ENA...Defining the future of Emergency nursing and Emergency care through advocacy, expertise, innovation, and leadership
Chicago 2000 General & Scientific Assembly
The General and Scientific Assemblies have been an incredible source of knowledge, motivation, inspiration, invaluable professional contacts and, last but certainly not least, enjoyment for me. It is well worth the price in terms of how I feel about my work, the role of Emergency Nurses in healthcare and the value of Emergency Nurses to society. I expect the 2000 General and Scientific Assemblies to be no exception.
Please plan to join the Texas, Indiana and New York State Councils on Saturday evening, September 23 (after the silent auction), for a night of fun and comradery. The Texas and New York State Councils are two of the largest and most active (thus influential) in the ENA. I encourage you to take attend this unique opportunity to meet old friends and make new friends. I also encourage you to visit the Indiana Hospitality Suite located at the Hyatt. Through a generous donation from Abbott Labs, support from the Northwest Indiana Chapter and through additional funding from our State Council; the hospitality suite will be open most of the day and evening for you to rest, relax, refresh, unwind and meet our Indiana colleagues.
We have begun some planning for the 2001 State Council. I encourage you to consider becoming a part of the State Council by participating on a committee. Arguably, participating on a committee does require a commitment of time. However, there are some committees that require less work than others. Hopefully, you'll consider participating on a committee because you appreciate the role of the committee in promoting Emergency Nursing in Indiana. But, you might consider participating on a committee as a career building opportunity to add to your curriculum vitae. I see it as a win-win opportunity. The State Council gets the benefit of some active committee members with a goal and you get the experience of participating in committee work on a larger level.
Please contact me vial e-mail (my preferred choice) at jbertram@niia.net or via snail mail at 3905 Hemlock Dr. Valparaiso, IN, 46383.
Email Addresses
I am still gathering e-mail addresses of our members so that we can disseminate last minute information more quickly. Please forward your e-mail address and any others you know to me at jbertram@niia.net.
Joie
See you in Chicago this September !!
Stop by the
Indiana ENA
Hospitality Suite
to visit and refresh yourself.
Remember the Special "TIIN" Party
Saturday night after the Silent Auction !!
ENCARE, the Emergency Nurses C.A.R.E. has undergone a beautiful and very POWERFUL transformation, to now become......... ENCARE!!! The Emergency Nurses Association Injury Prevention Institute!
This tax-exempt organization is a full partner with the International Emergency Nurses Association group. They have nationwide powerful partners. They have contacts which we as emergency nurses in the trenches of healthcare need in order to get the message out to communities on injury prevention. As an idea how important we are, I was just FED, HOUSED, and pampered for a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at a Chicago conference center, ALL EXPENSES PAID!!! All 50 states were invited to send their state ENCARE representative.
At this conference/retreat we learned that there are six main areas where ENA and ENCARE are concentrating their injury prevention....Domestic Violence (partnering with Polaroid), Gun Safety (partnering with Masterlock), Alcohol Awareness (all the original ENCARE, DARE to care etc.), Child Passenger Safety Coordinator (partnering with SAFEKIDS, SAFECOMMUNITIES, Chances for Youth, and many, many others in addition to new partners we develop), Crash Course Coordinator (otherwise known as Injury prevention 101), Bicycle/Helmet Safety Coordinator.
These six main areas of concentration will need at least ONE state coordinator for each area. We can have MORE than one main coordinator if there is the need, but we MUST coordinate and communicate because it multiplies our money, our energy, and our effectiveness.
ANY OF YOU ACTIVE EMERGENCY NURSES OUT THERE WHO ARE SICK AND TIRED OF SIMPLY PATCHING THINGS UP AFTER THEY ARE ALREADY MANGLED, DANGLED, MAIMED OR DESTROYED???????????
STAND UP AND WAVE YOUR ARMS AND BE COUNTED!!!!!!!
WE ARE THE POINTS OF LIGHT THAT PRESIDENT BUSH TALKED ABOUT!!!!!
WE ARE THE LITTLE GIRLS (AND BOYS) THROWING THOSE STARFISH BACK OUT TO SEA!!!
I am Meredith J. Addison, and I was given the ENCARE coordinator position when our wonderful leader Laurie Wehner-Evans got so Busy, Busy, BUSY!!!
I just couldn't see it die without a fight, and although I now know that there are MANY, MANY, MANY of you out there who are MUCH more qualified by experience and activity to do this ENCARE thing than me, at the TIME that it happened, I didn't KNOW that!!!!!!! I just saw that it was going to be given up, and didn't want to see it go under. PLEASE HELP ME TO HELP OUR STATE!!!
THERE ARE SO MANY OF YOU OUT THERE WHO ARE DOING SUCH WONDERFUL THINGS: Kay Alexander and the Evansville folks....... Vicki Phelps and the Bloomington folks...... Suilon Benjamin and the Anderson/Lebanon folks....... WOW!!!! Lets run together!!!
Meredith J. Addison
8809 South 275 East
Hillsdale, Indiana 47854
765-665-3667
larrymerry@ccsdana.net
ALSO!!! There are many fine folks who have been lost in address changes and such!!! IF any of you fine folks can successfully locate any of these folks on the following list, I will enter you in a drawing for FREE REGISTRATION TO THE NATIONAL ENA CONFERENCE IN CHICAGO IN SEPTEMBER!! SO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS LIST, AND EITHER RECOGNIZE YOURSELF, OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW!!!!!
