Keith Edmonds, AEMTA President

TRAUMA!! Welcome to the world of the new Arkansas Trauma System!! I hope that everyone has had an opportunity to attend one of the Arkansas EMT Association events that we have put together to ‘roll out’ the new Trauma System for Arkansas. Needless to say, we have been extremely busy making these events happen in order to get the information out to you, the Professional that will make the Trauma System work in Arkansas.

Our events that have occurred so far have been quite educational and eventful. We opened up the Trauma Educational Blitz in Pine Bluff with the first ever Trauma Symposium to be held in Arkansas. We were blessed with several great lectures as well as several great lecturers. Many different realms of Trauma were touched on in some aspect there and those that attended had the ability to learn from these lectures and return to their homes with the information to share with other employees that were working during this event. What a concept!! We want as many as we can fit into a room to attend these events, however, if your job calls you first, then you must answer that call because the families in Arkansas need you.

I am sure there are only a few EMS Professionals in Arkansas that can now say they attended class in the men’s room. While our Symposium was being held in Pine Bluff, we actually had a tornado warning issued for that area with rotation and funnel clouds being spotted. All participants were removed from the Pine Bluff Convention Center into the men’s room of the building for safety purposes. Fortunately, all was well and no damage was reported at our location.

Our second event was a class that had not been taught in Arkansas since 1991, according to the records that we researched. This class, the Farmedic Instructor class, proved to be an exciting 16 hours. All 29 attendees had a wonderful time and my appreciation for the knowledge in the class was unremarkable. This class had become docile with several situations, including the buy out of the class by McNeil Publishing. Our Instructors came to us from the south side of Chicago and found that Arkansas EMS Professionals perform over and above several other states! Great job to each of you that attended and for those that could not make it, be prepared, there will be a class near you in the near future. Several of our instructors will be building class presentations to better suit the areas of Arkansas with the equipment we are working with each day.

This weekend, the PHTLS Instructor update is going on in Conway at the OEM Building. We have several Instructors in this class and we are really looking forward to the new information being shared with everyone at the conclusion of the update. Once again, expect an update on your PHTLS in an area near you soon.
Next weekend, we will be in the Harrison area of north Arkansas with our final Trauma Symposium of 2010. This is the same educational opportunity that we shared with those in the south portion of Arkansas at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. We wanted to ensure that this information was given to as many Arkansas EMS Professionals as we could reach. We also wanted to ensure that the costs associated with travel to these events were at a minimum to assist with the economical decline everyone has faced.

We will also be holding the PHTLS for First Responders on October 15 and 16 in Conway. This is a new class for Trauma education and adapts to those that are first on scene. We hope that this class is as full as the others and that our message reaches as many as possible.

The message that the AEMTA wants to ensure that we get to each of our members is this: We want to provide what you, the member wants as education, across the state of Arkansas. We want your input into these classes. We want your suggestions on how to improve our educational events. We want to know how we can reach ALL of the EMS Professionals in Arkansas. It is up to you to provide this information to us.

The AEMTA has received $66,666 for this fiscal year to spend on YOU, the EMS Professional in Arkansas and we want to ensure that you have had the opportunity to attend an event. We realize that some of the dates of our classes have fallen on special days and weekends that have effected our attendance on the events, yet with the time line that we have been faced with and the inability to begin these events until we had received the check from the state, we have had no other choice but to establish these classes and events on the dates that we have in place. If we have placed you in a situation with your families for having these events on these dates, I apologize.

Trauma 2011!!! We will be doing this for years to come! This was not a one time event and will continue as long as there are funds for a Trauma System in Arkansas and we maintain the great representation for EMS in this system. The AEMTA will be receiving in the area of $93,000 for education for the EMS Professional in Arkansas fiscal year 2011 and we, the AEMTA, will be spending it on YOU! Please keep an eye on the AEMTA website for further information on fiscal year 2011 and provide feedback to us on what you would like to see for Trauma Education next year.

A personal thank you from me to all of those who have worked so hard to accomplish the goals that we set out for the Trauma Education. We have faced some very difficult obstacles, both personally and professionally, and you guys have adapted and overcome in a phenomenal manner. It is a pleasure to work side by side with you guys in providing the optimum in education for our profession!

