A MessAgefroMfredButtrell

VOL 6, NO. 6 • JUNE 2013
A Message from Fred Buttrell
W
e are blessed and fortunate to work
in such a respected and honorable
profession, providing our neighbors
and our communities with a tremendous
service. Our continued success rests on
our commitment to fulfilling our missions
safely, every day with each and every
flight.
As individuals, we are provided daily
opportunities for making decisions that
could affect the safe and/or successful
outcome of a mission or activity. We
believe that safe operations are also the
responsibility of each crewmember. We
emphasize the need for the right safety
culture so our flight teams can care for our
patients and return home to their families
at the end of each workday.
It all begins with thorough daily briefings, pre-flight and post-flight checks,
aircraft and equipment checks, weather
status, any potential threats and obstacles
facing the crew on their next mission,
etc. As a unified team, each and every
one of us is accountable for our program
and overall corporate safety culture. It is
critical we all are laser-focused on safety
at all times so the mission is completed
safety and we have an opportunity to make
a difference for the patients we care for.
Performing steps by memory or simply
in haste as well as half-heartedly and
unenthusiastically will perpetually lead
to incidents and accidents and must be
Realizing that the best
technology and all of the
investments in the world
cannot compensate for
poor training or poor
decision making, Med-Trans
maintains a world-class
training program...
avoided. I insist that anyone observing an
unsafe act or condition will make an onthe-spot correction or halt the operation
and bring it to the immediate attention of
leadership or the safety team. Take a step
back, look at your areas of operations,
consider where you might be at risk and
take the appropriate corrective action.
Med-Trans has committed significant
investment in the technology onboard all
of our operating aircraft, to include our
spare fleet. Our entire fleet of helicopters
is 100% equipped with radar altimeters
as an incremental risk mitigation measure
to prevent Controlled Flight Into Terrain
(CFIT) accidents. We also became the
first operator in the industry to achieve
100% NVG Operations and today all
AMGH companies continue to operate
100% NVG. This ultimately provides
an enhanced level of safety for nighttime
operations and reduces overall risks to our
crews and patients.
Additionally we have invested in
Helicopter Terrain Avoidance Systems
(HTAWS) as well as XM Satellite Weather
to provide pilots with real-time weather
updates in the cockpit. To avoid other
aircraft in the increasingly busy national
airspace system, we’ve also integrated
Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems
(TCAS) in the cockpit of the EC-135
aircraft. All MTC flights are tracked with
SkyTrac technology that provides continuous Satellite monitoring for all aircraft
and integrated ISAT Satellite phones to
the aircraft to ensure communications are
available beyond line of sight and outside
normal cellular phone coverage areas.
Looking into the crystal ball, some of
the exciting new technologies that we
continue to research and or test are; 3rd
party auditors, flight simulators, two-axis
autopilot and an enhanced OCC dispatch.
Realizing that the best technology and
all of the investments in the world cannot
compensate for poor training or poor
decision making, Med-Trans maintains
a world-class training program designed
to select the best pilots, train them on the
best equipment, provide the best level
of situational awareness and hone their
skills to the specific requirements of the
air medical transport industry. All medical
crewmembers are also trained in NVG Operations and Crew Resource Management
to augment and assist the pilot particularly
Message continued on page 2 ...
PA GE 1
Message continued from page 1 ...
during critical phases of flight where pilot
work load peaks. The best tool in our
toolbox is a well-trained flight team!
I ask that each and every one of you
maintains a vigilance for safety, takes
pride in your work and proudly continues to provide a human touch filled with
compassion, care and the maximum
possible comfort to patients, their families
and loved ones. As a whole, our industry
has made tremendous investments to
control safe operations, identifying that
our success hinges on our ability to work
shoulder-to-shoulder towards our ultimate goal – zero accidents and incidents.
Please continue to keep the spirit
of an absolute commitment to safety,
encompassing the Vision Zero mission
of building a culture of safety. You never
know what type of unscheduled events
may occur. Thank you for your continued
diligence and compassionate care to
those we serve.
