NJ-EMS

2011-12-25T10:44:00.000-08:00

LAMBERTVILLE For 87 years, area residents had free ambulance service to area hospitals. That will change Oct. 1 when the Lambertville-New Hope Ambulance & Rescue Squad starts billing for transport.

Pat Pittore, president of the nonprofit group, told city council Monday that the organization had put off the change in policy as long as it could.

“This decision came only after much debate. Although we are nonprofit, we run our operation as a business, and as such we need a reliable stream of income,” said Pittore.

He said the squad’s expenses are nearly $400,000 a year and its annual fundraising efforts are yielding only about $150,000.Check the call volume

2011-12-25T10:07:00.000-08:00

Funny

2011-12-12T21:16:00.001-08:00

2011-10-09T07:52:00.001-07:00

In an explosive lawsuit filed in Hudson County Superior Court, a Jersey City Medical Center EMT who is Arab claims that over the past four years he's been bombarded with ethnic slurs and taunts from coworkers."You have no idea how hard I tried to show them I was working hard, educated, intelligent, willing to help," Nader Mousa, 45, of Jersey City.t was nice and fine until Sept. 11. I mean, I don't blame people, but I'm working with you. I'm your partner. We are saving people. Are you going to treat me like Bin Laden?" added Mousa, who was hired as an emergency medical technician at the hospital in August 2006.

According the 23-page lawsuit originally filed in July 2010, but amended three weeks ago, "upper management" of the Medical Center "failed to respond to the plaintiff's email and failed to prevent continuing discriminatory conduct against plaintiff.Mousa's lawsuit paints a far different picture.

It says that on one occasion a coworker greeted him saying "What's up you (bleeping) terrorist. How many virgins you get if you become a suicide bomber."
A second EMT responded "seventy," according to the suit.

In another instance, a coworker said "You know what? They should nuke the (blanking) Middle East and kill everybody and take the oil," the suit alleges.
During another incident, a coworker said to Mousa, "Let me just pat you down to make sure you have no vest." And while patting the plaintiff's body said "OK...Good," according to the suit.

2011-07-23T07:06:00.000-07:00

NJ EMS groups push bill to regulate EMTs, paramedics
The overall EMS field includes both EMTs and paramedics, among other professional responders.

Officials with hospital systems and emergency responder groups, among others, are hoping for final passage of a bill they say will help reform a fractured, non-uniform system in which not everyone is up to standards, or even working to get there.

A set of standards
Proponents say the bill, whose Assembly version is A2095, would bring New Jersey EMTs, paramedics, the agencies employing them and others under a more streamlined set of professional standards, eliminating inconsistencies that allow some responders to deliver shoddy care. They call it the New Jersey EMS Redesign Bill.

It passed the Assembly in March by a 41-33 vote.

The Senate version (S818) — sponsored by Senators Joseph F. Vitale (D, Middlesex) and Stephen M. Sweeney (D, West Deptford) — was referred to that house's Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee last January but hasn't yet come to the Senate floor for a vote.

Gloucester County EMS Chief Andy Lovell; Dr. Joseph C. Hummel (Emergency Medicine) of Virtua West Jersey Hospital in Camden; Scott A. Kasper, corporate director of EMS for Virtua in Voorhees; and Vincent Robbins, President and CEO of MONOC, a non-profit hospital cooperative based in Neptune, all recently discussed the Redesign Bill, which they say is long-overdue, with the Times.

Lovell heads the squad in which 16 of the county's 24 municipalities, or two-thirds, participate, instead of running their own individual squads or merging with those of neighboring towns.

The four men stressed they're not knocking volunteer EMT squads altogether, and that a large-scale study of New Jersey's system found plenty of room for improvement across caregiver types, as well as in current laws governing them. In fact, they pointed out there are many who abide by regulations, monitor their members and provide excellent care to patients.

The problem, they say, is that some exchange professionalism for a "club" mentality. They balk at existing regulations, officials say, and there is no oversight holding them accountable.

That has resulted in more than a few horror stories, including the following:

* Non-certified members of EMS squads doing things on scenes that only certified EMTs are qualified to do
* Paramedics being called to lift patients and take them to an ambulance because EMTs were too frail or badly conditioned to do so
* EMS squads skipping adjacent squads for mutual aid and relying on more distant ones because of bad blood and rivalries
* Sex offenders successfully joining some squads because their records were overlooked
* EMTs coming to late-night car accident scenes in pajamas and slippers, despite the presence of debris, hardware, blood and other fluids
* Failure to maintain equipment, including ambulances themselves, in a timely way
* Failure to request paramedics on a scene, although the patient's condition may require them
* A lack of data on responses squads have run, leaving authorities in the dark, at least to a degree, concerning possible red flags

What would change
Both EMTs and paramedics need certification, which comes after students complete rigorous courses involving written and practical components.

The Redesign Bill would replace a certificate with a license for EMTs, paramedics, ambulance agencies, hospital facilities receiving patients and other medical responders.

The idea is to create more uniform, enforced minimum standards of care, whatever the agency.

The Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS), under the state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), would be the lead agency for all EMS personnel and their dispatchers.

The bill also establishes a state EMS medical director and an Emergency Medical Care Advisory Board to oversee standards.

Licensure would in part give EMTs and paramedics a much-deserved title in a sense, said Robbins, the MONOC president and CEO.

"It's like a permanent recognition of what they've achieved," he explained. "It's like earning a Bachelors or a Masters degree. You have that for life, and no one can take it away."

Nonetheless, responders would have to keep up on continuing education and be held to the standards the lead agency puts into play.

For those who practice in the EMS and other emergency fields, licensure as Robbins puts it is not a lot to ask. The emotional wear and tear builds for EMTs and paramedics, who deal with an array of horrors most never witness.

The state authorities would oversee data collection by responders. They would also apply standards for education and response times to emergency scenes and regulate dispatchers.

The DHSS Commissioner would issue an annual report on EMS issues.

Among other things, the bill would also provide criminal background checks and fingerprinting of all EMS personnel, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) hardware for all ambulances and GPS monitoring software for DHSS.

The New Jersey EMS Coalition, a group supporting the bill, compiled estimates on the additional costs and savings of the bill's provisions, which include a multi-year transition period of putting them into effect, as well as the "thereafter" cost per year.

All-in-all, the Coalition estimates the cost to the state at $1,825,500 to implement and $665,000 per year thereafter. But surplus money from the state police JEMSTAR fund can cover both, the group says.

The county EMS, Virtua and MONOC leaders who spoke to the Times said many groups of professionals are pulling for the Redesign Bill. But many members of a group they say often wields the sheer power of votes — the New Jersey State First Aid Council — has long opposed it.

The Council represents volunteer EMS agencies. Robbins and company said the group is actually divided, with a number of members supporting the bill. But those against it seem to be dominant.

The Council is headed by President Barbara Aras, and under her are three executive vice presidents, one for each of three designated areas — northern, central and southern.

2011-07-23T07:02:00.000-07:00

Over a dozen treated at Jersey City Medical Center due to extreme heatOver a dozen people have been treated at Jersey City Medical Center due to the extreme heat this week.

15 people have been treated for respiratory problems this week, including 10 today, said Jersey City Medical Center spokesman Mark Rabson. 2 people have also been treated for heat stroke today, said Rabson.

The medical center is urging people to be cautious during the heat wave. People must drink plenty of water, stay indoors, and wear loose fitting and light colored clothes.

The medical center also has extra ambulance crews around the city ready for calls

2011-07-23T06:57:00.001-07:00

Hagedorn Psychiatric Hospital will permanently be closing its doors in June 2012

Christie's 2012 budget proposal called for one state psychiatric facility to close, saving the state an estimated $9 million.

Hagedorn — located in Glen Gardner, in the hills of northern Hunterdon County

2011-06-05T09:18:00.000-07:00

11-year-old Abiah Jones dead

An 11-year-old girl who died this afternoon after falling 100 feet from a Ferris wheel on the Wildwood boardwalk has been identified as Abiah Jones of Pleasantville, a small suburban town outside of Atlantic City.

Wildwood Police Capt told The Press of Atlantic City the Ferris wheel was in motion when the girl fell from the ride's upper half.

The fall occurred about 12:30 p.m. at Morey's Mariner's Landing Pier. Atlantic City EMS were called.Paramedics took her to Cape Regional Medical Center where Jones was pronounced dead at 1:14 p.m.

In a statement today, the pier owner said the cause of the fatal fall was being investigated but there did not appear to be any mechanical problems with the ride.

2011-06-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

Jersey City Medical Center partnered with Big Brothers/Big SistersJersey City Medical Center partnered with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson and Union counties, and Grove Street Bicycle Shop, to bring smiles to the faces of four lucky children.

With wrench and screwdriver in hand, four teams comprised of doctors, nurses, hospital management and administrators competed in a race to put bicycles together.

Once completed, four Jersey City students from Public School #3, Catherine Benitez, Tiana Benitez, Isaiah Dudley and Biana Kelly were asked to assume the role of "bike inspectors." The students were then given the bicycles free of charge.

2011-03-12T11:37:00.000-08:00

2011-02-17T19:15:00.000-08:00

/Madison Volunteer Ambulance Corps, died while on duty .

Richard Hanlon answered his last call of service for the Madison Volunteer Ambulance Corps on Tuesday, Feb 15, 2011, at the age of 83The 83-year-old was responding to a motor vehicle accident on Tuesday when he became unresponsive in his vehicle, according to Madison police.

Hanlon was taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead."Dick was just a genuinely great guy," said Madison Lt. Darren Dachisen. "He just loved serving the people of Madison. He always had a smile on his face."

Viewing will be at the Madison Memorial Home, 159 Main St., on Saturday from 8 a.m. until 9:30 a.m.

A 10 a.m. funeral Mass will be offered at St. Vincent Martyr Parish, 26 Green Village Road, Madison.

"Dick was the most compassionate, kind, caring, and gentle man the corps had," said corps Capt. Jim DeVico. "He never had a bad word to say about anyone and was the most respected member of our organization by all the emergency services in Madison."The Madison Volunteer Ambulance Corps

2010-12-30T18:24:00.000-08:00

Lebanon Township declines to pay ambulance squad's $57K deb
Peapack-Gladstone Bank is asking Lebanon Township to pay the local rescue squad’s $57,000 debt. The town says no way.Lebanon Township First Aid Squad, an independent organization, has been at odds with the municipality for years.

