Ashtabula County Medical Center | ACMC Pulse | Winter 2018

ACMC Pulse  • acmchealth.org 9 Did you know? + + In Ashtabula County, 16 emergency medical services (EMS) agencies transport patients. Firefighters and first responders also provide assistance as needed. Eight EMS agencies are under ACMC’s medical direction. + + ACMC’s Emergency Department treats about 35,000 patients per year, and EMS crews deliver nearly 20 percent of those patients. + + EMS providers in Ohio must complete 15 to 86 continuing education hours or retake their certification test every three years to remain certified. ACMC offers monthly continuing education classes, which helps them stay current with certifications. Faster, lifesaving care An agreement between Ashtabula County Medical Center (ACMC), Community Care Ambulance (CCA) and Northeast Ohio Regional Airport (NEORA) improves patient safety by providing an alternate helicopter landing site during inclement winter weather. Kathy Doytek, RN, ACMC Emergency Department Nurse Director, said the agreement makes it safer and faster to transfer patients to Cleveland for advanced medical treatment. Overcoming bad weather The agreement allows Cleveland-based helicopter transport units to land at NEORA. A CCA ambulance transports the medical team from the airport to ACMC and then transports the team and the patient back to the airport. “Because ACMC is close to Lake Erie, there are times that a helicopter cannot land at ACMC due to wind or blowing snow. However, just a few miles away—south of Interstate 90— the weather is often better,” Doytek said. “It can take an ambulance over an hour to get to Cleveland. But a helicopter can get a patient there in minutes. The agreement saves critical time, even in bad weather.” Knowledge is power Learn to spot symptoms of a heart attack You could have one or more of these: Call 911 if you’re having symptoms of a heart attack. Head: dizziness; light- headedness Shoulders or arms: pain or discomfort in one or both Chest: pain or discomfort Lungs: shortness of breath; coughing Body: breaking out in a cold sweat; fatigue or weakness Neck or jaw: pain or discomfort Back: pain or discomfort Stomach: pain or discomfort; nausea; vomiting Sources: American Heart Association; National Institutes of Health