EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ADVISORY COUNCIL. September 6, 2012

Transcription

1 EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ADVISORY COUNCIL September 6, 2012 The Pinellas County Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council met in a regular session at Public Safety Services, First Floor Conference Room 130, Ulmerton Road, Largo, Florida, at 10:00 A.M. on this date with the following members present: Dr. Adam Berko, Citizen Representative (Chairman) Chief Robert Weiss, Clearwater Fire Department Chief James Angle, Pinellas County Fire Chiefs Association Major Sean Jowell, Law Enforcement Agency Gayle Guidash, Citizen Representative Mayor Kathleen Mortensen, Mayors Council (Belleair Beach) Mayor Travis Palladeno, Mayors Council (Madeira Beach) William Israel, Citizen Representative Ray Neri, Citizen Representative Carl Lavender, Citizen Representative Anne Scofield, Citizen Representative Dr. Scott Kuebler, Citizen Representative Kelly Triolo, Emergency Nurses Association West Coast Florida Chapter Chief Donald Sayre, Pinellas Advanced Life Support Providers Assoc. (Vice-Chair) Mark Postma, Sunstar Paramedics Dr. Phillip Nicotera, St. Petersburg College, Health Education Programs Dr. Kenneth Webster, Pinellas County Osteopathic Medical Society Dr. David Weiland, Pinellas County Medical Association Absent: Chief Steve Girk, St Petersburg Fire & Rescue Chief Steve Knight, St Petersburg Fire & Rescue Mayor Chris Arbutine, Mayors Council (Belleair Bluffs) Mayor Gary Katica, Mayors Council (Belleair) Blake MacPherson, Citizen Representative (Secretary) Julie Baker, Citizen Representative Craig Hare, Public Safety Services Also Present: Mike Cooksey, Public Safety Services Chief Joe Accetta, Pinellas County Fire Chiefs Association Chief Joseph Connors, Clearwater Fire Department Anissa Raiford, Pinellas County Medical Association Sally Israel, Citizen Norm Atherton, Commissioner, Palm Harbor Fire Rescue Shelby Rivera, Bayfront Medical Center Richard Schomp, Sunstar Paramedics Rob Smith, Sunstar Paramedics Anne Lindberg, Tampa Bay Times Don Crowell, County Attorney s Office Carl Brody, County Attorney s Office Greg Woodrum, Public Safety Services Page 1 of 6

2 CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Chairman Berko called the meeting to order at 10:00 A.M. Roll was taken and it was determined that there was a quorum present. There were 18 voting members in attendance. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes of the July 26, 2012 meeting were presented for approval. Mr. Israel made a motion to accept the minutes. Mayor Palladeno seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously. ANNOUNCEMENTS Chairman Berko acknowledged and welcomed Dr. Scott Kuebler and Ms. Anne Scofield as newly appointed members of the EMS Advisory Council. Chief Weiss introduced Assistant Chief Todd Connors. Chief Connors is the new EMS Coordinator for Clearwater Fire Department. Chairman Berko announced that on September 25, 2012 there will be a Board of County Commissioners (BCC) workshop on Priority Dispatch. The BCC has requested that a representative from the EMS Advisory Council attend the workshop. Chairman Berko explained that he has a mandatory seminar to attend on that date and that Vice-Chair Sayre would be on vacation. Selecting from the Executive Committee, Chairman Berko asked Mr. Neri if he would be available to attend the workshop. Mr. Neri checked his calendar and said that he would be available to attend the workshop. Chairman Berko advised Mr. Neri to meet with Mr. Hare for details prior to the workshop. REPORTS EMS Administration: Mr. Hare briefed that there would be three EMS related items on today s BCC Agenda. Those items are: 1) A routine three-year renewal of the Continuing Medical Education contract with St. Petersburg College. Mr. Hare stated that the college has worked closely with the County over the years to reduce costs and improve quality. 2) ALS First Responder Agreements are on the agenda. Mr. Hare said that about half of the Cities and Fire Districts have already signed these one-year extensions and that there was no program changes at all in an effort to keep costs as flat as possible. Mr. Israel asked if the Mutual Aid Agreement was part of these agreements and Mr. Hare responded that the Mutual Aid Agreement was an underlying component of these agreements. Page 2 of 6