But the dispute didn’t become public until last spring, when the township committee banned the squad from responding to emergencies. The squad took the township to court, where they’re still fighting over two ambulances.

Currently in the squad’s possession per court order, the rigs were pulled back and forth in a tug-of-war last summer.

In October, Peapack-Gladstone Bank sued the squad for failing to pay its loans. Now, the bank wants the township to make good on the debt.

“Our understanding is that the township has terminated the squad, and left the squad unable to repay its debts,” Finn Caspersen, general counsel for Peapack-Gladstone, wrote in a Nov. 15 letter. “The bank has not faced a situation like this before, and honestly, this has taken all of us aback.”

“Very respectfully, we ask that the township make good on the debts,” Caspersen said.

In a Nov. 23 reply, township attorney Philip George wrote: “The Township of Lebanon will not ‘make good’ on any debt of the squad to your bank. The Township of Lebanon did not render the squad unable to pay its debts.”

George accused the bank of not doing its “due dilligence” in investigating the financial status of the squad.

Ron Peles, the squad’s lawyer, said today, “The reason the squad has these financial problems is that the township brought them on ... The township committee’s not letting them respond to any calls.”

2010-12-26T07:04:00.000-08:00

A blizzard warning is in effect for New Jerseywith 11 to 16 inches of accumulation expected by Monday morning, with snowfall to begin late this morning and continue throughout the day
Cold exposure leads to ice crystal formation, cellular dehydration, protein denaturation, inhibition of DNA synthesis, abnormal cell wall permeability with resultant osmotic changes, damage to capillaries, and pH changes. Rewarming causes cell swelling, erythrocyte and platelet aggregation, endothelial cell damage, thrombosis, tissue edema, increased compartment space pressure, bleb formation, localized ischemia, and tissue death.

2010-12-26T06:51:00.000-08:00

2011 EMS on the Hill DayNAEMT believes it is critical for Congress to ensure that Medicare reimburse EMS
services for the average cost of providing high quality prehospital medical services to Medicare
patients as recommended in the May 2007 Government Accounting Office (GAO) report to
Congress. Medical services provided by EMS services, including treatment and release of
patients (with no transport), treatment and referral, and treatment and transport to other
healthcare facilities should be reimbursable under Medicare.
To ensure equitable reimbursement levels in rural areas, Medicare reimbursement for rural EMS
services should be based on a four-tiered system using a zip code population-based methodology
generated by the RUCA coding system.
Background: The EMS system, the nation’s healthcare safety net, is utilized by an increasing
population of patients who rely on Medicare benefits to pay for emergency medical care.
However, Medicare reimbursement to EMS services per transport falls below the cost incurred
by the EMS service for providing this care.
EMS services continue to increase the level of life-saving emergency medical care provided to
patients in the prehospital setting. This higher level of care requires more expensive equipment
and additional training. High quality prehospital medical care improves patient outcomes,
including Medicare beneficiaries, resulting in a decrease in overall Medicare expenditures, as
noted in the December, 2009 National EMS Advisory Council report.
Medicare is the single largest payer for many EMS services, particularly in rural areas. However,
Medicare continues to reimburse EMS services below their cost for providing care to Medicare
patients, resulting in inadequate funding for necessary equipment and training. Many EMS
services are facing serious financial crisis due to chronically below-cost Medicare
reimbursement. As part of the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003, Congress
requested that the GAO study the “cost, access, supply and quality of ambulance services”
provided to Medicare beneficiaries. In May, 2007, GAO reported that EMS services are paid
“on average 6% below cost and 17% below cost in remote or “super rural” areas to
provide ambulance services to Medicare patients.”
Adequate Medicare reimbursement to EMS services at the average cost of providing emergency
medical care will help ensure that paramedics and EMTs can continue to provide the highest
level of quality health care and is essential to assuring continued availability of emergency
medical services to Medicare beneficiaries, particularly in rural areas.

2010-12-11T16:39:00.000-08:00

The man was stabbed in the neck at about 8:30 a.m.A man was stabbed to death this morning in what cops are calling a botched robbery at Phillip Street and Johnston Avenue, near Liberty Science Center.Jersey city EMS treated and transported the victim to Jersey City Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 9:20, said

2010-12-11T16:31:00.000-08:00

Jersey city EMTs, stumbling upon accident, save man's lifeA trucker in his 50s who overturned in his vehicle along a highway in Pennsylvania last month has two Jersey City emergency medical technicians to thank for surviving the ordeal.

Bayonne residents Ramon Lizardo, 41, and Carmen Tyler, 40, EMTs with Amcare Inc., a Jersey City-based ambulance service, had just finished transferring a patient to a senior living community in Mount Carmel, Pa. on Sept. 10 and were returning to Jersey City when they spotted a blue truck upside down in a ditch along Interstate 81 in Manahoy Township.

The driver of the truck, whom authorities identified only as Frank, was hanging upside down and bleeding from a laceration on his face.

Lizardo said: "He was hanging by his seat belt and there was a lot of blood.

The man was in a dangerous position as head wounds do not clot easily and being upside down increases the flow of blood to the laceration, Lizardo said.

The man was also fading in and out of consciousness, the EMTs said.

The EMTs stanched the bleeding by pressing a rag against the man's head and kept him still until local emergency workers and firefighters responded to the scene.

Amcare Operations Director Joe Borer said Lizardo and Tyler "were in the right place at the right time."

"We're very proud of them, they conducted themselves professionally," Borer said. The driver was transported by local EMS

2010-12-11T16:21:00.000-08:00

EMS Training Center Emergency Medical Technician BasicEstablished in 1991, Liberty HealthCare System is one of New Jersey's leading integrated health care organizations, offering area residents a full spectrum of quality, affordable services and the latest treatments and technologies. Liberty services are offered in a variety of convenient locations, from private physician office to member hospitals and community health centers, in wellness and health promotion programs, and in the comfort of patients' homes. A voluntary board of trustees from the local residential and business communities manage Liberty. The System is a member of the Mount Sinai NYU Health System of New York.

Jersey City Medical Center is the regional referral, teaching hospital for the greater Hudson County area.http://www.libertyhealth.org/jcmcems.aspx?id=534

2010-12-11T15:54:00.000-08:00

NJ man attacked Ambucar EMT before stealing ambulanceA Carteret man who was being transported to the Jersey City Medical Center from another hospital attacked one of two emergency medical technicians and then stole their ambulance before ultimately crashing it blocks away and fleeing Sunday afternoon, police said.Rodolfo Velez, 35, is charged with carjacking, weapons possession and aggravated assault on an emergency first-aid provider, said police, who have issued a warrant for his arrest.

Police said Velez was being brought to the Jersey City Medical Center in an Amb-U-Car ambulance at 4:45 p.m. when Velez pulled out a stick - which had an ice pick inside it and attacked an EMT riding in the back with him.

The driver, also an EMT, got out of the vehicle to help his co-worker and Velez busted through the ambulance's partition, jumped into the driver's seat and took off, leaving both EMTs at the corner of Palisade Avenue and Congress Street, reports said.Police said the ambulance was found in the parking lot of a public laundry at Kennedy Boulevard and South Street, 10 blocks away.

Joel Lustberg, Amb-U-Car's owner, said that Velez apparently crashed the ambulance into a parked car and left it leaning against a fence.

"This was the first time we had picked up this man," Lustberg said. "We were transporting a voluntary patient from one hospital to another when he pulled out an ice pick."

While going through the ambulance later the EMTs found the stick that contained the ice pick and turned it over to police, reports said.

2010-11-24T20:21:00.001-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2010-07-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

Five-year-old girl in critical condition after shooting at Jersey City housing complex A five-year-old girl was shot at a Jersey City housing complex tonight and rushed to an area hospital in critical condition, according to a city police spokesman.

The girl was treated by Jersey city paramedics then taken to Jersey City Medical Center with life-threatening injuries after the vicious shooting, which took place at 10:10 p.m. at the Montgomery Gardens housing complex, according to Lt. Edgar Martinez, a spokesman for the Jersey City Police Department.

Information about a motive or a possible suspect was not immediately available, and Martinez did not say if the child was the intended target in the attack. Police were actively canvassing the housing complex and interviewing witnesses late tonight, according to Martinez.

The girl was shot "in the throat area," according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official is not authorized to speak about the shooting publicly.

2010-06-04T08:59:00.000-07:00

Jersey City Medical Center's EMS earns prestigious accreditation

Emergency Medical Service (EMS) has received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) -- making it the first ambulance service in northern New Jersey to receive this accreditation and only the third in the state and one of just 135 in the entire United States.

“This accreditation reflects the commitment we have to the people in the community who depend on us for their well being,” said Christopher Rinn, EMS director. “It’s a real credit to the hard work, perseverance and professionalism of our medical director Dr. Bill Wang and the 250 individuals who comprise our team, and it speaks to the commitment the hospital has in maintaining a first-class emergency medical service for Jersey City and Hudson County.”

The accreditation followed successful completion of a voluntary review process that included completion of a comprehensive application and on-site review by a team of national experts in emergency medical services. The ambulance service received a special commendation for having no deficiencies during the review.

The CAAS was established to encourage and promote quality patient care in America's medical transportation system. Based initially on the efforts of the American Ambulance Association, the independent commission established a comprehensive series of standards for the ambulance service industry, which not only addresses patient care, but also the ambulance service’s total operation and its relationships with other agencies, the general public and the medical community.

According to the CAAS, accreditation signifies that a service has met the "gold standard" determined by the ambulance industry to be essential in a modern emergency medical services provider. These standards often exceed those established by state or local regulation and are designed to help increase operational efficiency and decrease risk and liability across the entire spectrum of the organization. All ambulance systems are eligible for the three-year accreditation including private, public, fire department and hospital-based.

“We’re very proud of our EMS team’s ability to meet the commission’s extremely demanding standards,” said Joseph Scott, President and CEO of LibertyHealth, which operates and manages Jersey City Medical Center. “It speaks volumes to the standards held by both EMS and the hospital, and reinforces our mission of ‘enhancing life.’ ”

According to Robert Margulies, chair of LibertyHealth, “This is another wonderful tribute that is being paid to the work of the Jersey City Medical Center EMS. In addition to ambulance groups from Europe and Canada visiting here expressly to observe its operations, EMS was recently named a finalist in a prestigious statewide competition for its innovation in healthcare.”

