And the winner is..... The Nature Coast EMS Intubation Rodeo was held on Jan. 19, 2019, at Crystal River United Methodist Church. This highly-effective competition consisted of 16 complex scenarios (including pediatric), to challenge contestants to obtain the advanced airway efficiently and effectively under stressful situations. More than 40 healthcare first responders from across the state of Florida registered for this one-of-a-kind competition. But only three emerged at the very top. Believe it or not, Nature Coast's very own Lyle Horne, this year's winner, also won the competition in 2016. We had such great feedback from our competitors that we're planning to hold the competition again in 2020 -- and this is the only event of its kind in the nation due to the amount of work it takes to make it happen and the amount of personnel it requires to do this professionally and accurately. We want to thank our sponsors and station sponsors for their support, for without them, this definitely wouldn't have happened! A special shout out to DRC Sports and Chris Moling, who supports this event faithfully. 1st Place, Lyle Horne, Nature Coast EMS 2nd Place, Tyler Allen, Bradford County EMS 3rd Place, Graham Losse, Nature Coast EMS

Anyone interested in having a career in healthcare as an EMT or Paramedic can now register for classes at the Nature Coast Emergency Medical Institute. Paramedic classes begin on Jan. 15, 2019 and EMT classes begin on Jan. 24. Nature Coast EMI is an accredited training program with high experienced instructors and very high state test pass rates.

On November 1 and 2, reviewers from the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services visited Nature Coast EMS to review processes and procedures for Nature Coast's third accreditation.

On Wednesday, Oct. 31, Nature Coast EMS held its 9th annual Trunk or Treat across the street from its headquarters in Lecanto. A record-number of people attended, with an estimate of over 2,000 children and adults. Thank you to our event partners: Citrus Memorial Hospital, Florida Department of Health, Bayfront Seven Rivers Hospital, Oak Hill Hospital, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Forestry and the Citrus County Sheriff's Office. First place winner for best trunk: NC EMS Rescue Swimmers; second place winner, Citrus Memorial Hospital; third place NC EMS Explorers. See you next year!

Caroline Cooper joined 103 other “Stars” in Washington, D.C. to receive the American Ambulance Associations "Star of Life" award. Caroline was nominated by her peers at Nature Coast EMS. The stars toured Washington DC, met with their Congressional representatives and participated in other events at the Capitol. Caroline also met former Sec of Homeland Security Tom Ridge.

Nature Coast EMS has been awarded a grant from the Tamp Bay Health and Medical Preparedness Coalition for just under $4000 for disaster equipment. The grant application was for additional equipment for our Ambus.

Two new Rescue Swimmers have been added to the group of highly trained surface water rescuers. Caroline C. and Kenny A. completed their training last week. Nature Coast EMS has swimmers available on the streets in ambulances for coverage throughout the year.

Lecanto, FL - During the Citrus County Fair held March 26 through April 1 Nature Coast EMS and EMI trained 878 people in hands only CPR. Each participant received a t-shirt after they completed the training. The training was supported through a grant from the Florida Dept of Health.

Dr Mary Ann Kolar, Medical Director of Nature Coast EMS and Jane Bedford Education Director attended the 20th annual EMS State of the Science 2018: A Gathering of Eagles XX Conference in Dallas Texas Last week. This conference is a meeting of EMS Medical Directors from all over the world presenting innovative best practices and evidenced based research that will lead EMS agencies into the future of excellence in prehospital medicine. The medical directors from over 50 large cities in the United States, London, France, Berlin, New Zealand the US Secret Service, Homeland Security, Department of Health and Human Services, US Dept of Transportation, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the White House Medical Unit presented over 100 topics in EMS State of the Science. Nature Coast EMS has been recognized as a leader in EMS in Florida, receiving the EMS Provider of the Year in 2016, is already doing many initiatives presented at the conference, but will always seek to improve EMS in Citrus County. These innovation in EMS supported Dr Kolar to receive the Innovation in Health Care Award for 2017 and EMS Medical Director of the Year 2016 from the Florida Department of Health, Office of EMS.

Nature Coast EMS has contracted with the company Avesta for job applications and processing. This will speed up the process for the applicants and should make a smoother and more timely application process.

