February 18th MERGINET.News

["Richard Bilger" <rbilger@merginet.com>]

We're pleased to bring you the latest additions to
MERGINET.News (February 2002 Vol. 7, No. 2).
You can view this issue online at:

http://www.merginet.com/newsroom/

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FROM THE EDITORS:
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MERGINET.News has some great reading for you this time! Two of our new
features offer information about societal “nasties”: Jeff Kopito’s series on
party drugs concludes with presentations of GHB and ketamine, and Jim
Crabtree’s WMD series continues with an interesting primer on biotoxins.
Jeff Robinson and Mike Wallace have both sent in “think” pieces for the
section, “In His Own Words.”

Your regular columnists offer up lots of interesting information as well.
“Law Bytes” is all about the OIG’s updated advisory opinion about municipal
subsidies and waivers of Medicare co-payments. The NAED column, written by
Richard Taylor and K. Sue Hoyt, RN, presents a template for a completely
integrated E9-1-1, EMS, and traffic management communications system. Kathy
West wrote a must-read article about OSHA compliance that could save
agencies lots of money. In the Management Matters area, John Becknell and
Lauren Ostrow finish their com center discussion, and Donald Wetmore writes
about perfectionism. See Straight Talk for some “Heart and Soul,” and see
why John Mateus says, “Teachin’ Ain’t Doin’.” All in all, we believe you’ll
enjoy this new edition!

We hope you’ve noticed the evolving column of information called “The
 Latest” on the left-hand side of our homepage at MERGINET.com. It will soon
be renamed “The Sharps Container,” because this section will continue to
offer you short-takes on news and issues affecting our industry. But instead
of twice a month, we now roll information onto that column almost daily.
Also, watch this place for the upcoming “Kate Goes to the Olympics”
postings. Yes, your editor will spend the last four days of the Olympics as
a guest of the Fire & EMS Command of the Salt Lake Olympics Committee. A
life-long addict of the Olympic spirit, I, Kate, promise to give you a sense
for the on-site excitement as well as the people working to exhaustion to
ensure a safe event.

As always, please don’t be shy about sending us your Reader Feedback. We
appreciate your thoughts and ideas. We also enjoy your compliments! Everyone
who writes gets a reply as promptly as possible.

Welcome to the February 18th release of MERGINET.News!
Warm regards,
Kate Dernocoeur, Editor
Laura Bennett-Kimble, Managing Editor

New in this issue!

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Feature Articles
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>> Dancing the Night Away Part III - GHB and Ketamine
by Jeff Kopito, EMT-D
This is the third and final part of a series on "party drugs" — drugs being
used recreationally which emergency responders may see in the course of
their duties. Some of us may also come across them in our daily lives as
parents or friends of people who are making choices incompatible with a
healthy lifestyle. Either way, these drugs impact our world, and knowing
about them can be helpful.
http://www.merginet.com/newsroom/feature-partydrugs3.shtml

>> Biotoxins and Poisons as Weapons of Mass Destruction
by Jim Crabtree, RN, BSN, MICN
Let's take a look at biological weapons that don't involve the release of
actual bacteria or viruses. Rather, these weapons are naturally occurring
poisons manufactured by bacteria or plants, and they represent the
harvesting and weaponization of a naturally occurring toxic chemical.
Because they do not consist of reproducing organisms, none is contagious.
Since they are essentially chemical toxins, there are no totally effective,
readily available vaccines for protection.
http://www.merginet.com/newsroom/feature-wmd4.shtml


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Medic Life
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>> STRAIGHT TALK 56: Heart and Soul
by Kate Dernocoeur
It seems a persistent reality, despite the best efforts of good instructors
everywhere, that certain information gets pushed aside or forgotten
altogether during emergency training. Everyone knows that the first priority
for students is to learn about bodies, what can go wrong with them, and what
they can do about it in the field.
http://www.merginet.com/newsroom/straighttk56.shtml

>> A Vision for the Future: Integrating Emergency Response
by Richard Taylor and K. Sue Hoyt, RN, MN, CEN
Today in the United States, there are more than 120 million wireless
subscribers, hundreds of advanced medical systems, increasingly "smart"
cars, thousands of 9-1-1 centers, and many state-of-the-art transportation
centers. Yet we cannot automatically locate wireless 9-1-1 callers, nor are
we linking all of these components together with advanced information and
communications technology in order to share information with appropriate
emergency responders in real time.
http://www.merginet.com/newsroom/dispatch-0202.shtml

>> In His Own Words: EMS is the Community's Homeostatic Mechanism
by Michael Wallace, B.A., REMT-P
Since the inception of EMS, our goal has not always been clearly defined. We
have suffered through many changes in protocols by physicians and in
perceptions by both politicians and the public, as well as in changes in
portrayal by the media. Although our profession is considered to be among
the most respected of any by the public, I am not sure that we always have a
clear understanding of our own mission.
http://www.merginet.com/newsroom/theirwords-homeostatic.shtml

>> In His Own Words: A Prayer Before Sleep
by Jeff Robinson, NREMT-P
My friend Mike is a guy who never runs. Calm, cool, and deliberate, Mike
just seems to have it all together, all the time. So when Mike and the rest
of the engine crew ran past me and up the steps to where the screaming
babysitter sat, I suddenly knew I wanted to be somewhere, anywhere, else.
http://www.merginet.com/newsroom/theirwords-sleep.shtml

>> Infection Control: OSHA Citations Are Real
by Katherine West, BSN, MSEd
Attention all ambulance services: Do you think that OSHA won't come your
way? This might get your attention. OSHA cited Northshore Ambulance Company
in Salem, Massachusetts for failure to provide all the required safeguards
mandated by the bloodborne pathogens regulation. Failure to protect its
employees against bloodborne pathogens resulted in a fine of $60,100.
http://www.merginet.com/newsroom/ic-0202-west.shtml

>> The Curse of Perfectionism
by Dr. Donald E. Wetmore, JD
There's a rule known as the Pareto Principle. It teaches us that 20 percent
of our efforts produce 80 percent of our results. The additional 80 percent
of our efforts will yield only an additional 20 percent of results. The
first thrust of effort then is the most productive use of our time. The
latter is very costly.
http://www.merginet.com/newsroom/medic_life-perfectionism.shtml


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Educators Corner
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>> Teaching Ain't Doin' (02-18-02)
by John Mateus
They weren't a particularly humble group. This bunch of experienced EMTs and
paramedics stared up at me in disbelief. They found it hard to believe that
the CPR instructor course they had asked me to conduct for them was actually
going to take two whole days.
http://www.merginet.com/newsroom/educators-0202.shtml


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Management Matters
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>> Law Bytes: What's New from the (Government) Front? New OIG Opinions on
Waiver of Copayments and Final Safe Harbor on Restocking Programs
by Steve Wirth, Esq. and Doug Wolfberg, Esq.
T'was the month before Christmas and all through the house not a creature
was stirring, except the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the
Department of Health and Human Services! That's right, our friends at the
OIG were very busy at the end of 2001. First they issued a new advisory
opinion about municipal subsidies and waivers of Medicare co-payments. Then,
they issued its final "safe harbor" regulation on ambulance restocking.
http://www.merginet.com/newsroom/law_bytes-0202.shtml

>> For Operations: Manage Critical Resources with your Communications
Center — Part 2
by Lauren Simon Ostrow and John M. Becknell
Efficient use of critical EMS assets is orchestrated through an enlightened
and empowered communication center that continually updates its deployment
plan in real time with highly trained personnel, technology, and data. While
that's a mouthful, it's also a truism.
http://www.merginet.com/newsroom/mm-ops-0202.shtml

More online!

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