We are proud to announce the Arkansas Ambulance Association's first-ever email newsletter The Pulse of ArAA! Going forward, you will receive The Pulse of ArAA every other Wednesday.  As the ArAA is a member driven organization, the newsletter is designed for you and, more importantly, with you. Submissions by members are not only requested, they are encouraged.  Please take a few moments to review this week’s issue and consider contributing to the next issue.  Additionally, your feedback is valued; please let us know what you think about the new publication, frequency of publication, and overall content.

The Arkansas Ambulance Alliance was honored to answer a state EMAC request received from Florida in response to Hurricane Helene. An ALS ground ambulance strike team mobilized, and units staged at an area east of the eye wall impact zone. The team continues to support local EMS, fire, and rescue operations in the aftermath of this major storm. Please keep each of the agencies, our professional responders, and those impacted by the storm in your thoughts and prayers.

Industry Insights

Arkansas EMS Advisory Council

Established by AR Code § 20-13-207, The Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council shall recommend for adoption by the State Board of Health rules on all matters relating to emergency medical services, including without limitation:

(1) Standards for licensure of ambulance and advanced life support rescue personnel;

(2) Standards for equipment required on ambulance and advanced life support rescue vehicles;

(3) Standards for vehicles used in patient transportation and advanced life support rescue response, including communications requirements;

(4) A statewide communications system for emergency medical services;

(5) Operational standards for providers of ambulance and advanced life support rescue services, including reporting requirements and standards for air ambulance and air ambulance services; and

(6) Procedures for summoning and dispatching aid.

Denise Carson serves as the Arkansas Ambulance Association appointed representative to this Council. The next meeting of the council will be on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. at the Freeway Medical Building, 5800 E 10^th Street, 9th Floor Boardroom, Little Rock.  These meetings are open to the public and you are encouraged to attend.

 Do Hospital Closures Affect Patient Times in an Ambulance? 

The Rural & Underserved Health Research Center's policy brief Do Hospital Closures Affect Patient Time in an Ambulance? notes that although hospital closures in urban and suburban areas do not result in longer transport times for patients needing emergency care, rural patients do experience longer ambulance transportation time if a hospital in their zip code stopped providing general in-patient care during the previous year. According to this report, rural patients over 64 years of age are likely to experience the greatest increase in time spent in an ambulance following a 911 call.

Congress Passes SIREN Act Reauthorization to Assist Rural EMS (reprinted from IAFC Blog)  

On September 17, the House of Representatives passed S. 265, the SIREN Reauthorization Act. This legislation will reauthorize funding for a grant program to support rural EMS.

Located at the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Rural EMS Training and Equipment Assistance (REMSTEA; also known as the SIREN grant program) provides grants directly to rural fire and non-profit EMS organizations. Specifically, the program funds training and certifications for EMS personnel and the purchase of medical equipment for rural EMS agencies.  The link to the full article is available here.

 EMS Voluntary Notification Tool  

The EMS Voluntary Notification Tool (E.V.E.N.T.) is a tool designed to improve the safety, quality and consistent delivery of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). It collects data submitted anonymously by EMS practitioners. The data collected will be used to develop policies, procedures and training programs to improve the safe delivery of EMS. A similar system used by airline pilots has led to important airline system improvements based upon pilot reported "near miss" situations and errors. Any individual who encounters or recognizes a situation in which an EMS safety event occurred, or could have occurred, is strongly encouraged to submit a report by completing the appropriate EMS Voluntary Notification Tool. The confidentiality and anonymity of this reporting tool is designed to encourage EMS practitioners to readily report EMS safety events without fear of repercussion.

File a confidential and anonymous report:

Arkansas DHS COVID-19 Update

The chart below details COVID hospitalizations by date for the last thirty days.  The data is updated by the state weekly and can be accessed here.

Upcoming Events

September 30, 2024 - Grant Award Notifications

October 20 - 24, 2024 - National Conference on Ambulance Revenue Cycle Management and Compliance in Hershey, PA (Learn More)

November 6, 2024 - Arkansas EMS Advisory Council Meeting at 1:30 pm central in Little Rock, AR (Learn More)

November 11 - 13, 2024 - American Ambulance Association Stars of Life in Washington, D.C. (Learn More)