In addition to the tees, Henrietta Ambulance had pink ribbon “EMS” pins produced and were sold to the general public for $10 with proceeds also benefiting the Cancer Center. A number of local paramedics and EMTs purchased the pin and have been wearing it on their uniform this month while on-duty.

Henrietta Ambulance has provided emergency medical care to the residents of Henrietta, NY and surrounding communities since 1962. The agency responds 24 hours-per-day to over 5,800 requests for service each year with its fleet of 10 emergency vehicles and 80 career and volunteer members. Henrietta Ambulance is certified to provide the highest possible level of emergency care in the nation, which includes an advanced life support paramedic response to designated calls. In addition, the agency provides a number of services to the community including a free loan closet for residents (crutches, canes and wheelchairs), complementary blood pressure checks, community CPR classes, and AED training. To learn more about Henrietta Ambulance and the services it provides, visit www.henriettaambulance.org, call (585) 334-4190 or visit the headquarters at 280 Calkins Road in Henrietta.

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Press Contact: Chris Murtaugh
Henrietta Ambulance
(585) 317-3222 cell
(585) 334-8172 fax
cmurtaugh@henriettaambulance.org
www.henriettaambulance.org

While deployed, the crews will respond to local 911 calls for service including medical calls, motor vehicle accidents, and transporting the patients to local hospitals. Members from Henrietta Ambulance have just returned from a deployment this past weekend. They were sent to provide medical support to the Monroe County Swift Water Rescue Team. Monroe County is one of the only swift water rescue teams that deploys with its own paramedic unit to ensure that prompt medical care is administered if a team member is injured.

“Much like the other ambulances in the fleet, 6199 was designed with crew and patient safety as a priority,” says Deputy Chief Jim Bucci. Alongside the bench seat is a shelf for the Philips MRx cardiac monitor, a laptop mount & keyboard, and a custom-designed drawer for quick access to commonly used supplies (IV, fluid, aspirin, nitroglycerin). Additionally, cabin controls and communications hardware are easily accessed from the bench seat including radios, heat/AC, lights & more. The intent is to allow crew members to remain seated and safely seat belted whenever possible during the transport.

The ambulance features a fluid & blanket warmer, medication refrigerator and a new controlled substances safe which requires badge ID access by the paramedic in conjunction with a unique PIN. The ALS storage cabinet also features a new access mechanism requiring the swipe of an authorized crew member badge ID. The outside of 6199 features LED lights including amber & blue in the rear, “chevron” stripes, and a sliding passenger side door for safe exit/entry from the vehicle.

“Henrietta Ambulance continues to grow as an agency, both in terms of call volume (911 responses) and as a presence in the community,” says Chris Murtaugh, Public Information Officer. “We are doing more and more community events and also contract to provide EMS services for a number of local events. Adding the additional vehicle to our fleet will allow us to consistently serve the community and prepare for future growth.”

Henrietta Ambulance’s data was compared against that of other EMS agencies from across the U.S. as well as other healthcare facilities including hospitals and inpatient units for 2010. The award is a direct reflection of patient’s responses to ongoing surveys that are conducted after the agency transports to a local hospital.

“We felt the need to start acquiring candid feedback from our patients,” says Chief Reg Allen. “As a leading EMS agency in the region, we’ve made a commitment to monitoring our performance in a variety of areas. The results of the survey are reviewed quarterly and allow us to see first-hand how our patients perceive our care and identify areas that may need attention.”

“As a whole, our agency is thrilled to have received this honor,” says President Tracey Wenzel. “Each of our members focus on giving the very best care to each of our patients, whether it be in specific areas like pain control or something as simple as improved bedside manner.”

The award was presented to Henrietta Ambulance at an award ceremony on May 5, 2011.

• Continuous, prompt response to 911 calls based on a nationally accepted standard
• Ongoing training of all members in the latest technologies and protocols contributing to excellent patient care
• High availability of resources to respond to its 5,800 requests for service via 911 in 2010
• Partnering with the Rush-Henrietta School District for a career internship program with local students
• Partnering with neighboring EMS and fire agencies to streamline and coordinate inter-agency activities and training
• The “Save a Life. Learn CPR.” campaign, whereby the agency trained over 1,000 community members in CPR & AED use
• The Community-Based AED project, allowing local businesses to obtain an AED and train their staff in CPR
• Henrietta Ambulance’s relationship with local elder care services, working together to improve the safety of elderly residents in their own homes
• Improving the safety of EMTs and paramedics as they care for patients in the rear of the ambulance. Modifications to the ambulances allow the paramedic to remain seated and seat belted while transporting to the hospital.

In addition, one of Henrietta Ambulance’s EMT’s was recognized as “Basic Life Support Provider of the Year” for the Monroe-Livingston region. Laurie Cappadonia was acknowledged at the annual awards ceremony thanks to her work as an Emergency Medical Technician with Henrietta Ambulance in 2010. Laurie is also a combat medic with the United States Army and recently returned from a tour in Afghanistan. This is the third consecutive year that an EMT from Henrietta Ambulance has won this award.

Both agencies have jointly started working together on a new approach to managing & caring for patient who has suffered a cardiac arrest. The new protocol, entitled “Focused Cardiac Arrest”, better synchronizes and streamlines the roles & responsibilities of each crewmember who assist with patient care. The training drill afforded both the opportunity for both agencies to work together, practicing the new protocol in a real-life scenario environment.

“Our goal is to increase the survival rate of patients who suffer a sudden cardiac arrest. This new protocol is based on a very successful program in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, where they now see a 75% return of spontaneous circulation rate for their patients. The national average is currently 4-5%. While our patients’ survival rate is currently higher than the national average, we believe we can do better.”, said Reg Allen, Chief of Henrietta Ambulance.

Henrietta Ambulance currently treats approximately 30 patients per year who have gone into cardiac arrest. The agency is the first in the area to roll out this new approach, while partnering directly with the local fire department. It is believed that many other local EMS and fire agencies will soon begin adopting this same protocol in the near future.

RIT Ambulance is a student-run emergency medical services organization that responds to the medical needs of the RIT community, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except when the university is closed.

The organization works in close partnership with Henrietta Ambulance. There are currently about a dozen RIT alumni who volunteer with Henrietta Ambulance.

http://www.henriettapost.com/feature/x13266752/RIT-donates-5-000-to-Henrietta-Ambulance

The event involved simulation and role-play, teaching the students how to care for and extricate patients who are trapped within their vehicle. Emergency Medical Services staff must work side-by-side with their local fire departments in order to safely remove patients from their vehicles. This drill was assisted by members of the Chili Fire Department, who provided the necessary manpower, tools and skills to create a real-life simulation environment.

Henrietta Ambulance is currently hosting one of the MCC EMT courses in its Training Center on Calkins Road, near the agency’s main headquarters. 23 students were given the unique opportunity to participate.

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