHAT IS... HEALTH? Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity .

In 1986, the World Health Organization (WHO) further clarified that health is defined as:

"A resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities."

Types Mental and physical health are the two most commonly discussed types of health. We also talk about "spiritual health," "emotional health," and "financial health," among others. These have also been linked to lower stress levels and mental and physical wellbeing. Physical health In a person who experiences physical health, bodily functions are working at peak performance, due not only to a lack of disease, but also to regular exercise, balanced nutrition , and adequate rest. We receive treatment, when necessary, to maintain balance. Physical wellbeing involves pursuing a healthy lifestyle to decrease the risk of disease. Maintaining physical fitness, can protect and develop the endurance of a person's breathing and heart function, muscular strength, flexibility, and body composition. Physical health and well-being also help reduce the risk of an injury or health issue by minimizing hazards in the workplace, practicing good hygiene, and avoiding the use of tobacco, alcohol, or illegal drugs. Mental health Mental health refers to a person's emotional, social, and psychological wellbeing. Mental health is as important as physical health to a full, active lifestyle. It is harder to define mental health than physical health, because, in many cases, diagnosis depends on the individual's perception of their experience. With improvements in testing, however, some signs of some types of mental illness are now becoming "visible" in CT scans and genetic testing. Mental health is not only the absence of depression , anxiety , or another disorder. It also depends on the ability to: This means that health is a resource to support an individual's function in wider society. A healthful lifestyle provides the means to lead a full life. More recently, researchers have defined health as the ability of a body to adapt to new threats and infirmities. They base this on the idea that modern science has dramatically increased human awareness of diseases and how they work in the last few decades.

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Enjoy life

Adapt to adversity

 Bounce back after difficult experience  Achieve balance

Feel safe and secure

Achieve your potential

Physical and mental health are linked. If chronic illness affects a person's ability to complete their regular tasks, this may lead to depression and stress. A mental illness such as depression or anorexia nervosa can affect body weight and function. It is important to approach "health" as a whole, rather than its different types. Factors for good health Health depends on a wide range of factors. A person is born with a range of genes, and in some people, an unusual genetic pattern can lead to a less-than-optimum level of health. Environmental factors play a role. Sometimes the environment alone is enough to impact health. Other times, an environmental trigger can cause illness in a person who is genetically susceptible.

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Access to healthcare plays a role, but the following factors may have a bigger impact on one’s health:



where a person lives

 the state of the surrounding environment  genetics  income  education level  relationships with friends and family

These can be summarized as:

 The social and economic environment : Includes how wealthy a family or community is  The physical environment : Including parasites that exist in an area, or pollution levels  The person's characteristics/behaviors : Genes that a person is born with and lifestyle choices

According to the WHO, the higher a person's socioeconomic status (SES), the more likely they are to enjoy good health, a good education, a well-paid job, afford healthcare when their health is threatened.

People with a lower socioeconomic status are more likely to experience stresses related to daily living, such as financial difficulties, marital disruption, and unemployment, as well as social factors, such as marginalization and discrimination. All these add to the risk of poor health. A low socio-economic status often means less access to healthcare. People in developed countries with universal healthcare services have longer life expectancies than people in developed countries without universal healthcare. Cultural issues can affect health. The traditions and customs of a society and a family's response to them can have a good or bad impact on health. For example, around the Mediterranean, people are more likely to consume high levels of fruits, vegetables, and olives, compared with cultures with a high consumption of fast food. How a person manages stress will affect health. People who smoke, drink, or take drugs are likely to have more health problems later than someone who combats stress through a healthful diet and exercise. Preserving health The best way to maintain health is to preserve it through a healthful lifestyle, rather than waiting until we are sick to put things right. This state of enhanced well-being is referred to as wellness. The McKinley Health Center at the University of Illinois IL defines wellness as: "A state of optimal well-being that is oriented toward maximizing an individual's potential. This is a life-long process of moving towards enhancing your physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, and environmental well-being." Wellness promotes an active awareness of and participation in health, as an individual and in the community. Maintaining wellness and optimal health is a lifelong, daily commitment. Steps that can help us maximize our health include:  a balanced, nutritious diet, sourced as naturally as possible  regular exercising  screening for diseases that may present a risk  learning to manage stress  engaging in activities that provide purpose and connection to others  maintaining a positive outlook and appreciating what you have  defining a value system, and putting it into action

Peak health will be different for each person, and how you achieve wellness may be different from how someone else does. It may not be possible to avoid disease completely, but doing as much as we can to develop resilience and prepare the body and mind to deal with problems as they arise is a step we can all take.

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