Frederick W.P. Buttrell
President & CEO
Spirit lands at PR event at Southwest Medical Center
Spirit LIFELINE Takes Flight
M
ed-Trans recently launched a dedicated air medical helicopter
flight program in Dickinson, North Dakota. This specialized air
ambulance will support and assist the region’s first responders,
hospitals and law enforcement with critically ill or injured patients.
“With the population growth that Western North Dakota and Eastern Montana has been experiencing these past few years, regionalized placement of this aircraft closer in proximity to the patients
and agencies it will serve was a must,” explains Tom Rohlfs, VP of
Business Development for Med-Trans.
Lifeline continued on page 3 ...
PAGE 2
Spirit LIFELINE arrives at a PR event in Bowman, N.D.
Lifeline continued from page 2 ...
“The agreement with Med-Trans is
another example of St Joseph’s and
CHI’s continued Healthcare leadership
and commitment to Dickinson and all of
Southwestern North Dakota,” said Reed
Reyman, President and CEO, St. Joseph’s
Hospital and Health Center.
Med-Trans will base its operations at
St. Joseph’s Hospital in Dickinson, ND,
serving as a community and regional
asset. Basing at St. Joseph’s allows for
timely responses throughout the service
region that will benefit the most from
Spirit LIFELINE’s specialized care and
service.
Hospital staff and citizens of the community showed up to check out the Spirit
LIFELINE helicopter.
Fred Buttrell, President/CEO of Med-Trans with Mercy Air Med’s crew members in front of memorial.
West Des Moines EMS memorial honors helicopter crash victims
T
he service of three emergency workers who died in the line of duty was
remembered in a ceremony recently in
West Des Moines.
Pilot Gene Grell, flight nurse Shelly
Lair-Langenbau and paramedic Russell
Piehl all died in a helicopter crash in
northern Iowa in January while on their
way to pick up a patient. The cause is
being investigated.
The helicopter crew’s names were
recently added to the Iowa EMS memorial,
located outside West Des Moines Fire
Station No. 19. In all, eight people were
honored in the ceremony.
The ceremony coincided with the start
of National Emergency Medical Services
Week.
PA GE 3
> HEROES IN ACTION
LIFE FORCE 3 & 4 on a Murray County Ga scene call.
Brownlee Running
for ASTNA President
O
ur very own Ami
Brownlee is running for ASTNA
President-elect. Ami
will bring 23 years of
nursing experience to
this position. Many of
you know her from the HROB classes she
has taught. Ami’s background includes;
pediatrics, obstetrics, ICU, management,
and ground, fixed wing and rotor wing
experience. She has served on the ASTNA
Board of Directors for the last 3 years and
currently serves as the Secretary-Treasurer. Ami was actively involved in the Model
State Guidelines Industry Task Force, she
has been actively involved on the Subject
Matter Advisory committee and has published several articles. Ami is a certified
Flight Nurse, certified in Emergency Nursing and Inpatient OB. Ami is an ACLS,
PALS,TNCC, ENPC, and Fetal Monitor
Instructor. Please show your support for
Ami as well as Med-Trans by voting in the
upcoming ASTNA election in July!
PAGE 4
Our Mission is YOU!
We want you to experience the same level of
customer service internally that Med-Trans is
renowned for externally. We know that as your
Human Resources Team, our positive attitudes and
actions directly impact your personal experience
with Med-Trans. We plan on exceeding your expectations!
Your HR Team has several new members. Be sure to tap into our Team’s
expertise when you have a question or issue:
Debbie Henkes, HR Director:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 972-829-8347
Chandra Burley, HR Partner:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 972-829-8437
Kelly Thompson-Camp, HR Specialist: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 972-829-8427
Benefits Questions:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chandra Burley
Time System Questions: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kelly Thompson-Camp
Posting Open Positions:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chandra Burley
New Hire Paperwork:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kelly Thompson-Camp
Workday How-To’s:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kelly Thompson-Camp
Leadership & Mgmt. Dev:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Debbie Henkes
Mentoring Program:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Debbie Henkes
Employee Relations:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Debbie Henkes
Chandra Burley
Recruiting: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chandra Burley
Debbie Henkes
We are proud to support you!
An Ethical Workplace
Is Your Call
You can help keep unethical and illegal activity
out of the workplace by REPORTING IT.