As always, should you have any questions or comments, please contact me by cell at 870-754-9521 or by email at keithedmonds@marioncounty.com. Be safe and keep up the great work you are doing for our state!!

Keith Edmonds

As everyone is aware, the Arkansas General Assembly is in session to approve budgets for the State of Arkansas. The Session began on February 5, 2010 and the only decisions to be made this year are budgetary decisions.

The Arkansas EMS Profession was hit hard with budget cuts at the end of the 2009 fiscal year costing $5,000,000 to our Profession that was set aside at the beginning of the Trauma Funding to be dispersed among all EMS services in Arkansas for preparation of the Trauma System. This money was set aside in the budget under Category B subsection 1, which means that it is not guaranteed to be funded. All Category A budgets were funded, allowing for several grants to be made available to our EMS services and educational facilities.

We, as EMS Professionals, are very aware that all money is tight with the current economical situations that are being faced each day. EMS will see several of these situations arising in the next year even more so than we have in the past with the cuts in Medicare reimbursements.

I am asking for a favor from all of our EMS Professionals in the Great State of Arkansas. I ask that we all pull together to show our strength as equal to the Hospital Association, Nursing Association and the Physician Associations in asking for our part in funding for fiscal year 2010.

I ask that you join me in contacting both your State Representative and your State Senator in asking for the $5,000,000 that was cut in fiscal year 2009 Trauma Budget, Category B subsection 1, be funded in fiscal year 2010 under Category A.

If you are unsure who your Representative or Senator is, you can locate all of the Legislators at www.arkleg.state.ar.us.

The benefits of this funding will assist our Profession to grow with the Trauma System and not be behind all other services that are being funded.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to email me at keithedmonds@marioncounty.com and thank you for your efforts in promoting the greatest Profession in the World, Arkansas EMS.

Keith Edmonds

Another year has come and gone bringing several events throughout 2009.  We have all laughed a little and cried a little, yet we have all been there for each other.  What a great family I am a part of!

2009 has seen several firsts for Arkansas EMS.  We have successfully placed a red letter license in over 50 percent of our professionals with the remaining 50 percent to be issued by the end of March.   Great strides have been made in beginning our Trauma System in Arkansas which has been worked on for many years by many dedicated medical professionals.  We have seen new equipment, rules and regulations and several newly licensed EMT’s and Paramedics in the back of our trucks and on the streets of our great state.  My congratulations and thanks to all of those that have worked so hard to progress our profession to the point it is today.

We have been saddened by the loss of several loved ones and partners in EMS in 2009.  Familiar faces that we are so used to seeing as they work and play in EMS will no longer be there smiling and laughing with us.  We lost a great educator in our state with Jon McMahan – we will all miss his quirks and smiles at conference each year.  We also lost a tremendous leader within our state EMS system with the passing of David Taylor, Sr.  Anyone in the state of Arkansas carries a part of David with them.  Take a look at your license or certification and see what name has signed it.  (“Thanks Buddy!”)  David loved the professionals in our business like brothers and sisters.  He also had a passion for success in our trauma system, licensure and our new rules and regulations.  It was his desire to move Arkansas to the top in the nation with all the improvements we have made.  David will be missed along with each of those we have lost in 2009, yet they will never be forgotten!  It is our duty to see their legacy and passion for our business is carried on and never forgotten.  We need to gather the belts and purse strings, put our big boy/girl britches on and get to work!!  We should refuse to let those things that our friends, partners, leaders and family members have worked so hard on fall behind.

We have the ability to really move mountains in Arkansas and across the nation within the next year.  It is something that we can’t do by ourselves, yet with the person sitting next to you in that truck or the partner back at the station, we can make a difference.