Between April 2018 and April 2019 Medicare is replacing the old cards with new cards with ID numbers not associated with your social security number. These new IDs are made up of letters and numbers. You can prepare by going to the Social Security at ssa.gov/myaccount or call 1-800-772-1213 and update your information. Our billing department is gearing up for the chance and will be ready when the change occurs.

Hurricane Irma devastated some parts of Florida worse than others. Citrus County had damage but dodged the bullet on major damages. Citrus County's saw an increase in lines at the gas pumps as other Floridians evacuated through the County. Nature Coast EMS had to secured fuel from private company to maintain it's operations. Friday Sept 8 all eccential team members were activated. This included all EMTs, paramedics and administrative staff. All stayed on duty until Monday. During and after the storm the issue was power. Some lost power for multiple days. This caused their oxygen concentrators to stop working and many had a limited supply of bottled oxygen as backup. Nature Coast EMS anticipated the potential increase in call volume and requested two EMS ambulance strike teams. On Monday Sept 11 the request was sent and by early evening the first team arrived. AMR Strike Team 31 (Pafford EMS) arrived and was almost immediately up and running calls. Later that evening Kentucky Task Force 15 arrived and would relief Pafford Tueday AM. Both these team became a great asset to Nature Coast EMS and the citizens we serve. There was a record number of calls for service during the this time. The Pafford team was demobilized on Thursday and redeployed to Boca Raton while Kentucky demobilized Saturday. We thank both teams for their assistance.

The Family & Friends CPR Course teaches the lifesaving skills of adult Hands-Only CPR, child CPR, adult and child AED use, infant CPR, and mild and severe airway block for adults, children, and infants. Skills are taught in a dynamic group environment using the AHA’s research-proven practice-while-watching technique, which provides students with the most hands-on CPR practice time possible. Family & Friends CPR is for people who want to learn CPR but do not need a CPR course completion card to meet a job requirement. This course is ideal for community groups, new parents, grandparents, babysitters, and others interested in learning how to save a life. YOUR HANDS COULD SAVE A LIFE! CLASSES ONGOING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE OR CALL: 352-249-4751 Register online: https://trainingcentertechnologies.com/NatureCoastEMS/CourseEnrollment.aspx Or go to www.naturecoastems.org Select “Training” then “Sign up online” to register.

Lecanto, FL - If you want to be able to use your EMT or paramedic education to make a difference during peoples worst day and be able to do more then just first response apply for a position at Nature Coast EMS. Go to the Careers tab and start your journey with us. NCEMS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Lecanto, FL - With a donation from the Citrus County School Board of a bus, the purchase of an insert by the Florida Department of Health - Citrus County, Nature Coast EMS is repurposing the bus into a 12 patient transport ambulance. This will be the first in our area and will be a great asset to our community. NCEMS has seen the need for about 6 years and for the past 2 year of planning and working hard with our partners to secured the equipment we will start working on the conversion immediately.

Lecanto FL - On Saturday, July 29 Nature Coast Emergency Medical Institute graduated Paramedic Class 2016-2 with 9 graduates. Two graduates were from Nature Coast EMS. Congratulations to all. The next Paramedic Class starts August 16 at the Lecanto campus. For more information call 352-249-4700.

Lecanto, FL - Nature Coast EMS has worked with regional experts and healthcare providers from the area on a new protocol for stroke patients. The protocol will utilize prehospital stroke tests to identify what patient might be a candidate for treatment at a specialize stroke hospital called a Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC). Not all patients will be candidates for the CSC. Those patients will still be transported to a Primary Stroke Center (PSC) which is Citrus County is Seven Rivers Regional Medical Center and Citrus Memorial Hospital.

March through May 2017 Nature Coast EMS received high marks from customers on the satisfaction survey that is conducted by the Baldrige Group. Each month calls are conducted and questions asked to determine how we are doing with our customers. There are 5 questions asked and for the past three months patients have said that they where 100% satisfied. To recognize the team members doing the work, lunch was provided to the field team members and cooked and served by the leadership team.