Corporate policy prohibits retaliation against
anyone who brings forward a good-faith
report of inappropriate conduct or activity.
Report by:
1. Informing your chain of command; or,
2. Inform HR; or,
3. Contact the Compliance Office; or,
4. If you still feel uncomfortable reporting
to any of these individuals, you have the
option of reporting to the ComplianceLine
at 800-399-2319. The ComplianceLine is a
hotline that is a toll free, 24/7 number where
you have the option of reporting your
complaint anonymously.
**Please keep
the non-retaliation policy in mind before
you consider using the hotline.** Make sure
you provide as much detail as possible so
that your complaint can be properly and
thoroughly investigated.
ComplianceLine
A Commitment To Compliance
Report! It’s Your Duty and
It’s the Right Thing To Do.
PA GE 5
Regional One staff becomes 100% certified
A
ccording to the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing “BCEN”,
certification equals excellence. On May
6th, 2013, the entire Regional One staff
received their certification wings.
When the program started in May of
2003, there was one CFRN. Less than a
year later, one person (JR Bacon) received
his FP-C certification. For several years,
the crew had only a handful of certified
staff.
As the quest for CAMTS began, the
need for certification became a high priority. A TRACER review class was completed
by all the staff, and after countess hours of
studying and preparing, the staff attained
their goal of 100% certification.
At the ceremony, Spartanburg Regional
Healthcare System (SRHS) Chief Nursing
Officer (CNO) Susan Duggar said that
while many departments within the healthcare system are working on certification,
Regional One is the only department in
the history of the healthcare system to
attain this goal.
Jimmy Greene, Director of EMS,
Ground, and Air Transportation for SRHS
was on hand to pin the wings on alongside the CNO. “Seeing the program grow
from it’s infancy, to 100% certification is
an awesome experience” said Greene, a
> HEROES IN ACTION
Med-Trans’ Florida Show-N- Tell with nursing students from Palm Beach College
PAGE 6
longtime supporter of the program.
Each crewmember received a set of
CFRN or FP-C wings. Two members of
the staff excelled by having both certifications, and were awarded both sets of
wings during the ceremony.
Education and Training
S
C and Georgia had 54 flight crewmembers rotate three CAMTS approved Critical Care Simulations in
Spartanburg on April 16, 17 and 18. The
simulations involved critical management
of Septic patients, STEMI’s, and active
CVA transfers.
Team members also had additional
training on the use of the new ReVel
ventilator’s by Carefusion, which is being
utilized across the Med-Trans footprint.
These vents have the normal transport
capabilities but also include PRVC mode
Med-Trans in Amarillo hosted the first TNATC at it’s facility May 15-17. Great Success!
MTLI 2013
TNATC was completed by 20 people in
Marion, SC from Air Reach, Airmed, GHS
Med-Trans, Regional One and Meducare.
PA GE 7
PAGE 8
National EMS Memorial Service
T
Best Wishes Curt Smith
he National EMS Memorial service will be held Saturday, June
22nd in Colorado Springs, CO at 6PM MDT. There will also be
a national moment of silence and all EMS agencies across the
country are encouraged to participate in that. Directions for that
can be found on the website www.nemsms.org. Our Mason City
crew--Gene, Russ and Shell will be honored this year and all of their
families will be in attendance.
The link for the live stream: http://nemsms.org/live
I
am not sure; however, I do believe Curt is
the first pilot to retire after 30 years from
Med-Trans and possibly the first MedTrans Employee to retire. Over the years
a lot of employees have come and gone,
but, Curt Smith has remained constant.
Curt is an excellent mentor for other
pilots, he has a perfect work ethic. He is
a well rounded Pilot with a background
in, law enforcement, military, utility, and
EMS. He’s always been the favorite pilot
of the medical crew, because of his calm
nature, he is comforting to everyone. Curt
is a true professional pilot.
Speaking on behalf of the entire crew
here at Careflight, Curt you will be missed.
I will miss all the valuable answers to my
questions over the past 12 years.