3 3) The consideration of the contract with Fitch & Associates, LLC. Mr. Hare said that this proposal includes all aspects of system design including fire transport, ALS engines, Sanford/Millican Plan and every different option and combination thereof. Mr. Hare reported that the Medical Director contract went out to bid and two responses were received, one from the incumbent EMSG, Inc. and one from EmCare. Mr. Hare said that an evaluation committee rank ordered the two proposals with EmCare as number one and then EMSG, Inc. as number two. Mr. Hare stated that on August 21 st the Board of County Commissioners approved the rank ordering of the evaluation committee and authorized him as staff to negotiate a service agreement with EmCare. Mr. Hare said that those negotiations are going well and that he expects to bring a service contract with EmCare to the Board on September 18 th and that if approved, EmCare would begin operation on October 1 st. Mr. Hare briefed that the Medical Control Board met yesterday to recommend a new Medical Director and that Dr. David Bowden was selected unanimously by the Medical Control Board. Mr. Hare informed the group that Dr. Bowden is a Board certified emergency physician and long time Tampa Bay resident. He lives in Bradenton and works at Blake Medical Center. Mr. Hare said that there will also be two associate Medical Directors. One will be Dr. Angus Jameson who is currently in Manhattan, NY working as the Assistant Medical Director for FDNY. It is anticipated that Dr. Jameson will take on the primary role of Medical Director once he has completed relocating and receives his Florida certification. The second Associate will be Dr. Donna Dooley. She is currently an emergency physician at Bayfront Medical Center with experience in online Medical Control. Mr. Hare recognized Dr. Laurie Romig and Mr. Jeff Barnard for the incredible job they have done over the past 20+ years. Mr. Hare stated that they have both dedicated their entire careers to the EMS system. Mr. Hare estimated that costs would be flat going into the new contract and that there would be savings in years two and three. Part of the approach to lower cost and higher quality will be to reduce the load of online consultations. Dr. Weiland asked if there is a requirement that the Medical Director reside in Pinellas County. Mr. Hare responded that there is no such requirement. Chief Angle commented that earlier on in the process, the thought was to make the Medical Director a County employee and asked if that was still the case. Mr. Hare replied that after conducting a business case analysis staff determined that this was not financially feasible. Page 3 of 6

4 Mr. Hare briefed that the approach going forward is to turn online medical communications back over to the ambulance service. The office staff will be brought under the County and the doctor s office will be the Medical Director and 24/7 physician coverage. Chief Sayre asked if it would truly be 24/7 physician or would it be paramedic. Mr. Hare replied that it would be 24/7 physician. Mr. Hare said that focus groups were conducted with Fire Chiefs, EMS Coordinators and field Paramedics and the overwhelming response was that there should be physician level consultations. Dr. Weiland observed that Dr. Romig is a full-time employee in her current roll as Medical Director and asked what will be the situation with the incoming doctor. Mr. Hare replied that the lead Medical Director, Dr. Bowden, will be full-time and the associates will be part-time. Medical Director: No representative from the Office of the Medical Director was present. Chairman Berko stated that he would like to thank Dr. Romig and all her staff for their service to the EMS Advisory Council. He said that he had known Dr. Romig for a long time in multiple capacities even before he was a physician or paramedic and felt her services had been invaluable to the community, the hospitals and everyone in the area. Chairman Berko requested that a letter be prepared to Dr. Romig from the EMS Advisory Council thanking her for her service. Sunstar: Mr. Postma reported that Sunstar was very involved in the Republican National Convention (RNC) activities. Mr. Postma said that the S.W.A.T. team was embedded in the operation on both sides of the Bay and that Sunstar also supported RNC opening ceremony activities at Tropicana Field with two strike teams consisting of twelve ambulances and a management staff member that worked with St. Petersburg FD in their Command Center. Mr. Postma reminded the group that there was also a hurricane threat that was downgraded to a tropical storm but Sunstar had sufficient staff on-hand to implement their hurricane plan if they had needed to. Mr. Postma recognized and thanked Richard Schomp and Rob Smith for their work in coordinating training and support efforts for the RNC. Mr. Postma briefed that Sunstar would also be supporting the visit from President Obama this coming weekend and would be embedded in his motorcade. Mr. Postma reported that Sunstar ran 11,894 calls in the month of August and are on track to run 3% over last year s volume. Mr. Postma stated that this will generate additional revenues back into the system. Mr. Postma concluded by noting that all of his senior management staff live in Pinellas County and that 80% of all EMTs and Paramedics in his organization live in Pinellas County as well. Page 4 of 6

