News

MAZDA HEROES: HONORING THE HUMAN SPIRIT

October 10, 2020

Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) is giving away the 100th Anniversary Special Edition Mazda MX-5 Miata cars to 50 hometown heroes who have made a lasting impact on their respective communities. MNAO’s ‘Mazda Heroes: Honoring the Human Spirit’ (Mazda Heroes) spotlights first responders and others across the country who have selflessly uplifted those around them throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

 Submissions will be accepted until Sunday, October 25 at Mazdausa.com. The 50 Mazda Heroes will be formally announced on December 2.  Readers can nominate themselves or someone else at www.MazdaUSA.com/mazda-heroes for a chance to be honored as a Mazda Hero.   

EMS COVID Resource Reporting Tool Released

August 25, 2020

The EMS COVID Resource Reporting Tool was created by the NHTSA Office of EMS to document, in one place, agency PPE needs and personnel shortages related to the COVID-19 crisis. This will allow the NHTSA Office of EMS to present an accurate and current picture of the nation’s EMS resource status and needs at the State and Federal levels. Click here to access the reporting tool: https://nemsis.org/ems-covid-resource-reporting-tool/

UNC Launches National Initiative to Support First Responders

August 13, 2020

Heroes Health is a new, app-based mental health support initiative supporting healthcare workers and first responders throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The app provides brief surveys each week to empower these workers to check in with themselves, track their mental health symptoms, and connect with wellness resources, from 24/7 crisis helplines to meditation apps and even links to retail discounts. Heroes Health is available free of charge through Google Play and Apple’s App Store to any healthcare worker or first responder in the United States with additional features for healthcare and EMS institutions that want to deploy it across their organizations. To learn more, please visit the Heroes Health Initiative website at https://heroeshealth.unc.edu.

NASEMSO Statement on Unity and Equity

June 19, 2020

The last several weeks have illustrated, in vivid detail, the brutality endured by people of color simply because of their race. Our society’s progress towards racial equality is clearly and appallingly inadequate, and far from the ideal espoused under the Constitution of the United States that all persons are created equal.

We have witnessed acts inflicted on people of color that have completely disregarded the basic tenets of humanity, security, ethics, and justice that we tell ourselves we and our country value. The tragedy does not end there. Racial minorities have suffered far worse from the COVID-19 pandemic than the white population. According to the Atlantic’s COVID Racial Data Tracker, “Black people are dying at a rate nearly two times higher than their population share.” Similarly, Native American and Hispanic populations have seen infection rates that are among the highest in the country.
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Opportunity for EMS Services to Participate in a Study Related to Risks of Fatigue

June 11, 2020

In a partnership with NASEMSO and the U.S. Department of Transportation, the University of Pittsburgh is leading a research study that seeks to examine the impact of a sleep health and fatigue education and training program tailored to Emergency Medical Services (EMS) clinicians. We are currently seeking EMS agencies to participate in the study intended to help mitigate risks related to EMS fatigue. 10.25 hrs of free CE credit (per individual) is available to participating agencies from NASEMSO. More information to enroll is available on the study flyer available here.

Fire and Emergency Medical Services Response to Civil Unrest

June 6, 2020

Civil unrest may occur as a period of social upheaval, following sporting events or during periods of heightened community tension. Fire and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel will be called to respond to these incidents, placing themselves at higher than anticipated levels of risk. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEM) worked together to compile these best practices to assist you as you respond to civil unrest incidents in your community.

Bulletin available for download here.

NASEMSO Updates 2020 National EMS Assessment

May 30, 2020

Originally released in April, this new version provides updated details to three sections: State Medical Directors; Pediatric Safe Transport Devices; HRSA EMSC State Partnership Funding. Additionally, we are providing two versions of the document: 1) high-quality; 2) reduced file size (for sharing)

Click here to see the original press release

NASEMSO Releases 2020 Specialty Systems of Care Assessment

May 27, 2020

(Falls Church, Va.) “Specialty Systems of Care: An Analysis of Statewide Practices Related to Time Sensitive Emergencies” is a new compilation from the National Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMSO) that focuses on the legal authority of states to organize and implement specialized systems of care for time sensitive emergencies such as stroke and chest pain. These elements are important to the matching of EMS and medical resources to patient needs and outcomes over a specified geographic area. The data was compiled from multiple interactions with state EMS officials, affiliated partners, and independent research to fill in several informational gaps from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The evaluation resulted in several key findings:

• Efforts to improve cardiovascular care is occurring in all 50 states and the District of Columbia at varying levels.
• Formal systems of care coordination at a statewide level involved 82% of all states.
  • Not all systems of care coordination is directed by the state lead agency for EMS.

Overall, findings were that systems of care coordination among the states is complex and multifaceted. State EMS authorities share responsibilities with other state agencies, regional boards and coordinating bodies, and community partnerships. Recognition of an event and the time to treatment is of utmost importance and a high priority to the EMS and emergency care community. However, limited federal support and funding from charitable foundations that has become available to compliment this effort are focused more on prevention, disease management, and hospital care than EMS response and systems coordination. The existence of multiple definitions, multiple standards, and multiple data registries has created some national diversity in how states coordinate specialty care.

The report is available from the NASEMSO website.

NASEMSO, NAEMSP and ACEP to Develop Pre-Hospital Pain Management Evidence-Based Guideline

May 21, 2020

(Falls Church, Va.) The National Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMSO), in collaboration with the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), is leading a project to develop an evidence-based guideline (EBG) for the pharmacologic management of acute pain in the prehospital setting.  One of the most frequent conditions encountered by EMS professionals in the field is pain. While appropriate use of controlled substances is within the standard of care for treating pain in the prehospital setting, the opioid crisis currently facing the nation has fueled an urgent need to develop evidence-based recommendations on the prehospital use of analgesics. Read More

NASEMSO Annual Meeting Canceled

May 14, 2020

In light of the prolonged national SARS-CoV-2 emergency, the NASEMSO Board of Directors has canceled the 2020 Annual Meeting that was previously rescheduled to August 31 – September 3 in Reno, NV.

In an e-mail to members, Executive Director Dia Gainor wrote, “Discussions are currently underway on whether to pivot to virtual sessions. Input will be sought in the near future on what kinds of remote meeting events and presentations may be of interest and value to our members this fall.

As we pause to determine a path forward to meet the association’s needs, we continue to pray for the health and safety of our EMS responders, members, and partners.”

Additional information regarding registration refunds and credits, as well as future meetings will be posted on this website as they become available.