In recognition of EMS week, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy added, “All the residents of Jersey City should share my appreciation of the lifesaving services provided by the members of the Jersey City Medical Center EMS. Now is the perfect time to salute them.”

2010-03-29T20:02:00.000-07:00

A Jersey City man is shot in the arm and back of the shoulderA Jersey City man was shot in his arm and shoulder early yesterday morning, officials said.After hearing two gunshots at 12:59 a.m., cops were in pursuit of two men they saw running west on Lexington Avenue, running toward Kennedy Boulevard.

While police were in pursuit of the two men, the victim had flagged down other officers at Bramhall Avenue, close to Bergen Avenue, telling them he had been shot. Bullets had entered his left arm and the back of his left shoulder, officials said.The victim was treated by JCMC EMT'S then taken to the Jersey City Medical Center and treated for non-life threatening injuries, reports said.

Police did not the find the suspects, but found a 9 mm handgunon Lexington Avenue between Kennedy Boulevard and Bergen Avenue.

2010-03-08T13:36:00.000-08:00

Hoboken University Medical Center sees 248 patients in ER on St. Patrick's Day weekendTwo hundred and forty-eight people were admitted to the emergency room of the Hoboken University Medical Center within a 36-hour period on the weekend of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Hoboken, the hospital reported today. The number of patients, recorded from Saturday at 6 a.m. to Sunday at 6 p.m., jumped 31 percent from last year, in which only 189 people went to the hospital, according to Joan Quigley, HUMC spokeswoman.

Despite the surge in patients, there were only minor injuries as a result of mostly fights and falls, Quigley said. The hospital administered 42 CT scans. In 2009, there were more than 80 injuries on parade day and considered far more serious.

“This was much smoother than last year,” Quigley said. “There was virtually no waiting. Everyone was seen within 15 minutes.”Thomas Molta, of the Hoboken Volunteer Ambulance Corps,
told The local news that between 9 a.m. Saturday and 2 a.m. Sunday EMS workers took 72 people to Hoboken University Medical Center.

2010-03-01T12:18:00.001-08:00

N.Y. teen accused in 911 hoax on N.J. Turnpike plans not guilty plea
Rodney Tanzymore, accused of making a hoax 911 call leading to the controversial stop by New Jersey State Police troopers of Queens teenagers last year, made his first court appearance today.

Authorities said he falsely reported three men with guns at a New Jersey Turnpike rest stop in Hamilton Township on Nov. 21. The State Police pulled over the van Tanzymore was traveling in along with a driver, three chaperones and 10 other teenagers. No weapons were found.

Superior Court Judge Robert Billmeier, sitting in Trenton, maintained bail at $50,000, saying Tanzymore, 19, presented a “serious threat to the physical safety of the public.”

Deputy Attorney General Mark Eliades emphasized the dangerous nature of last year’s hoax -- troopers pulled over the van with their guns drawn and shut down northbound Turnpike traffic -– and said Tanzymore had already admitted to making the call in a statement to police.

In addition, Tanzymore pleaded guilty to a disorderly persons offense after making another hoax 911 call in Queens in August.

Tanzymore’s lawyer, Jason Foy, said bail should be only $15,000 because Tanzymore has no criminal convictions and his grandparents are retired and on a fixed income.

“The family is looking to get him help,” Foy said. “No one is trying to run or hide from what occurred.”

Foy admitted the case against his client was strong, but said Tanzymore plans to plead not guilty.

The judge asked for an evaluation of Tanzymore’s mental health before he is released.

Tanzymore appeared via video conferencing. He has been held at the Mercer County Correction Center since Monday, when he was arrested for creating a false public alarm.

His alleged 911 hoax sparked questions about whether the State Police had targeted his van because the teenagers were black and Hispanic. Christine Molnar, the president of the social services group the teenagers were members of, told a television reporter in December that, “It’s hard to imagine it would have happened to a group of white kids.”

David Jones, president of the State Troopers Fraternal Association, said the incident was blown out of proportion by people “playing the race card.”

“This has nothing to do with race,” he said. “They were victimized by one of their fellow students.”

2009-12-01T08:29:00.000-08:00

why you shouldn't sleep in the nude

2009-11-03T07:36:00.000-08:00

Making municipalities responsible for emergency medical services Making municipalities responsible for emergency medical services -- just as they are for police and fire protection -- along with standardizing 911 service and declaring one set of training and certification rules for all EMS personnel, including volunteers, is an agenda that New Jersey should have attended to long ago.

Legislation drafted last month by a state EMS advisory committee lays out a good blueprint for reforming the state's disjointed EMS system. Now someone must provide the blueprint for paying for it all.

State Sen. Joseph Vitale, chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, has promised to hold hearings on the EMS legislation early next year and says it could cost $10 million to $14 million to implement comprehensive change. The data make it clear, however, that the human cost will be dear if New Jersey delays a much-needed EMS restructuring.

According to a study commissioned by the Legislature and released last year, nearly 14,000 people a year in this state never get the paramedic care their conditions require on the way to the hospital. There are too few paramedic units, and 911 systems, which vary from one municipal or regional operation to another, often affect whether the best unit is dispatched to a call and how quickly.

Moreover, the volunteer squads on which many areas depend are increasingly hard-pressed to recruit and retain personnel and secure enough money to operate.

Although many volunteers stay current with training and equipment, they are not regulated by the state, so there is wide variation in quality among squads. That problem must be addressed.New Jersey must find a way to organize services for the maximum recovery of federal Medicare and Medicaid dollars as well as private insurance funding for EMS and find ways to subsidize the rest.

Rather than try to operate their own unique municipal EMS systems, towns may have to join county or regional programs to meet a new EMS mandate. Those configurations, if properly coordinated, are the most efficient and effective. The positive experience in other states provides the evidence. Regionalization of EMS could point the way to a more logical configuration for other public safety systems.

2009-11-03T07:31:00.001-08:00

N.J. releases hospital performance report, reviews patient safety for facilitiesHospital physicians, nurses and other medical workers committed nearly 9,400 "serious medical errors’’ in 2007 that led to patients developing infections, blood clots and other conditions that threatened their health, a report released today concludes.

The report, by the state Department of Health and Senior Services, is the first to reveal where mistakes occur, and how the public may use the information to shop for the best hospital care. Previous hospital "report cards" simply graded hospitals on the quality of their medical care and had no specific information about where and how often mistakes happen.Disconcerting numbers of preventable medical errors are occurring in our health facilities. Now consumers will know these results,’’ Patricia Kelmar said, associate state director for advocacy for AARP-New Jersey, which pushed for the tougher reporting requirements. "Equally important, every hospital can see their own levels of mistakes compared to others, which we hope will encourage them to make the changes necessary to improve patient safety throughout the state."

Collectively, New Jersey’s 72 hospitals committed more mistakes than the national average in how frequently surgical patients developed an infection, and how frequently their surgical wounds "split open,’’ according to the report.

"By publicly reporting hospital’s scores, we encourage all hospitals to improve care,’’ said Health Commissioner Heather Howard.

New Jersey hospitals committed as many or fewer errors than other hospitals nationally in 10 other areas, including leaving an instrument inside a patient during surgery; accidentally puncturing an organ; giving the wrong blood type; injuring a mother or baby during a vaginal delivery; and failing to prevent hip fractures, punctured lungs, bleeding after surgery, and blood clots in the lungs and large veins.

On quality, the report card judged how hospitals responded to patients suffering a heart attack and heart failure, battling pneumonia and undergoing surgery. Only one hospital scored the highest score of 100 in all four areas: Hackettstown Regional Medical Center in Warren County.

"It takes an entire team, not just one individual, to make quality a priority,’’ Hackettstown Regional Medical Center President and CEO Gene C. Milton said. "This is something our hospital looks at closely.’’

St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston is an example of how one facility could perform exceptional in some areas and below par in others.

St. Barnabas made more mistakes than the national average in four of the 12 patient safety measures: accidentally puncturing an internal organ; causing injuries to mother and infant during a vaginal delivery; puncturing a lung; and failing to prevent blood clots in the lung or large veins.

But in measuring quality, St. Barnabas achieved perfect scores of 100 in treating heart failure and heart attacks, and ranked in the top 10 percent for providing surgical care.

The report is an important exercise for hospitals executive and employees to demand more of themselves, said Fred Jacobs, executive vice president for the Saint Barnabas Health Care System and Director of its Quality Institute.

"It’s important for hospitals to develop an environment of quality,’’ said Jacobs, a former state health commissioner who sat on a committee that designed the report. "The corporate board has given the direction that we will be in top 10 percent of hospitals,’’ Jacobs said.

2009-09-11T07:48:00.001-07:00

NEVER FORGET

2009-08-06T09:33:00.000-07:00

The National Registry of EMT's practical examination for NJ EMT'sApplicants for EMT-B licensure in New Jersey will be required to pass the 120 hour DOT course curriculum (Basic EMT course schedule for New Jersey) and then The National Registry of EMT's practical examination and computer based exam. EMT-B under the Department of Transportations guidelines are the same as the old EMT-A designation in New Jersey. The state moved to using the NREMT certification as bases for its own state EMT certification. The state has provided a page on their website to answer many common questions about the transition from the state certification to the one from the DOT based curriculum and NREMT certification.Ut oh you guys are gona fail!!!!!!!">WEB SITE

2009-07-23T08:09:00.001-07:00

Emergency medical workers describe their initial response to the police-involved shooting on Reed Street in Jersey City

Emergency medical workers described a horrific scene when they responded yesterday morning to 24 Reed St., where five police officers were shot and two suspects were killed by police.

It was "like a horror movie, very, very stressful," EMT August Johansen said outside the Jersey City Medical Center yesterday afternoon. "There was blood everywhere. . Scary wasn't the word.

Johansen feared for his life when he was rushed into the building surrounded by emergency services officers who surrounded him with their shields to protect him as they climbed to the third floor of the 21-unit apartment building.

"I have kids to worry about, but I was also worried about the officer," he said. "That's what our job is."

