Emergency Medical Systems Update Systems of Care Newsletter-Issue 2

Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Update

Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinator (PECC)

• What is a PECC? A Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinator is an EMS provider designated within your organization who ensures that its providers are prepared to care for ill and injured children. Having a PECC is an essential part to having your service be considered Pediatric Ready. Ideally, every agency will have one or more PECCS but multiple agencies may share the same PECC.
• What is the purpose of a PECC? The intent of designating and developing the role of a PECC is to ensure that there is a dedicated individual(s) identified at the local EMS agency that represents pediatric interest and performs the responsibilities listed below. These responsibilities can be fulfilled by more than one person, such as the medical director, EMS chief, training officer, or other prehospital professional. Additionally, there could be a region wide individual(s) that performs the responsibilities as a PECC for EMS agencies within a region.
• Responsibilities: Ensuring compliance with pediatric clinical practice guidelines and/or protocols, promoting pediatric continuing education opportunities, overseeing pediatric process improvement initiatives, ensuring the availability of pediatric medications, equipment, and supplies, promoting participation in pediatric prevention programs, coordinating with other agencies and emergency departments in your area to promote pediatric care, promoting family-centered care, promoting agency and hospital participation in pediatric research efforts such as filling out the yearly EMSC survey sent out by the EMSC Data Center (formerly known as NEDARC), conducting case review and feedback on pediatric calls/patients, identifying best practice, evidence-based medicine specific to pediatrics.
• Benefits of having a PECC as part of your agency: Having a registered PECC ensures that your service is providing the best pediatric care to your patients. A PECC assists your agency in maintaining best practices in pediatric care and helps to make sure your service knows how to use pediatric equipment. All these things together mean that children in North Dakota are getting the best emergency care they can. As an added benefit to bettering outcomes of pediatric patients, agencies with a registered PECC are first in line for educational opportunities, training, and free equipment.
• Apply: Complete the application to register as a Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinator (PECC) here.

Emergency Medical Services for Children Communication Cards

• EMSC would like to help you better communicate with your patients who have communication difficulties, reach out to the EMSC Program Coordinator to get Communication Cards for your service! Now in Spanish/English.

Autism Awareness

• Did you know Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) now affects 1 in 36 children in the United States? Do you want tips and tools to help you better help individuals with ASD? Contact the EMSC Program Coordinator and get the information on a free training and materials to do just that!

Educational Opportunities

• Virtual symposiums will be held in September, November, and December. Make sure your service has a PECC registered with EMSC so that you don’t miss out on these FREE education opportunities! Continuing education credits available.

Visit the EMSC Program website here.

For questions regarding the EMSC Program, please contact Chettie Greer at cgreer@nd.gov.

Cardiac System of Care Update

Coordinator Spotlight

When asked why her facility is working toward the Acute Cardiac Ready Hospital Designation, Lori replied, "I want everyone in our community to receive the best and most up-to-date treatment for heart disease possible even though we live in a rural area that is two hours from the nearest PCI capable center."

2023 North Dakota Cardiac and Stroke Conference

Acute Cardiac Ready Hospital (ACRH) Designation

• ACRH Designation Criteria here.
• ACRH Webinar here.

Statewide Cardiac Registry FAQ

• What registry did Emergency Medical Systems choose as the North Dakota statewide cardiac registry? The American Heart Association's Get with the Guidelines: Coronary Artery Disease (GWTG: CAD) was selected.
• Is participation in the statewide registry mandatory? No. However, if your facility would like to be designated by the state as a STEMI referring or receiving center, contribution to the statewide registry is required.
• How is the registry paid for? The facility will pay for the registry and chart entry time, and the state will subsidize the cost as the legislature allows. Currently, the state pays for 100% of GWTG: CAD.
• What is the Rural Health Care Outcomes Accelerator Program? A new AHA three-year initiative that aims to eliminate rural health care disparities by providing new enroller hospitals free access to GWTG programs, including GWTG: CAD. All ND critical access hospitals are eligible. More information here.
• What is required by the state to be designated a STEMI referring or STEMI receiving center? 1. The facility must be certified/accredited/verified by the state or one of the ND approved Cardiac Certification Programs for STEMI Receiving Center Designation. 2. The facility must participate in the statewide cardiac registry.

Cardiac Task Force

• Next Cardiac Task Force Meeting: October 4, 2023, 10:00 am-2:00 pm
• What's the purpose of the Acute Cardiovascular Emergency Medical System of Care Advisory Committee aka the Cardiac Task Force? According to N.D.C.C 23-47-03(2), "the purpose of the acute cardiovascular emergency medical system of care advisory committee is to advise the department on the establishment of an effective system of acute cardiovascular emergency care throughout the state and to take steps to ensure and facilitate the implementation of the system of acute cardiovascular emergency care."
• The Cardiac Task Force is looking for critical access hospital cardiac coordinators and a representative from the North Dakota Emergency Medical Services Association (NDEMSA) to join the Cardiac Task Force. If interested, please Contact Christine Greff at cgreff@nd.gov.

Visit the Cardiac System of Care website here.

For questions regarding the Cardiac System of Care, please contact Christine Greff at cgreff@nd.gov.

Cardiac Ready Community Program (CRC) Update

• Find the revised Cardiac Ready Community Guidelines here.

PulsePoint AED Application

• In the revised Cardiac Ready Community Guidelines, one of the designation criteria under the Public Access to AEDs section is to enter AEDs in your community into the free PulsePoint AED application.
• The PulsePoint AED application is free, easy to use, and enables you to build an AED registry for your community. Making it easier to find an AED when a cardiac emergency strikes.
• AEDs that are managed using the PulsePoint AED application are accessible to emergency dispatchers and disclosed to emergency responders, including nearby citizens trained in CPR and off-duty professionals.

Cardiac Ready Community Advisory Committee

• Next Cardiac Ready Community Advisory Committee Meeting: November 2, 2023, 10:00-11:00 am
• Interested in becoming a Cardiac Ready Community Advisory Committee member? We are looking for new members that represent Cardiac Ready Communities. Contact Christine Greff at cgreff@nd.gov.

Visit the Cardiac Ready Community Program website here.

For questions regarding the Cardiac Ready Community Program, contact Christine Greff at cgreff@nd.gov

Helmsley ND Law Enforcement AED Project Update

• Over 1,600 AEDs have been given to law enforcement first responders across the state

For questions regarding the Helmsley ND Law Enforcement AED project, contact Christine Greff at cgreff@nd.gov