I have asked several of the members of District 1 to do me a favor.  I have challenged each member of the AEMTA in this District to bring a new member to the Association this year.  If you do not reside in District 1, consider this your challenge!!  After working with both the state legislative bodies and the national legislative bodies, I have seen the power of numbers and the ability to make a difference in something we believe in.  However, with a small membership that only renews for the ability to attend conference at a discounted rate, we can’t succeed in moving forward.  We all have Senators and Representatives that were elected to represent us in Arkansas and in Washington.  Without a phone call or an email, they have no idea what we, as a group of professionals, are faced with or what our desires may be in moving our profession forward.  There will be agendas posted here in the LifeLine for immediate attention from our membership.  I will see that the topics that will need to be addressed for improving our EMS are posted and each member will have the ability to make a difference.

In return, the AEMTA will work for you.  We will continue offering the many hours of continuing education that we have all grown accustomed to.  Pending approval at the first of the year, we may see new educational opportunities arise in conjunction with the Trauma System.  These opportunities will benefit not only you, the member, yet will also benefit those that have yet to join our Association.  I ask that you continue to watch the LifeLine for opportunities for our membership as well as our AEMTA website.

It may seem that I have asked a lot of our membership, yet your board, which includes myself, Rod Barrett (Vice Pres.), Meagan McMahen (Sec.), Penny Russell (Treas.), Dwayne Aalseth (Parliamentarian), Tonia Hale, Board Member at Large, Allen Usrey (District 1), Donald Reed (District 2), Judy Taylor (District 3), Brenda Stewart (District 4), Ronnie Russell (District 5), Ben Blankenship (Past Pres.), Nora Jean Harrell (Paramedic Society), Larry New (Instructor/Coordinator Society), Delinda Duckworth (First Responder Society), Tim Green (Industrial Society) and Mark Warford (Fire/EMS Society) are here for you and to assist you in any way we possibly can.  We will work for you and will strive to make the AEMTA a strong organization progressing for your goals in 2010!

There are others that I would like to say a quick thanks to for their efforts in growing our Association.  Ben Blankenship, AEMTA Immediate Past President,  Laura Guthrie, Conference Chair, Sedley Tomlinson, AEMSF Chair, Brenda Stewart, LifeLine Editor, Denise Carson, Pres. Arkansas Ambulance Assoc., Patrick Moore, NAEMT Immediate Past President, KC Jones, NAEMT District 3 Representative,  the Division of EMS and Trauma and you, the backbone of our Association.

My name is Keith Edmonds, and I am proud to be a part of the Arkansas EMT Association and have the ability to work for you.  Should you have any questions that I can help you with, my email is keithedmonds@marioncounty.com and my cell number is (870) 754-9521.  Please use this contact information as you feel necessary.  I enjoy hearing from my family!!

May God bless each of you and keep you safe in your daily endeavors.

Ben Blankenship

Thanks, yes thanks to every one of you.  Thanks for allowing me to be your president for another year.  We had some great successes and we left some things to be accomplished in the near future.  I am most pleased with the legislation creating our trauma system.  I do believe that this one major step in our future will make the most significant difference in our ability to care for our patients that has occurred in quite some time in the history of emergency medical services in our state.

We also obtained licensure for our profession, no small feat.  Lots of work into the effort for this accomplishment and a tremendous amount of time and effort were committed just assembling the bill, in the end it was over 16 pages and the areas of other state law that we impacted were unbelievable.  While some still question the importance of obtaining licensure for our profession the majority of us know that we have made another step in elevating our profession.

While we had great success in the legislative effort for our association there were some efforts that were uncompleted and will be available for future opportunities.  I encourage the ones who are interested to begin now in preparation for the next legislative session.  We are a powerful voice in the legislature; our partnership with the Arkansas Ambulance Association gives additional credence to our requests for assistance.  It is interesting to watch the lawmakers respond when they know we are aligned with other representatives of our industry and they realize we do have strength in numbers.  I encourage the incoming leadership team to maintain our alliances; they do serve to benefit us all.

I encourage any of you who want to become involved in the leadership of our association to step up, become involved and help us to make a difference in our future.  Shyness is not a normal trait for people in our profession; we apply boldness to our delivery of patient care, boldly step out and assume your position in our future.  It is a rewarding effort and not only do we make a difference in our future but also in the future of the people we will care for in the days to come.

