News

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) Office of EMS (OEMS) has distributed information to registered superusers of licensed EMS agencies. This includes a document that provides additional background and training information on Marburg Virus Disease (MVD), a rare and severe hemorrhagic illness caused by the Marburg virus. 

VDH is currently monitoring international cases of Marburg and OEMS is working hard to ensure good communication is established among EMS agencies in Virginia. It’s important to note that currently there are no cases of Marburg in Virginia or the United States, and the risk of infection with this virus in the United States is low. This information is being shared for awareness only. 

Small Training logoThe Council is pleased to announce the implementation of a free regional continuing education program. CE courses will be offered each month at our office. Courses will begin at 9:00 am and will cover a variety of topics. Registration is not required. Click READ MORE to view the list of dates and topics.

ballad logoEMS Partners,

As we move into the second half of our Kingsport market transition I wanted to provide you with some points for your review and distribution to your personnel:

·         Effective at midnight tonight/tomorrow morning (4/22), all OB/GYN services will transition from HV to IPCH.  This change will be permanent.

·         As I shared last week, the pause on medical and surgical admissions at IPCH remains temporary as we continue working through the pandemic event. 

·         All OB/GYN patients in the Kingsport market should be routed to IPCH, with the exception of your OB trauma patients, which will continue to have their destination determination according to your respective state trauma destination guidelines, and your departmental SOP’s.

·         The ED at IPCH remains open with no changes.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me for any questions you have.  Rebecca Beck is the administrative sponsor for this transition and she, too, will be glad to assist you.

Sincerely,

Anita Perry

OEMS recently announced that in conjunction with Virginia’s EMS System, the Western Virginia EMS Council recently partnered with ESO to build a comprehensive, statewide network to better collect and track healthcare and public safety data from EMS agencies, fire departments and hospitals.

This will allow the system to really lean into data across the entire patient journey – from 911 call to hospital disposition – to help improve patient care and patient outcomes at a statewide level. Additionally, we’ll have greater insight into first responder well-being so we can provide ongoing support to this critical workforce. Bottom line, we’ll be able to leverage analytics to see data-driven trends that will help us make the most informed decisions when it comes to keeping Virginians healthy and safe.

For more information, click below:

https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/emergency-medical-services/2021/03/11/eso-to-provide-software-and-services-to-virginia-ems-agencies-fire-departments-and-hospitals/

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Proudly serving the cities of Bristol, Galax, and Norton and the counties of Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Grayson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, and Wythe. © 2018 Southwest Virginia EMS Council, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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