Lois Arlene Cooper
Georgia Cluck, Paulette Moyer
Bruce Williams, Angie Schutte
Carol Jenkins, Michelle Barnes
Cynthia Schrader, Aleda Hale
Donna Goolsby, Dwann Kiowa
Kelly Anderson, Jamie Wilhite
Michael Monroe, Patricia Doan
Bonnie Drover, Norma Gilbert
Dorris Bohman, Harry Watson
Henrietta Bussell, Brenda Butler
Evelyn Freeman, Martha Ralph
Add to this challenge, that these names were taken by ENCARE off the original listings for folks who attended the Alcohol Awareness presentations to become presenters YEARS ago....... they MAY not be completely spelled correctly.......they MAY not be at same addresses as they previously were...But THAT's what makes it a CHALLENGE!!!! They would not have GOTTEN onto this list, if they weren't wonderful people who want to make a difference in injury prevention, and so to me they deserve a real fighting chance to be located and included in the activities which will go on in our state in the coming years.
Happy hunting, and may the convention be a very BUSY one with us up there celebrating!!!
Sincerely yours in pursuit of excellence in emergency care,
Meredith J. Addison
RN, MSN, CEN
Indiana ENCARE Director
"STAND UP
AND
WAVE YOUR ARMS AND
BE COUNTED!!!"
EMS Commission Update, August 2000
It was a busy summer for the EMS Commission, its committees and staff. On June 23 there was a commission meeting at the Bloomington Hospital in Bloomington, Indiana. Among the items discussed at this meeting was the topic of the EMS registry and the software that allows the state to comply data concerning EMS activities. The initial distribution of the software has been done and further distribution and training is scheduled. It is anticipated that EMS providers will be able to start downloading data to a central site in August. A target date of January 1, 2001 has been established for providers to comply with reporting guidelines. Providers will be able to utilize the reporting software that is being supplied by the state or some other computerized or manual methods of data collection. The commission is strongly encouraging providers to utilize the reporting software. Additional target dates have been established. It is expected that by the end of August all providers should have received or at least requested the software or other data collection method. By October, providers are expected to have completed their evaluation process and registered with the commission regarding what type of data reporting method they will be using. By December, data reporting should be started, and if not, an explanation to the commission will be expected.
A subcommittee will be established to help facilitate the data collection implementation process. In response to the question of what use the state will make of the data, the following was suggested: 1) the data can be used for getting grant money; 2) the data will allow for a better evaluation of the commission rules and their effectiveness; and 3) possible equipment changes can be evaluated. In response to concerns about patient confidentiality, it was indicated that public providers would be able to give out information concerning the times of the call, the age and sex of the patient, the location of the call without indicating the specific address, and pertinent safety information such as seat belt use. It was emphasized that with all public service agencies, EMS information should ideally go through a Public Information Officer.
In other business, the EMS Education Committee will be preparing recommendations for the commission regarding the Advanced EMT program in time for the commission to act upon them at the August meeting. There were some concerns noted regarding the lack of "live" intubation training and the nature and amounts of medications that would be available to this new level of EMT.
The August 17th meeting was held at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Indianapolis in conjunction with the 25th Emergency Response Conference. Several personnel changes were announced at this meeting. Jim Bright is leaving after 10 years of service to the commission and the newest commission member is Timothy Davie, Fire Chief of the city of Fort Wayne. In addition, Bill Nicholson, General Counsel to the commission is moving and will be replaced by Brad Gavin.
The EMS Education Committee reported their recommendations concerning the Advanced EMT curriculum. Essentially, the recommendation of the committee is to establish a five (5) level EMS system at this time. The levels would be: 1) First Responder; 2) EMT Basic; 3) EMT Basic Advanced (the current Indiana EMT-A); 4) EMT Advanced Intermediate (a new level following the U.S. Dept. of Transportation's curriculum and 5) EMT Paramedic. The commission accepted this recommendation. The Education committee also proposed that Paramedics be allowed to go on "inactive" status after they have completed their first two-year recertification process. These paramedics would have to maintain their in-service hours, but would not have to be affiliated with a Paramedic provider. This recommendation follows the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians guidelines and was accepted by the commission.
Another area of concern for the Education Committee was problem with limited numbers of EMT Instructor training sites. It was suggested that the EMS Commission Staff and the Education Committee be allowed to offer EMT Primary Instructor courses.
The EMS Operations Committee presented some findings and recommendations to the Commission. Currently approximately 70% of all dispatch centers in Indiana are staffed with dispatchers trained in Emergency Medical Dispatching. It was recommended that the commission establish 2004 as the target date for full statewide implementation of the Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) program and training following national standards. EMD is rapidly becoming considered as the "standard of care" and non-compliance could increase a provider's legal liability.
The Operations committee also recommended no change in the current rule regarding ALS ambulance staffing with two (2) paramedics.
EMSC reported that Indiana has 13 counties without a hospital, and 9 of these counties have no ALS pre-hospital service. EMSC is also exploring the possibility of developing an Injury Prevention Center for the state. Indiana is one of several states that do not currently have such a center.
The next EMS Commission meeting will be held on Friday, October 20 at the Warren Township Fire Department, 501 N. Post Road, Indianapolis.
I hope you all enjoyed your summer as much as I did!
Stay well (and safe!)
Michael
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Please feel free to contact the Editor for articles you would like to see in the newsletter.
Pamella Jahnke RN,BSN, CEN
Home: 317-849-8773
Work: 317-355-4673
Email: PJahnkeRN@aol.com
Next Newsletter deadline November 17, 2000