Emergency workers were called to the scene at about 5 a.m. on a report of a shooting involving an officer.

Within an hour, though, four more officers would be shot, three of them inside the Reed Street building during an exchange of gunfire that Johansen said lasted less than a minute. The two most seriously injured officers were carried down to the street by police officers.

Emergency Medical Technician Ashleigh Grillot worked on Jersey City Police Officer Marc DiNardo, who was shot in the face and remains in critical condition at the hospital.

There was blood everywhere, she said, adding that it was difficult to give him oxygen because of the face wound.

Dr. Bruno Molino later described the wound as being on the left side of DiNardo's face below the eye, involving the sinus and jaw. He'll need reconstructive surgery, the doctor said.

EMT Michael Saul treated the other critically injured cop, Officer Michael Camacho, who was shot in the neck.

"They were both in pretty bad condition," Saul said. "He was just asking for help, that he was going to be all right."

Molino said a bullet or shell was removed from Camacho's neck and given to police as evidence.

When Johansen reached the floor where the four officers where shot and two suspects killed, he was ordered to drop to his knees by the machine gun-toting officers for his own protection. It turned out there were no more officers needing treatment, but Johansen did see the bullet-riddled bodies of the two suspects on the floor, he said.

"I couldn't even guess" how many times they'd been shot, he said. "There was blood everywhere."

2009-06-26T11:32:00.001-07:00

Hit-run driver injures Jersey City man

A surveillance camera two blocks away at Marin and Eighth Street shows the pickup truck moments before it struck Torres.

Torres was treated by Jersey City paramedics on scene then rushed to the Jersey City Medical Center.

Ricardo Torres lost a kidney, fractured his pelvis, suffered facial injuries and had his spleen removed.

2009-05-28T10:42:00.000-07:00

Jersey City streets as see thru the eyes of an EMT.I believe most of the Paramedic and EMT's can relate to this video.The endless 12 hour shifts the constant flow of bodies. Feels like a broken merry-go-round that never stops.

2009-05-04T10:48:00.000-07:00

Judge dismisses Jersey City man's lawsuit charging Hudson dispatch bungleA judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought against the city by the father of three children who were brutally stabbed- two of them fatally- allegedly by Dwayne Wilson in their Jersey City home in 2005. The suit charged the city bungled 911 calls concerning the incident, officials said.

The father of the children, D'Artagnan Manzano, sued the city, Police Officers Jose M. Santana and Ernest Vidal, 911 operator Laura Jean Petersen and radio dispatcher Michael E. Clark.

Judge Frances Antonin dismissed the case on April 15, writing that the plaintiff failed to show evidence "of willful or wanton disregard for plaintiff's safety" on the part of 911 call takers and police dispatchers that would have superseded their right to immunity.

2009-03-29T06:40:00.000-07:00

Three teens suffered non-life threatening gunshot wounds when a shoot-out erupted at Ferris Triangle Park in the Greenville area of Jersey City shortly before 5 p.m.A 15-year-old girl shot in the stomach was treated by Jersey city EMT's and Paramedics. She was taken to JCMC where she underwent surgery at the Jersey City Medical Center and was in stable condition.

Two 17-year-old boys were also shot - one in the right leg, the other in both legs.
One of the boys was treated by AmCare EMT's and transported to JCMC
The other was treated and transported by JCMC paramedics.

The three teens were not found with any weapons and were not charged with any crimes

2009-03-02T16:19:00.001-08:00

Called to the scene at 7:55 p.m. Friday, police found a 19-year-old Jersey City man, being treated by EMS for a gunshot wound to his left kneecap, reports said.But at the Jersey City Medical Center, doctors found three additional gunshot wounds-one in his upper left thigh, another in a knee, and another bullet hole in his left buttock, reports said.

2009-03-02T15:59:00.000-08:00

The North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue plans to appeal a recent court order they claim creates "reverse discrimination" in their hiring requirements, according to a report in the Record of Hackensack.The court order blocked the department from hiring new recruits until it changed it's hiring practices -- which was based on residency requirements but as a result excluded areas mainly populated by black residents, the report said.The North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue is run by Dominick Marino.

With support from the mayors of Guttenberg, North Bergen, Union City, Weehawken and West New York -- the towns that formed the regional department in 1998 -- the fire and rescue squad's executive board will appeal a Feb. 18 injunction issued by by a U.S. district judge, the report said.

2009-02-06T07:32:00.000-08:00

A Hightstown man and his two passengers were transported to the hospital by Paramedics with fractures Wednesday night after striking the retaining wall outside Washington Crossing State Park, police said.Police said Samuel Nappers Jr., 60, lost control of his vehicle when he tried to negotiate a curve on Route 29 at 11:57 p.m. Wednesday and struck the wall. The wall, which is part of the park, is made of up stones and is not one smooth surface, police said, and the impact of the car was intense enough to knock some of those stones loose

2009-01-28T18:19:00.000-08:00

AmCare is a diverse and dynamic ambulance company.We’re always looking for dedicated individuals who want to be part of our patient-focused team.

EMT Basic Requirements:

-Must meet the core job functions and job qualification standards for field operations
-Unless otherwise specified, the guidelines for clinical competency for EMT-Basic shall be as published in the current EMT-Basic text by Brady. American Heart Association guidelines shall supersede.
-Must be currently State registered as EMT-Basic.
-Must possess a current driver’s license
-Current adult and child CPR certification
-Must have an acceptable driving record

Stop in for an application at
AmCare Ambulance Inc
34 Division St
Jersey City, NJ 07302

2009-01-15T17:24:00.000-08:00

Take a bow.

Mr Sullenberger
Read the rest of his story

2009-01-05T17:22:00.000-08:00

Jersey City Medical Center Paramedics and EMT'S rush machete victim to hospital.One woman was critically injured and two other people hurt when the woman's former love interest hacked them with a machete in Union City this morning, cops said.

Although the machete has been recovered, the man fled and is considered "armed and extremely dangerous," cops said, asking for the public's help in finding him.

Joel Cordova, aka Noel Palma, who is in his mid-30s, went to the Monastery Place home his 44-year-old former love interest is living in with friends and the two got into an argument at around 3 this morning, cops said.

Cordova pulled out a machete and slashed the woman, against whom he had a history of domestic abuse dating back to 2007, cops said.

Cordova then repeatedly slashed the woman's 35-year-old male companion, who was in the room, police said.

At that point, the 39-year-old woman who owns the apartment came out of her room to see what going was going on. Cordova slashed her as well before she managed to secure herself back in her room, cops said

The victims were all rushed to Jersey City Medical Center, officials said.

The 44-year-old woman is in critical condition while the other two victims had less serious injuries and are expected to be released today, police said.

2008-12-31T16:45:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2008-12-30T07:58:00.000-08:00

Miter saw cuts halfway through man's forearmA township man was rushed to the hospital via helicopter after he accidentally sawed halfway through his arm Monday afternoon, police said.

Paul Colange, 39, was cutting floor molding in his mother-in-law's garage on Gena Drive just after 3:45 p.m., police said, when the power miter saw he was using sliced halfway into his forearm.

Hamilton township paramedics and EMT's were able to stabilize Colange at the scene before airlifting him out of nearby Veteran's Park to Cooper Trauma Center in Camden. Police say doctors there will try to stabilize Colange's arm before taking him to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia for full reattachment of the limb.

2008-12-30T07:32:00.000-08:00

A North Plainfield woman was struck and killed while crossing Route 22 near North Drive in the borough
The accident, reported shortly after 6 a.m., claimed the life of Alba Lucia Castro, a 48-year-old resident who lived in a nearby apartment, also on North Drive, police said. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.

2008-12-30T07:27:00.000-08:00

A Christmas night fire at the Chatham Hill Apartment
A Christmas night fire at the Chatham Hill Apartment complex on Hickory Place resulted in the relocation of 10 families whose apartments were left uninhabitable.

Firefighters initially received a call at 10:41 p.m. to investigate a water leak at the apartments. When they responded, they discovered a fire and smoke condition at the rear of Building K. It took them approximately two hours to knock the fire down, officials said, and by 12:51 a.m. the fire was out.

According to police, at least 10 apartments were damaged so severely that they were classified as uninhabitable. The Red Cross is assisting in the relocation of the displaced families. There were no reported injuries, and those residents who were home at the time of the fire were safely evacuated.

The fire fell under the jurisdiction of the Green Village Fire Department, which is responsible for District One of Chatham Township. Green Village Fire officials met Friday morning with representatives of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office to determine the origin of the fire, but as of press time no additional information was available.

Responding to the fire along with Green Village were firefighters from Chatham Township and the Chatham Emergency Squad. Mutual aid was requested and fire apparatus from Chatham Borough, New Providence, Madison, Berkeley Heights, Summit and New Vernon responded to assist.

2008-11-13T18:31:00.000-08:00

Christ Hospital drops Amb-U-Car AmbulanceChrist Hospital in Jersey city will no longer be using Amb u car as it medical transport company.My mom had to wait 4 hours to be picked up by them.I found the EMT's to be rude and the ambulances dirty.

2008-11-07T19:24:00.000-08:00

Jersey City Medical Center incompatence strikes again

The patient who walked out of the Jersey City Medical Center Wednesday morning has been found in good health, the man's sister said today.
Gerard Sutton, a psychiatric patient at another hospital who was at the JCMC for treatment of a heart ailment, was found this morning, his sister, Doreen Whigfall said this afternoon. Whigfall said the police brought him to the hospital, and thanked The Jersey Journal for an article that appeared in today's editions alerting the public that her brother was missing.

"I haven't talked to the police yet to find out how they found him," she said. "But I'm sure that article in the paper helped."

Whigfall said hospital called to notify her that her brother was back in their care, but "they didn't tell me who found him or where they found him."

Whigfall said her brother appeared OK, but did not say where he had spent the 40 hours since he walked out of the JCMC.

"I was just so relieved. I haven't slept. My pressure had been up," Whigfall said.

2008-10-13T07:55:00.000-07:00

A 34-year-old Newark woman was stabbed by her estranged husband, who broke into her home this morning.She was stabbed four times in the torso.UMDNJ paramedics treated the women then she was taken to University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey hospital and is listed in stable condition. The attacks took place at about 3:40 a.m.A 36-year-old Newark man, fled the scene in a 2007 Toyota Tacoma and is still at large, police said.

