EMS News Briefs from Mike McEvoy

By EMS Coordinator Mike McEvoy, Ph.D., NRP, RN, CCRN
NYSAFC EMS Committee

The Future of the New York CCT
For the paranoid who will loudly proclaim, "I told you so," concerns about the ability of the DOH Bureau of EMS to sustain updates to the critical care technician (CCT) curriculum and exams led them to ask the State EMS Council Training and Ed and Systems Committees and members of SEMAC to evaluate the future of this program. Currently, there are only 1,878 CCTs in New York. Several worthy considerations: are there pathways to facilitate upgrading CCTs to medics? Would the revised AEMT level suffice as a replacement in communities currently served by CCT providers? Food for thought and likely fodder for some contentious battles. Ultimately, the CCT curriculum and exams, which exist nowhere but in New York state, seem headed for extinction after which, it won’t be possible to certify new CCTs.

CDC Updates Ebola PPE Guidance
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its PPE guidance for healthcare workers caring for suspected and confirmed Ebola patients. The August 27 release updates the original October 2014 recommendations and contains clarifications on fluid resistant gowns and coveralls, as well as updated rationale for respiratory protection, clarification of procedures and roles for donning and doffing PPE, and changes in the order of PPE removal. The updated guidance for stable persons under investigation for Ebola can be accessed here and guidance for confirmed Ebola patients can be found here. Recommendations for transport of Ebola patients by EMS are under development and should be released soon.

About the Author:
Mike McEvoy, Ph.D., NRP, RN, CCRN is the EMS coordinator for Saratoga County, a paramedic supervisor for Clifton Park-Halfmoon Ambulance Corps, a firefighter and the chief medical officer for West Crescent Fire Department. He works in the Cardiac Surgical ICUs at Albany Medical Center and teaches critical care medicine at Albany Medical College. McEvoy was the 2005 chair of the New York State EMS Council and is a past EMS director for NYSAFC. He is a regular contributor to NYSAFC's SIZE UP magazine and the fireEMS editor for Fire Engineering. Follow Mike’s adventures here.