Mike Hall, President & CEO of Nature Coast EMS and Dr. Mary Anne Kolar, DO Medical Director of Nature Coast EMS have won awards in the 2017 Healthcare Heros. The 2017 Heroes are nominated by the community and then chosen by a select committee who will be honored at the Awards Luncheon on August 11, 2017, plus they will be profiled in a special section inserted in the Citrus County Chronicle. Healthcare Heroes have a purpose: to help, heal and save lives. They put others before themselves; see problems and solve them. They are individuals and organizations who truly make a difference in the health of our community.

Contact: Communications Office NewsMedia@flhealth.gov 850-245-4111 Tallahassee, Fla.—The Florida Department of Health is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2017 Excellence in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Awards. This year’s statewide EMS awards are hosted by the Emergency Medicine Learning and Resource Center (EMLRC) at the Caribe Royal in Orlando on July 11, 2017. This ceremony is in conjunction with the State EMS Advisory Council meetings and the EMLRC’s 43rd Annual Clinical Conference on Emergency Medical Services (ClinCon). “The department is pleased to recognize the brave and honorable efforts of Florida’s men and women who serve their community with excellence in emergency medical services,” said State Surgeon General and Secretary of Health Dr. Celeste Philip. “Congratulations to the statewide EMS award recipients for their significant contributions to EMS in Florida. We are so thankful for their lifesaving services.” The following is a list of the 2017 award recipients. Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Award: Jane Bedford, Nature Coast EMS For a complete list of winners go to the Florida DOH website. For more information about the Excellence in Emergency Medical Services award program, please visit www.EMLRC.org. About the Florida Department of Health The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts. Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.

PUBLIC INFORMATION RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – PRESS CONFERENCE JULY 18TH AT 11:30 Nature Coast EMS, 3876 W Country Hill Drive, Lecanto, Florida 34461 Date: PRESS CONFERENCE JULY 17TH AT 11:30 Contact: Jane Bedford Cell: 352-302-8486 E-mail: JaneB@naturecoastems.org Citrus County has a higher than average infant death rate compared to other counties in the State of Florida. Below is the data for Citrus County from Florida Charts. . Infant death can have many causes, including pregnancy complications, congenital abnormalities (birth defects), premature birth, low birth weight, respiratory distress syndrome and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The leading causes of infant death haven't changed in the last several years, despite advanced technology and increased focus on prenatal care. In Citrus County, the rate is 8.2 deaths per 1,000 births. Using the CARES registry ( Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival) the American Heart Association “Survival After Out-Of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in Children” article reports that only 1 in 12 children with an Out-Of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) survived to hospital discharge, 91.6% of infants had their cardiac arrest in a private residence, and were less likely to receive bystander CPR. Teaching caregivers and parents of newborns CPR and skills to recognize life threats is not currently offered in our community. Delivery of push-hard-push fast compression during CPR improves outcomes for all cardiac arrest patients. When the rescuer pushes hard and fast on the victim's chest, they're really acting like an artificial heart. That blood carries oxygen that helps keep the organs alive till help arrive. (STENGLE, 2010) It is well documented that bystander CPR saves lives when coupled with advanced cardiac life support. A significant problem contributing to the low survival rates in OHCA is the failure of bystanders to initiate CPR. This has been attributed to citizen’s reluctance to do mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing on a stranger. Since this has been eliminated in some instances (lay responder CPR) we believe we will see a dramatic increase in bystander CPR with this new education. Nature Coast EMS received a grant from the Florida Department of Health, Office of EMS to offer infant CPR and choking classes to 2500 students free of charge. This program will also educate CPR instructors in each citizen, community or organization group so that the education could continue after the grant. This program will seek to increase the number of patients receiving push-hard-push-fast CPR and have access to an AED. Nature Coast EMS will track the number of bystander CPR and this data will be used to identify risks and improve patient outcomes.

Paramedic Graham Losse has been awarded the 2017 American Ambulance Associations "Star of Life" award. Graham has been in Washington, DC this past week receiving his award and meeting with Florida's Congressmen.

With the opening of scallop seasons fast approaching, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wants to remind everyone engaged in this fun outdoor activity to use a divers-down warning device whenever they are snorkeling or scuba diving while searching for these tasty treats.