2008-10-01T06:14:00.000-07:00

EMERGENCY RESPONSE DRILL
October 5 th
Hoboken PATH station will be closed from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m. for an emergency response drill.
Hoboken EMS, Trenton EMS, Atlanticare Regional Medical Center EMS,AmCare Ambulance,McCabe EMS, Port Authority Police, Fire Department of New York, NJ Transit Police will be involved in the drill.

2008-09-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post some free EMT practice test quiz's for you guys.Some of these you will find on the National Registry.You will also find them out in the field.
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A 37 male year old was cutting wood.The saw slipped and cut 2 fingers off.Treat the patient by.

(1) Wrapping the amputated parts in a dry sterile dressing and keep the parts cool.
(2) Wrapping the amputated parts in a dry sterile dressing and place on ice
(3) Packing the amputated parts in ice.
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ANSWERS ( 1 )

You may encounter this Q-A on the EMT-B EMT-I EMT-P NREMT test

2008-09-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

Jersey City Medical Center Paramedics respond to a man stabbed at the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail station in Liberty State Park.A man stabbed to death this morning near the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail station in Liberty State Park was a commuter heading to work at a brokerage firm on the Jersey City waterfront, officials have told The Jersey Journal.

The man, whose identity hasn't been released yet, was stabbed multiple times just off the platform at 8:30 a.m.; witnesses chased the alleged killer and captured him, Jersey City spokesman Stan H. Eason said.The victim was rushed to the Jersey City Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 9:20 a.m., Eason said.

The suspect is being charged with murder but police are still working on confirm his identity, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said, adding numerous people witnessed the bloody crime.

After the stabbing, the suspect ran east toward Liberty Science Center but was chased by onlookers who held him for responding Jersey City and NJ Transit police officers, DeFazio said.

2008-08-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

Two tour buses crashed in Roxburyleaving 24 people with minor injuries, State Police said.

The buses were carrying a total of 94 when they collided in the westbound lanes about 10:15 a.m., said State Police Sgt. Julian Castellanos.One bus veered off the road, jumped the concrete abutment of an overpass and overturned as it slid about 50 feet on a gradual embankment before coming to a stop near Berkshire Valley Road.

Morristown paramidics and EMT crews arrived.On scene were The Morristown Minute Men first aid,Morristown Ambulance Squad and Atlantic ambulance.A unidentified driver was lying on the ground at the front of the bus complaining of back pain and expressing concern for his passengers, he was taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital where he was listed in stable condition, Roxbury police Sgt. Gerard Hardiman said.

In all 34 passengers were taken to area hospitals while 23 refused medical aid(RMA)and were taken to a nearby firehouse, where food was brought from local restaurants while they awaited another bus to pick them up.

The passengers, from countries like Vietnam, Korea and Australia, were enroute to Niagra Falls, authorities said.

Although the center westbound lane was reopened about an hour after the accident, Castellanos said delays on both sides of the highway were expected to last for hours.

Tamra Lourie, 18, lives near the crash site.(Tamra Lourie Myspace page)"I heard a huge crash. I thought it was a dream or something. I heard a huge bang and I looked out my window and saw a whole bunch of people running down (the hill) from the bus crash down to the (Berkshire Valley) road.''

Lourie estimated about 20 people were scampering down the hill.

2008-08-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

Two men suffered third-degree burns this morning when a propane tank exploded at an auto salvaging yard in Green Brook, police said.Somerset EMS rapid response team was on scene.The victims were air lifted to the burn unit at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston following the incident, reported at 10:10 a.m. at Perrone's Auto Salvage on Route 22 East, Officer Lawrence Goldstein said.

The tank exploded as a worker was moving equipment with a large industrial machine, possibly a back hoe, Goldstein said.

Initial reports indicate the men suffered third-degree burns to their face, chest and arms, Goldstein said.

2008-08-13T16:23:00.000-07:00

Carbon monoxide sickened one man in an industrial building on Meade Street Tuesday morning, fire officials say.

People inside the mixed-occupancy building reported a strong odor and feeling ill, which prompted the dispatch of the fire department's Hazmat unit.Upon arrival, Battalion Chief John Panacek said firefighters noticed the odor, but determined it was not to blame for the symptoms.

Trenton EMS took one man to Capital Health System at Fuld hospital with difficulty breathing, Panacek said, and air testing showed high levels of carbon monoxide in the area where the man was working.

Panacek said the area lacked ventilation and was near where delivery trucks would be idling. The carbon monoxide levels were not very high, so he suggested the owner install carbon monoxide detectors.

The sickened man was undergoing blood work at the hospital, and doctors were advised of the carbon monoxide condition. Panacek said the odor came from large quantities of mechanic's body putty being repackaged in the building.

2008-08-11T07:57:00.000-07:00

An East Windsor man died Sunday from injuries sustained in a Saturday evening crash, police said.Alvin Townsend, 28, was traveling east on Levitt Parkway on his motorcycle when he collided with a car driven by Noah Pierre, 19 of Willingboro.Noah Pierre MYSPACE PAGE

Police dispatched just after 9:30 p.m. found Townsend unconscious,EMT's splinted him with a C-collar and back board.He was then handed off to flight paramdics.He was taken by helicopter to Cooper Trauma Center in Camden. Townsend was pronounced dead early Sunday, police said.

Pierre and a front seat passenger complained of pain but refused medical treatment. Pierre was issued a summons for failure to stop and yield at a stop sign.

Police and the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office are investigating.

2008-08-06T06:08:00.000-07:00

Thirteen Jersey City youngsters were left gasping for breath after being exposed to chlorine fumes at Lincoln High School's swimming pool yesterday when pool chemicals were mixed improperly, officials said.A pool maintenance worker "mixed the chemicals in the wrong order and then panicked and ran and dumped them in a toilet and a cloud formed," said Fire Department Deputy Director Jerry Cala at the scene yesterday afternoon.

The deputy director did not say what chemicals, other than chlorine, had been mixed.

Some of the children were coughing and others vomited, a pool worker said.

As a result, 13 people were taken to the Jersey City Medical Center and Bayonne Medical Center to be treated for exposure to the fumes, Cala said, adding that it was expected they would be treated and released.

Cala said about two thirds of those taken to the hospital were children in a city recreation program and the rest were "young adult" staff members.

A locker attendant at the pool, who didn't want to be named, said the kids in the program are 12 and 13 years old. She said her boss was mixing the chlorine to add to the pool, "and it turned yellow, and it was making little suds and bubbles," which isn't normal.

"There were seven kids in the pool and I told them to get out. And then they started throwing up," she said of the children, who are participants in a Jersey City Recreation Department program at nearby School 12 that uses the Lincoln High pool.

The affected students were hosed off near the street on the school's Crescent Avenue side. They were then seated on the school steps and given oxygen before being whisked away in Amcare,McCabe and Kerney ambulances that had responded from Jersey municipalities.

The Fire Department's High Rise Unit responded with fans used for clearing smoke from high-rise floors and stairwells, and they were used to blow the fumes out of the school building.

After the ambulances left, firefighters flushed out toilets in the building to make sure the chemicals were gone and the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority was notified of their release into the city sewer system. Hudson Regional Health Commission workers also responded to take air samples to insure the area was safe, Cala said.

2008-08-01T06:44:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post some free EMT practice test quiz's for you guys.Some of these you will find on the National Registry.You will also find them out in the field.
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The patent in this photo has what type of bruising?
(1) Parietal bruising
(2) Zygomatic bruising
(3) Battle signs bruising
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The patient you are treating has white,waxy skin on both hands.The patient hands feel as if they are frozen.They are swollen and you notice that blisters are forming. Which of the following would you NOT want to do in caring for this patient?

(1)Remove any jewelry
(2)Rub the hands
(3)leave the blisters intact
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Answers
(3) Battle signs bruising
(2)Rub the hands

EMT-B EMT-I Test EMT-P NREMT

2008-07-31T18:51:00.000-07:00

Newark's St. Michael's Medical Center sold

Newark's last remaining Catholic hospital was sold today to a national conglomerate and state officials agreed to loan the new owner $253 million by using taxpayer-backed bonds.

The two deals will save St. Michael's Medical Center, which has operated in the state's largest city since 1867.

Cathedral Healthcare, affiliated with the Archdiocese of Newark, sold Saint Michael's to Catholic Healthcare East, a national conglomerate. The sale hinged on Cathedral getting the low-interest bonds, as well as the state's permission to close Cathedral's other city hospitals earlier this year: Columbus Hospital in the North Ward and Saint James Medical Center in the Ironbound section.

Collectively, the three hospitals were losing about $6 million a month, hospital executives say.

"We are delighted to welcome Saint Michael's Medical Center into the CHE-NJ family," Alexander J. Hatala, president and CEO of Catholic Health East New Jersey.

The loan will erase debt, replace outmoded equipment, and expand facilities at Saint Michael's Medical Center. It will help cement Saint Michael's future at a time when half of all New Jersey hospitals are operating in the red, and seven hospitals have closed since 2007, not including Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center in Plainfield which is set to shut down Aug. 13.

2008-07-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

A 50-year-old Monmouth County man jumped from a Garden State Parkway overpass in a possible suicide attempt.The Keansburg man plunged 40 feet onto the shoulder of Route 35 south about 6:30 p.m.
The man, whom police declined to identify, sustained numerous broken bones but was not struck by any cars.The man was bandaged and splinted by RWJUH Paramedics and EMT's then taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center in New Brunswick where he was listed in stable condition.

2008-07-14T17:13:00.000-07:00

Christopher Rinn accused of mismanaging Jeresy city JCMC EMS

A group of paramedics says the Jersey City Medical Center's director of emergency medical services is driving the city's ambulance corps into the ground.The Hudson County Association of EMS Professionals announced a motion of "no confidence" in Director Christopher Rinn in a recent letter to The Jersey Journal.

The fraternal organization, which has more than 100 members, says that under Rinn's leadership, JCMC's emergency medical services have been weakened by a system that prioritizes more lucrative non-emergency calls, such as transporting patients from the hospital to nursing homes.

Michael Alessi, a JCMC paramedic since 1977 and secretary/treasurer of the group, said that such calls, as well as a computer system that directs ambulances to areas where emergencies occur frequently, rob responders of flexibility.