I’ve had the opportunity to be president of this amazing group of caregivers for a total of 5 years now and it is time for me to step back and let someone else lead this amazingly talented and diverse association as we avail ourselves of the opportunities available to us.

Thank you for honoring me with your trust and thank you for letting me head this organization.  It has been a humbling journey.

Stay Safe,
Ben

Ben Blankenship

What does it take to be a professional in our business?

The fact that a person may be paid to complete a task does not equate to professionalism.  Volunteers function at a professional level daily.  The term “Professional” has to many people equated career or paid.  To me, “Professional” has always meant someone who holds themselves accountable for their level of skill and actions.  Volunteers provide the vast majority of emergency medical services in our country.  In most of the rural and less populated areas in our country, emergency medical services would not exist without the dedication and commitment of volunteers.  Thanks to every one of you who give of yourselves and of your time away from family to take care of your neighbors, you do make a difference.

Are career emergency medical providers less committed to the same provision of care to the persons they serve?  Of course not, the career provider stands side by side with the volunteer and in many cases the career provider volunteers their services in their off duty time to their communities.  What our focus must always be is the level of care provided to our patients.  Our patients most of the time cannot tell if the service they are receiving is from a volunteer or a career emergency medical services provider.  That is the way that it always should be.  Now the question arises, “how do we ensure that the same level of care is provided to all patients”?  We study and we participate in continuing education programs to ensure that our skills are up to date and that we are ready to meet the patients needs to the best of our ability.  Moreover, every two years we recertify to show that we have met the requirements of the State Health Department.  I have done it so many times that it seems to happen automatically every two years.

Why must we recertify?  Well, it is an attempt to document our professional skill level, just like the other medical professions we serve with in caring for our patients.  For many years, we have discussed elevating our professional perception of our trade by changing from certification to licensure.  In next year’s legislature, a bill will be presented to change our certification to licensure.  This step has the approval of the majority of our personnel in our profession.  You will see little change in the process, just a more professional level of documentation to the world.  I know that very few people like change; it is in our nature to be suspicious and wary.  This change though will elevate our profession in Arkansas to the same level as all other medical professional.  I believe that the time has come for us to make this long overdue move to stand with the other professionals in our state and in our nation.  We are professionals, plain and simple.  Always have been, always will be.

Stay Safe,
Ben

Ben Blankenship

I’ve had the privilege to be involved in EMS for more than thirty years, and it just keeps getting better. You all are what makes it better.

You, the seasoned veterans who have pretty well seen everything you can imagine. You, the new EMT, with the deer in the headlights look, not knowing what will happen on the next run but praying your training will kick in when needed and you, the experienced rock solid field provider who at times wonders what in the world am I doing in this field. Why don’t I go somewhere and make some real money instead of fighting to make it from paycheck to paycheck.

You stay in the profession, because without you more people would die. Without you our world would not be as safe, and the quality of life that we enjoy would be reduced significantly. We have a purpose in this world and we do our jobs with pride. Yes, our hearts ache at times when there is just nothing else we can do for a patient and they succumb to their maladies, but the times when we intervene successfully and a father, mother, sister or brother goes home to their family… that is why we are here. We are the difference and we must never forget the impact we make on other’s lives.

I recently helped shepherd a bill through our legislature for line of duty death benefits for our profession, and I was actually surprised at some of the lobbyists’ comments prior to the committee hearings. One said that no benefit bills would ever make it through this session, and another said that Mother Teresa herself could not get one through. Our bill made it through both houses without a single “No” vote.

The reason was us — what we do and the fact that we touch everyone’s lives at some point. It may be a friend or a family member or neighbor, but we touch them all. Some of the most powerful people in our state recognize our contributions. They don’t line up to thank us, but when we need something, they are there to help. We will be calling on them for help in the future to help us all implement our state’s trauma system. They know it is needed, and they know that it must be implemented to help us enhance the quality of life for our neighbors.

One of the things we will be doing this year is to embrace technology and begin issuing some of the Lifeline editions electronically. The issues will be published on the website. Hopefully this will get them to you in a more timely fashion. Keep up the good work, my friends. We are needed. Stay safe.

I appreciate you all,
Ben