Thank you,
Tom Manus
Careflight Base Manager
FEEDBACK AND PRAISES
BASE NAME
COMMENTS
Air Reach
Receiving: Kim and Brian were professional and courteous. Pt even mentioned how nice the flight was after they left.Amarillo
Referring: I am
Joshua a current CNA at Parmer Medical Center in Friona Texas. your staff is always very pleasent and professional, i would recommend lifestar to all
.. You all are amazing, today we had the pleasure to meet Tacie and Leland. You all have an awesome team
ShandsCair
Referring: I am new to Florida and this was my first air transport here. Ron and Steve were fabulous. Thanks for all you do.
Sevierville
Patient: Jeff and Joel were great. Please let them both know how much we appreciated their help with our Grandmother. They even called me on my
cell phone as soon as they arrived and stayed with my grandmother so she would not be alone. GREAT JOB!!!!
Receiving: Jeff and Joel provided a calm atmosphere when we were in chaos.
Mason City
Referring: Gordy & Krissy are super people. They are so wonderful to work with.
Referring (Safety): Pt. was very obese & they did an exceptional job at loading this pt.
PA GE 9
Life-Guard Selected for
2013 Regional EMS Award
Med-Trans representatives L to R: Mike LaMee, Skeet
Baise and Bert Levesque were available to answer
questions at the event.
Carilion Clinic Patient
Transportation / Life-Guard VIP Day
S
enior Director Krista Henderson provided a
brief presentation, focusing on the safety
of our ground and air ambulance system
and how it integrates with the health system as
a whole. All executives were provided an opportunity for a flight on a Life-Guard helicopter,
where Assistant Chief Pilot Mike Lamee and
Flight Paramedic Joey Amos continued discussions on safety and aircraft capabilities. CCPT
ground crew members Timothy Treignor, Michael
Gibson, and Jesse Saunders provided similar
presentations with the CCPT ground ambulances
and the Children’s Hospital specialty care unit.
I want to extend a personal thank-you to each of you for
making the VIP day a huge success yesterday. The goal of
this event was to showcase CCPT and Life-Guard so that
members of the Carilion Clinic executive team and board
would leave with a better understanding of our commitment to the values and mission of the system.
We exceeded all expectations yesterday and the positive
comments and feedback were overwhelming. I am so
proud of each of you for stepping up and showing your
commitment and dedication to making all of our services
shine. You are an amazing team and I am so proud to
have the honor of leading this department.
Krista
Krista D. Henderson, MSN, RN, CPHQ
Senior Director
Carilion Clinic Patient Transportation
431 McClanahan Street
Roanoke, VA 24014
PAGE 1 0
C
arillion Life-Guard was recently informed that they were
selected for the 2013 Regional EMS Award for Contribution to
EMS Health and Safety!
This award was given based on the
following:
nFirst program in the Commonwealth, with an exemplary safety
record since our inception in
1981.
nSuccessful voluntary CAMTS
re-accreditation this year, noting
our introduction of Just Culture as a best practice.
nStandardization of aircraft this year, all meeting and exceeding
NTSB recommendations for safety equipment.
nExceeding FAA standards for required pilot training, through
our transition to MTC.
nContinued flight crew commitment to LZ safety training for all
primary EMS agencies, using a new, more engaging format
through the new LZSI video, as well as hot load training for
area hospitals.
nCommitment of the flight crew to provide training for local
EMS providers on disease specific classes such as stroke,
STEMI, InducedHypothermia, and Sepsis.
nContinued commitment to DUI prevention through participation
in localhigh schools’ mock crash events during prom season.
nInternal health promotion through the crew initiatives such as
“exercisebuddies”, the Roanoke 100 Miler, and the upcoming
Color Run 5K.
nOne of 3 VA HEMS programs participating in a state-wide
study on HEMS MUtilization (Project Synergy), with a national
presentation on the Mresults at last year’s Air Medical Transport Conference (AMTC).
nCrew and leadership team collaboration on fatigue management, with anational presentation on our results at last year’s
AMTC.
nState-wide presentation on Crew Resource Management at
last year’s VAOEMS Symposium.
nInclusion of the NeoPeds team into survival and aviation training this year.
None of this was possible without the flight crew engagement.
Thank you ALL for your hard work and dedication to your
program! Our nomination will move forward to the VA OEMS for
consideration for the same award at the state level. This will be
announced at the November VA OEMS Symposium.