5 First Responders: Chief Angle provided a report showing incidents dispatched by department. The Chief said that based on feedback from the previous meeting, the report has been modified to show the 2012 Incidents to Date broken down by Fire & Medical. Chief Angle briefed that he is working with a small group that includes Mr. Hare, Ms. Weinreich from Data Support and a representative from Sunstar to improve the report to include call types, determinants and other information requested by members at the last meeting. Chief Angle estimated that a comprehensive report will be ready by the next EMS Advisory Council meeting. EMS Management Committee: Chief Sayre had nothing to report. OLD BUSINESS Notice of Bylaw Amendment: The members were provided the following proposed bylaw amendment to Section 3.1 of the EMS Advisory Council Bylaws: Original Language: A representative of the Florida Healthcare Association to represent Assisted Living Facilities and Nursing Facilities. Proposed Language: A Fire Commissioner from a Special Fire Control District within Pinellas County to represent Independent Fire Districts. Chairman Berko asked for a motion on this item. Chief Angle made a motion to accept the proposed language. Mr. Neri seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously. Independent Fire District Nomination Process: Mr. Hare asked the EMS Advisory Council how they want staff to handle filling the Independent Fire District position, if it is approved by the EMS Authority. Mr. Hare suggested sending a letter to the Independent Fire Districts. Chief Angle suggested that staff send a letter to the Districts advising them of the bylaw amendment and requesting a representative. Chief Angle recommended letting the four Chairmen of the Independent Fire Districts come up with a way to select their representative. There was a question as to whether an alternate would be appointed for this position also. After discussion and review of the bylaws, it was determined that there would be an alternate for this position. Chief Angle made a motion that staff send a letter to the four Independent Fire District Board Chairs allowing them sixty days to work amongst themselves to provide a primary and an alternate to fill this position. Mr. Neri seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously. Page 5 of 6

6 RNC Summary: Mr. Hare stated that we had pretty much covered this item already unless Chief Weiss had something to add. Chief Weiss said that it had been a long week and there was some minor activity on the first day but the Clearwater PD took care of that quickly. After that incident, Chief Weiss said it was pretty much law enforcement dealing with traffic control. Chairman Berko thanked everyone that worked to make the week go so smoothly. NEW BUSINESS City of Clearwater EMSAC Alternate Recommendation: Chief Weiss recommended that Assistant Chief Todd Connors be nominated to fill the alternate position for the City of Clearwater on the EMS Advisory Council. Mr. Neri made a motion to accept the recommendation. Dr. Webster seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously. CORRESPONDENCE 1) City of Clearwater EMSAC Alternate Recommendation ) Resume of Assistant Chief Joseph T. Connors OPEN FORUM Chairman Berko again welcomed Ms. Scofield and Dr. Kuebler and thanked them for serving. NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be on January 24, 2013 from 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. The meeting will take place at the Public Safety Services Center, 1 st Floor Conference Room 130, Ulmerton Road, Largo, FL ADJOURNMENT Maj. Jowell made a motion to adjourn. Mayor Mortensen seconded the motion and all were in favor. The meeting was adjourned at 10:35 A.M. An audio recording of this meeting as well as any correspondence received is on file at Public Safety Services EMS Division. Page 6 of 6