For example, he said, ambulances had to be called in from Newark during a severe fire on St. Pauls Avenue on Mother's Day.

"There isn't room in the system for what we call 'surge capacity,' or out-of-the-ordinary incidents," he said.

Alessi added that sitting in vehicles at street corners for entire 12-hour shifts takes a "tremendous toll" on emergency responders and drains morale.

But hospital officials say that the Mobile Area Routing Vehicle Location Information System (MARVELIS), the system the paramedics are criticizing, has cut response times dramatically.

"Senior management has looked at the allegations and has come down solely on the side of Director Rinn," said John McKeegan, spokesman for LibertyHealth Systems, which operates JCMC, adding that the system is "widely recognized as among the best practices" in the country.

"It prioritizes all calls based on whether they are life-threatening," he said. "This system seems to work."

Alessi countered that the statistics boasted by JCMC are old and don't take into account units that have recently been shut down. He said he submitted the complaints to LibertyHealth CEO Joseph Scott two weeks ago but has not received a response.

2008-07-12T17:24:00.000-07:00

An Open Letter to the People of the City of Newark
By Brick City Blues Blog
By now, we all know about the hazing incident which occurred on Sunday at our EMS Headquarters. As a Paramedic who works in your city, and as a Field Training Officer for the Paramedic Students, I am angry, embarrassed, and sorry. I am sorry this happened; it should not in this day and age, and sure as hell not in Newark. The students come down to practice their skills and to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience working in the busiest system (per capita) in the nation. This should NOT have happened.....READ THE REST OF HIS BLOG

2008-07-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

3 UMDNJ paramedics fired in KKK hazing incidentThree paramedics at Newark's University Hospital were fired this week after grainy images taken by a cellphone camera surfaced showing two student interns garbed in white sheets to look like robes of the Ku Klux Klan.

Officials at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, which operates the hospital, and its emergency medical services unit, called the episode "ugly and abhorrent," and "not be tolerated at any level."

University president William F. Owen, who disclosed details of the incident on Friday, said one of the paramedics offered to resign, but was terminated instead on Monday. Two others were subsequently fired on Thursday.

"You don't walk away from something like this," he said, clearly angry.

UMDNJ officials are still trying to piece together what led to the photos, which they said were taken last Sunday and quickly passed to managers, who wasted little time in taking action.

In one of the photographs released by the university, the trainees - both students from Northeastern University in Boston - stand with white sheets draped over their heads; one carrying a wooden cross held together with surgical gauze and tape. An EMS paramedic in a University Hospital uniform can be seen adjusting the sheet of the other.

The sheets, with holes cut out for the eyes, apparently came from an ambulance.

"You can't make this stuff up. It's like being in Tennessee in the 1950s," said Owen, a Memphis native.

UMDNJ identified the three fired paramedics as Timothy Prahm, Henry Solares and Thomas Hart. None could be immediately reached for comment Friday night.

Officials said none of those involved was a person of color, and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said it was unaware of the incident and was not currently investigating.

Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, which contracts with UMDNJ for emergency medical services, said the episode was "completely unacceptable."

"The City of Newark will not tolerate such behavior by medical professionals, and we are glad that UMDNJ has moved to terminate these individuals," he said in a statement.

Owen said the university is continuing to investigate, but that the incident appeared to be some kind of hazing on the part of EMS workers targeting students from a continuing education program at Northeastern working to become certified paramedics.

University Hospital's emergency medical service is the state's busiest and is used by a number of outside programs for specialized training. Northeastern University has sent students for field internships at the hospital for some years, with 28 students going through the program since 2005, officials said.

EMS workers privately said the hazing of students is not unheard of, but said many were shocked by what occurred on Sunday.

"They get bullied around," said one paramedic. "A year ago, they shaved the kids' heads."

According to Owen, his investigators were told that shortly before the Sunday incident, several EMS workers on break in a conference room were talking about a video downloaded from the web-site You Tube called "The Amazing Racist" - meant to be a racist parody of the CBS show "The Amazing Race."

The video shows a young white man in Klan robes carrying a cross into the store of an African-American shopkeeper in a successful effort to incite a confrontation, and then later bringing the robe into another store for dry-cleaning.

"Sometime after that conversation, they made the cross, took sheets from the EMS service and 'robed' the students," Owen said.

The UMDNJ president said the two students were apparently cajoled into participating, being told, "you need to do this," and "this will give you points toward your grade."

The students, who have not been named, immediately left the campus on Sunday and have not returned to UMDNJ. Officials at Northeastern said they will halt the placement of students with UMDNJ pending further review.

Philomena Mantella, senior vice president at Northeastern, said the two students were coerced into what she called an "appalling and offensive incident." She said the university's staff found alternative placements for the students and offered them counseling.

"We condemn the offenders' atrocious conduct and support President Owen's swift and decisive response and his institution's zero-tolerance philosophy," she said.

Owen said he had called Northeastern's president and provost to apologize.

"They left kids at my house and we didn't take care of them," he said. "We should not have allowed this to happen."

John J. Gerow, president of Teamsters Local 97, which represents the paramedics at University Hospital, said he was still learning details of the incident and was not able to immediately respond.

"I've been representing these folks for 15 years and they are extremely professional," Gerow said. "It's sad if what I'm picking up did take place, because its uncalled for."

Gerow did not know whether any of the paramedics would ask the union for representation. But he said. "Bill Owen is a very sharp guy. I'm sure whatever steps he took needed to be taken."

Owen, meanwhile, said his anger still has not abated.

"This is wrong," Owen said. "This is not UMDNJ, and it's not going to be tolerated at any level.

PS I WILL BE LOOKING FOR Timothy Prahm, Henry Solares and Thomas Hart on the Office of Emergency Medical Services Legal/Enforcement Actions page...AKA hall of shame for NJ EMT's & Paramedic

2008-07-09T14:02:00.000-07:00

A Newark police officer shot and killed a stabbing suspect this afternoon during a confrontation in the basement of a shop on Broadway, police said.

The suspect, a man in his 30s, was hit in the torso and taken to University Hospital, by Newark Paramedics and emt's where he died, police said.

The officer, a 13-year beat cop who was not identified, was not injured.

Police Director Garry McCarthy said a sergeant and the neighborhood beat officer confronted the suspect in the basement of a building on Broadway, near the intersection of Crane Street, at 2 p.m., after the owner of an appliance and furniture shop upstairs reported the man had slashed him in the arm.

The store owner was bandaged by EMT's, police said.

The shop owner and the suspect knew each other; the shop owner let the man stay in the basement without a lease, McCarthy said. But in recent days the man, described as mentally ill (E.D.P), had been acting more erratically than usual.

McCarthy said it wasn't immediately clear what happened between the officers and the man in the basement because the officers had yet to provide statements to investigators. There were no other witnesses.

The cop, a 13-year veteran, fired at least five times, killing the man, McCarthy said. A knife and shell casings were recovered from the scene.

McCarthy did not criticize the officer's actions but suggested that if New Jersey officers were allowed to carry Tasers they could have used them to try to disarm the man.

2008-07-07T15:25:00.000-07:00

An East Windsor woman suffered head injuries when her car hit a tree on Princeton-Hightstown Road Monday morning, police said.About 9:25 a.m., 31-year-old Anitha Gambira Pati was driving eastbound on the road near McGetrick Lane when her car went off the highway and ended up resting against a tree. The driver's side impact, police said, gave Pati facial and head wounds, as well as possible internal injuries. Her car was totaled, with heavy damage to the front and rear doors on the driver's side, according to police.

New Jersy Emt's & paramedics found Pati conscious inside the car, but not communicating clearly.She was splinted with a K.E.D and collerd then extricated from the car and taken to Capital Health System at Fuld hospital, where she was listed in guarded condition. Police said it was believed her injuries were not life-threatening.

With Pati unable to be interviewed during the day on Monday, the cause of the crash remains unknown

2008-07-06T10:45:00.000-07:00

Asbury Park Fire EMS in 4th of july parade
Allenhurst Fire department Ambulance 52

2008-07-02T16:24:00.000-07:00

NJ EMS Legislative Initiatives
2008-2009 Legislative Session
July 1, 2008

A325 Requires certain ambulances to be equipped with global positioning
system technology; appropriates $500,000 to DHSS.
Last Session Bill Number: A1388
Quigley, Joan M. as Primary Sponsor
1/8/2008 Introduced, Referred to Assembly Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bills/BillView.asp?BillNumber=A325

A653 Allows certain volunteer firefighters, rescue and first aid squad
members to claim $500 income tax deduction
Last Session Bill Number: A1404
Doherty, Michael J. as Primary Sponsor, Vas, Joseph as Primary Sponsor, Biondi, Peter J. as
Co-Sponsor, Karrow, Marcia A. as Co-Sponsor
1/8/2008 Introduced, Referred to Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bills/BillView.asp?BillNumber=A653

A1050 Requires Medicaid program to increase reimbursement for
ambulance services provided to Medicaid recipients who are also Medicare
eligible to Medicare rate.
Last Session Bill Number: A1314
Biondi, Peter J. as Primary Sponsor

A1260 Permits EMT, paramedic, or investigator for county medical
examiner's office to make determination and pronouncement of death under
certain circumstances.
Last Session Bill Number: A3867
Moriarty, Paul D. as Primary Sponsor

2008-06-25T17:11:00.000-07:00

A car hit a child in the citythen crashed into a grocery store and flipped over, according to NBC10.

The accident occurred at the intersection of Centre and Furman streets. No word yet on the child's condition.

2008-06-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

A New York motorist died and his wife and son were hospitalized after their car struck a tree in Sussex County this morning, authorities said.

Sotis F. Papagelos, 77, of Vestal, N.Y., was pronounced dead almost an hour after the accident happened on Clove Road in Montague about 9:30 a.m., according to State Police.

His wife Sofie, and their adult son, Agisilas, were treated by New Jersey EMTs and Paramedics on scene then transported to area hospitals after complaining of pain, said Sgt. Julian Castellanos, a State Police spokesman.

Castellanos said Papagelos was driving a 2000 Daewoo that was traveling southbound on Clove Road just before the accident. The roadway was wet when the vehicle went to the right and struck a tree, Castellanos said.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, according to authorities.

2008-06-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

A young boy was flown via medical helicopter
to a Philadelphia hospital to be treated for injuries he suffered when he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle Wednesday evening.
The injured boy is loaded into the chopper.

The boy, about 5 years old, and his father were riding their bicycles on Plaza Boulevard in the Americana apartment complex when the accident happened about 6 p.m.

Emergency personnel said the boy suffered head injuries when he was hit by the car.

An ambulance crew from Levittown-Fairless Hills Rescue Squad (web page) treated the boy on scene, then transported him to a shopping center at Plaza Boulevard and West Trenton Avenue.

Morrisville firefighters cordoned off an area of the shopping center's parking lot as a makeshift landing zone for a University of Pennsylvania helicopter.

As a crowd of shoppers watched, the PennStar chopper landed in the parking lot.

The injured boy was quickly loaded aboard, then the helicopter lifted off for the hospital.

Morrisville police were still investigating the accident Wednesday night.

2008-05-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

One person was airlifted following a two-vehicle collision on Route 49IN STOW CREEK TOWNSHIP, N.J.

One person was airlifted following a two-vehicle collision on Route 49 near Telegraph Road this evening.

The crash, which occurred around 5 p.m., involved a minivan and a pickup truck. Rescue workers tended primarily to the occupants of the minivan, which sustained severe damage. Emergency responders extricated the driver of that vehicle.

Information on injuries is not currently available.

Debris from the minivan was strewn across a wide area. The crumpled driver's-side passenger door lay several feet from the vehicle.

Traffic was briefly restricted to one lane as state police and rescue personnel cleared the scene.

2008-05-25T08:11:00.000-07:00

Morristown Memorial Hospital and Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, would have their charity care aid wiped out entirely!Hospitals in Jersey City, NewÂark, Morristown and Perth Amboy would be among the biggest losers under a proposed state funding formula that would slash nearly $142 million in charity care payments for treating the uninsured, according to an analysis obtained by The Star-Ledger.

A total of 22 hospitals, including Morristown Memorial Hospital and Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, would have their charity care aid wiped out entirely, the review by the New Jersey Hospital Association concludes. Its figures show 62 hospitals would lose aid, while only 18 would get a boost.

The analysis was based on data from the state Department of Health and Senior Services. Donna Leusner, spokeswoman for the health department, did not dispute the trade groups numbers but said they are preliminary and subject to change as lawmakers and Gov. Jon Corzine review his proposed $33 billion budget.

Jersey City Medical Center would suffer a cut of nearly $42 milÂlion, the biggest funding reduction in the state. Its aid would be cut about 50 percent to $41.6 million.

"There's no way that the hospital can absorb a cut like that without serious cuts in what it offers the public," said John McKeegan, spokesman for LibertyHealth, which includes the hospital. He said said 60 percent of its paÂtients are dependent on either Medicaid or charity care.

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center would lose $16.3 million, while Raritan Bay Medical Center-Perth Amboy would have to operÂate with $10 million less. Thirty-three hospitals would lose at least $1 million.

Twenty-two hospitals would lose all their charity care funding. Of those, Morristown Memorial Hospital has the most to lose: $8.4 million. State-certified data showed the hospital provided $23 million in charity care last year.

"It's surprising and disturbing because its not like you can go out and make that money up, said
Joan Lebow, director of public relations and marketing for Atlantic Health, which includes the hospital. "We know the governor realizes how important hospitals are to the state. We hope to see the money restored."

Among the 18 hospitals that are slated to get more funding, the bigÂgest winner would be Trinitas Hospital in Elizabeth, which would have an $8.8 million boost.

Leusner said Corzine's revamped formula is intended to direct the state's limited funding to the hospitals that need it most. Hospitals that serve a disproÂportionate number of charity care patients would see increases, she said.

Elizabeth Ryan, chief operating officer of the New Jersey Hospital Association, said under Corzine's funding plan, no hospital in the state would be fully compensated for the free care they offer. Her group will be working to block the cuts.

2008-05-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

A multi-vehicle pileup injured five people and disrupted traffic along the New Jersey Turnpike Friday evening, emergency officials confirmed.
The accident occurred shortly before 5:30 p.m. along the northbound side of the Turnpike just south of Interchange 7A (Interstate 195). Officials said five cars, a dump truck and a box truck were involved.

State police were forced to close all three northbound lanes while emergency personnel from Robbinsville and Hightstowns Paramedics and EMT's attended to the injured. Northbound traffic quickly backed up, but was able to crawl past the crash scene by using the left shoulder as a lane.
Officials said five patients, all suffering from minor injuries, were transported by ambulance to area hospitals.The cause of the crash remains under investigation by state police.

2008-05-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

A botched robbery early this morning left a 25-year-old man dead

A botched robbery early this morning left a 25-year-old man dead in Newark's Ironbound section, authorities said.

The victim, Delvisson F. Campos, 25, of Newark, was shot once in the chest and once in the chin at about 3:20 a.m., near 270 Ferry St., authorities said. A man he was walking with escaped unharmed, said Essex County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Paul Loriquet.

"Two individuals were walking down the street when they were approached by two perpetrators," Loriquet said. "Detectives believe it was a robbery attempt."

Campos was treated by New Jersey Paramedics then transported to University Hospital in Newark where he was pronounced dead at 3:52 a.m. said Newark Police Detective Todd McClendon.

No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing, Loriquet said.

Authorities have asked that anyone has any information about the shooting, please call Lt. Lou Carrega with the Essex County Prosecutor's Homicide Squad at 973-621-4586.

2008-05-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

Two people were killed today during a shootout in Newark's

Two people were killed today during a shootout in Newark's South Ward, police said.

The victims, both male, were struck while shooting at one another on Hawthorn Avenue, near Huntington Terrace, sometime after 2 p.m., police said.

One victim was pronounced dead at the sceneby NJ Paramedics; the other was treated by EMT's and Paramedics then taken to Newark's University Hospital, where he died at about 2:40 p.m., police said.

Neighbors reported hearing multiple shots, fired in quick succession.

2008-04-29T07:48:00.000-07:00

The Plainsboro Volunteer Fire Company(WEB PAGE)will be scooping out 31-cent ice cream cones during a fundraiser Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Baskin-Robbins store in Plainsboro Plaza, 10 Schalks Crossing Road.

Township firefighters will be on hand not only to dish out the ice cream but also to provide fire prevention information while raising money for a nationwide push to support the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

All scoops will sell for 31 cents but "tips" are encouraged and will be donated to the foundation, which preserves the memories of firefighters who died in the line of duty, assists their families and provides safety training to firefighters nationwide.

2008-04-24T17:52:00.000-07:00

man stabbed a woman today in a shopping mall parking lotAuthorities say a man stabbed a woman today in a shopping mall parking lot in Mercer County before turning the knife on himself.

It's not clear what sparked the violence outside the MarketFair mall in West Windsor.

Authorities say the man stabbed the woman shortly after they arrived there around 4 p.m. The woman then went inside, seeking shelter in a bookstore.

Police say the man then stabbed himself in the neck and fell out of his car while it was moving through the parking lot.

Both were treated by New Jersey Paramedics and EMT's then taken to Capital Health System's Fuld campus in Trenton, where the man was pronounced dead a short time later. The woman was reported to be in serious condition.

Their names were not immediately released.

2008-04-21T15:45:00.000-07:00

Boy riding a miniature ATV was killed
A 6-year-old Franklin Township boy riding a miniature ATV was killed Saturday as he attempted to cross Skillmans Lane and was hit by a Jeep, police said today. The child was thrown off the small, black Honda ATV and then struck by a van, police said.

He landed in a field about seven to 10 feet from the roadway, according to police. He was C-collared backboarded, secured with straps and a headbed to prevent movement by the ambulance personnel at the scene.The boy was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital by paramedics and emt's, where he was pronounced dead.

The Jeep was driven by a 36-year-old Hillsborough man, while the van was operated by a 54-year-old North Brunswick man.

The accident occurred shortly after 10 a.m. Saturday, on Skillmans Lane, east of South Middlebush Road.

2008-04-14T13:58:00.000-07:00

Vineland man killed, four others injured and charged with DWIA Vineland motorcyclist was killed and three of his companions injured Friday night, just prior to midnight, when all four struck the back of another vehicle, near the intersection of Landis Avenue and Cimino Boulevard.

The three surviving cyclists and the vehicle driver all have been charged with driving while intoxicated.

Sgt. Stephen Jones, of the New Jersey State Police public information office, said it still is not known how the accident happened.

"All four cyclists and the car were traveling in the same direction and he did not turn in front of them," Jones said.

All four men were thrown from their bikes. Torrey Johnson, 47, was pronounced dead at the scene by NJ Paramedics.

His companions, Michael Woolston, 45, of Millville; Steven Brizak, 27, of Vineland and Dennis Arendarezyk, 42, of Millville, treated by AtlantiCare Paramedics on scene then taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Mainland campus, with non-life-threatening injuries, which included two minor injuries of an unspecified nature and one broken leg.

The driver of the vehicle which was struck, Willie Collier Jr., 34, of Bridgeton, also was taken to Atlantic Care. He was released early Saturday morning,

Jones said the investigation into how the accident occurred is continuing.

2008-04-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

Man beaten by robbersA 51-year-old man suffered several contusions and abrasions at the hands of two robbers near Casper Alley on Friday.

As the men beat the city resident, they demanded money and reached inside his pockets at about 6:25 a.m. Detectives said the injured victim was treated by New Jersey EMT's then rushed to Capital Health System at Fuld hospital.

The robbers were described as two black men in their 20s, according to police.

Detective Scott Peterson is investigating the robbery and can be reached at (609) 989-4074. Anyone with information may also contact the police confidential tip line at (609) 989-3663

2008-04-10T18:44:00.000-07:00

A 16-year-old Elizabeth High School student was stabbed Wednesday during a fight outside the school.
Police responded around 4:15 p.m. after officers supervising dismissal noticed a group of about 200 students walking along Pearl Street near Bridge Street. At the center of the group were about a dozen teens who appeared to be fighting, said Elizabeth police Lt. Daniel Saulnier.

During the melee, a 16-year-old student who was not involved in the fight was stabbed in the shoulder, Saulnier said. He was treated by NJ EMTs and taken to Trinitas Hospital, where he received stitches and released.

After breaking up the fight, police arrested two students, both 17, for failing to disperse. One of the students was also charged with resisting arrest, Saulnier said.

Police did not find a knife at the scene and believe the assailant escaped through the crowd. The after-school fight was apparently the continuance of a dispute earlier in the school day, though police are not positive that all the participants were actually Elizabeth High students, Saulnier said.

Police are investigating the stabbing and working with Elizabeth school officials to identify the assailants, Saulnier said.

2008-04-10T18:24:00.000-07:00

Irvington cop injured by gunfire kills robbery suspect

An Irvington police detective who happened upon an armed robbery at a township bodega this afternoon shot and killed the suspect after the man shot the officer in the arm, authorities said.

The incident began shortly after 5 p.m., when Detective Roman Melenka, an internal affairs investigator just three months from retirement, walked into P&P Tobacco and Grocery at the corner of Union and Nye avenues and discovered a robbery in progress, Police Chief Michael Chase said.

The robber fired at Melenka, who was in plainclothes but wearing a badge, hitting the officer in the upper left arm, Chase said. Melenka then fired once at the suspect with his department-issued service revolver, wrestled him to the ground, took his weapon and handcuffed him, Chase said.

Melenka was transported to University Hospital by Paramedics in Newark. His condition was not immediately known, but Chase said the injuries were not life-threatening. The suspect, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Chase said a third person fled the store immediately after the shoot-out and is being considered a suspect.

The shooting took place at this shop at the corner of Union and Nye avenues.

Melenka, who is in his 25th year of service with the Irvington police department is being described as a "hero" by the chief.

2008-04-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

Nearly 40 million U.S. adults are classified as obese.

Of these, it is estimated that four million are severely obese and 1.5 million are morbidly obese.

A number of medical conditions have been associated with obesity – osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease – to name a few. The annual health care costs for obesity-related diseases now represent some 5.5% of total healthcare expenditures in the U.S.

Because of their tremendous size, transporting such patients has become problematic. 1 in 80 men and 1 in 200 women weigh more than 300 pounds.

Many facilities find standard equipment ill-suited to address the transportation requirements of these patients. Prior to the advent of more accommodating equipment, moving a morbidly obese patient might require upwards of six men. On occasion EMTs would get hurt. Given such a need, it’s hardly surprising to see enterprising companies bringing novel solutions to market.

Stryker (SYK) has developed the MX-PRO Bariatric Transport to “move bariatric patients with dignity”. The design features a wide patient surface and wheel base to provide stability during transport. The gurney can accommodate up to 1600 pounds.

In order to get a patient of this size into the ambulance, TranSafe has developed a Ramp System that can load gurneys without lifting, pulling or pushing (using a winch that attaches to the cot).

According to the Journal of Emergency Medical Services, sales of stretchers designed for bariatric patients are expected to grow to $50 million by 2012, nearly double sales in 2004. Sales of specialized lift systems are projected to rise to $193 million.

Ambulances too require expensive modifications. A gurney typically connects to a wall mount, but for obese patients, this has proved impractical. New vehicles can be ordered with floor fasteners so that a cot can ride in the center of an ambulance. Modified suspension and loading systems are also growing more commonplace.

In the hospital setting, reinforced wheelchairs, larger waiting room seats and rolls of a special plastic material that can be placed under a patient to help slide him or her from one cot to a hospital bed, are increasingly being viewed as standard equipment.

2008-04-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

A top legislator says the governor must immediately name a special inspector to oversee health programs for the poor.

The Legislature approved a Medicaid inspector general in March 2007, but Gov. Jon S. Corzine hasn't filled the job.

Two recent state audits found numerous examples of waste in Medicaid and another health program for the poor.

2008-04-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

NJPIES is New Jersey's recognized statewide/regional poison information and education center. It was created by legislation (N.J.S.A. 26:2-119 et seq.) and began service on February 1, 1983, replacing about 35 local poison information centers at hospitals. The center operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. NJPIES is a member of the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) and is designated as a regional poison control center under AAPCC guidelines. Additionally, NJPIES also manages the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Rabies hotline and the AIDS hotline. NJPIES also serves as an information point for the department in cases of product tampering or product recall and in food-borne illness incidents, performing a valuable public service in times of crisis.

Call volume has increased dramatically since NJPIES began service and now exceeds 100,000 calls annually. About half of these calls concern children under five years of age. Over 75% of the poison-related calls received by NJPIES are for poisoning exposures.

NJPIES is funded by all New Jersey hospitals as a regionalized service, by a grant administered through the DHSS Office of Emergency Medical Services, and by private donations. NJPIES is physically located at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, an affiliate of the St. Barnabas Healthcare System, which also contributes to NJPIES support with in-kind services. Since 1992, the Department has negotiated a total poison control budget with NJPIES in order to control the cost of the program and to assure financial stability. NJPIES has one of the lowest "per call" costs of all the poison centers which are members of the AAPCC.

NJPIES Services

Three types of poison-related information services are offered by NJPIES: poison control, poison information, and drug information. Specialists in poison information, who are either physicians, registered nurses, or pharmacists, handle all calls.

Poison Control at NJPIES

Each year, NJPIES assists more than 100,000 callers who are concerned about their own or another person's exposure to a potentially poisonous (toxic) product. Use the toll-free hotline when you suspect a poisoning. About half of the specialists are fluent in Spanish and many are fluent in additional languages. A contract with the AT&T Language Line enables the specialists to respond to callers in more than 100 languages.

Poison Information at NJPIES

NJPIES encourages greater use of the hotline for information which can help to prevent poisonings. Use the hotline to ask the specialists questions prior to exposure to or use of a potentially poisonous or hazardous product, such as household chemicals, plants, cosmetics, or environmental contaminants like lead. They can help you to assess the possibility for harm or damage and give you recommendations for minimizing or eliminating product risk. For example, parents might ask if it was safe to use a particular pesticide on their lawn when there are small children at home. (Note that pesticide application companies are required by NJ Department of Environmental Protection regulations (N.J.A.C. 7:30) to give out NJPIES' 800 number after pesticides are applied.)

Drug Information at NJPIES

The hotline can also be used to receive up-to-date information to your questions about prescription and "over-the-counter" medication use, including herbal products. Specialists can accurately answer questions about adverse effects of medications, possible risks for drug interaction, or the potential effects of medicines on pregnancy or breast feeding.

NJPIES also provides other important services, such as:

* followup education to assist poisoning victims in preventing future incidents;
* educational programs for school children and their parents, senior citizens and the general public to improve awareness of poisoning problems and ways to prevent poisonings;
* educational programs for health and safety professionals in hospitals and public health agencies, students in health professions, community-based outreach workers, and community safety leaders
* press releases and information packets, including monthly press releases on poison-related topics, grade school take-home materials and lesson plans, National Poison Prevention Week information materials, newsletters for parents of New Jersey first-graders and for hospital emergency room personnel, and telephone stickers with the hotline number;
* NJPIES also participates in ongoing research to assist in reducing the risk for poisoning injury and mortality

How to Contact NJPIES
Emergency Hotline: 800-222-1222
Office: 973-972-9280
Fax: 973-926-0013
TTY: 973-926-8008

2008-03-26T19:05:00.000-07:00

Jersey City Medical Center EMT's and Paramedics better start looking for a new job.
Maybe the medics can pic up some part time work as coach drivers at Amb-U-Car.The pain will be unbearable if Gov. Jon Corzine's proposed $108 million cut in charity care funding for hospitals is adopted, according to Hudson County hospital officials.

This reduction - proposed in the 2009 budget that legislators are now reviewing - would hit the Jersey City Medical Center and Hoboken University Medical Center especially hard since both facilities treat a large number of uninsured and under-insured patients each day, the officials said.

Charity care coverage for JCMC would be slated to drop from an estimated $83.5 million in the 2008 fiscal year to $55.4 million in 2009, according to projections by the New Jersey Hospital Association.

Hoboken University Medical Center would be dealt a $4.5 million cut and receive $11.9 million next year, based on estimates of claims data that will be released in June.

The final numbers could change, but as things stand, programs would have to be cut, said John McKeegan, spokesman for LibertyHealth Systems Inc., which owns JCMC.

"The Jersey City Medical Center would not be able to essentially absorb these cuts," McKeegan said, noting two-thirds of the hospital's patients are uninsured or on Medicaid. "These are people in desperate need of services."

HUMC spokeswoman and state Assemblywoman Joan Quigley, a member of the Assembly's Health Committee, warned the effects could ripple from one hospital to another.

"I believe it would be foolish for the state government, which has already sunk so much money into (HUMC) to save it, to put it so close to the cliff," Quigley said. "If any one hospital closes, it could swamp the others."

Heather Howard, commissioner of the state Department of Health and Senior Services, has said the state is trying to break with past practice of "operating in a culture of crisis management...to a culture of strategic planning."

The state's new charity care formula puts hospitals in three tiers. The group with the most uninsured patients will get a 5 percent cut in funding, those in the middle will get an average reduction of 34 percent, and the hospitals that provide the least charity care will no longer be given any funding.

The formula would mean a cut of almost $591,000 at Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, to $3.4 million.

Christ Hospital and Bayonne Medical Center would see slight increases. Christ Hospital's funding will be raised by about $235,000 to $10.3 million, while BMC's will go up $310,000 to $4.3 million.

Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center in Secaucus, another LibertyHealth facility, has relatively few uninsured patients, but would get a $61,000 bump to almost $681,000.

The Assembly Budget Committee, on which Quigley also sits, will hold a public hearing on the proposed budget at Liberty Science Center on Wednesday at 9 a.m.

2008-03-25T15:14:00.001-07:00

A Jersey City man's ear was partially cut off when he was slugged in the head with an aluminum baseball batafter an argument over $20 on a Marion section street last night, officials said.

When police arrived at the 45-year-old victim's Nunda Avenue home around 9 p.m. they found him being treated by New Jersey emergency medical technicians for injuries to his left ear, reports said.

He said he'd been arguing with a man over money on Dales Avenue and when he began walking away, the man hit him on the side of the head with the bat, reports said.

He told the officers he was knocked to the ground by the blow and from there he saw the man walking away holding the bat, reports said. The victim was taken to the Jersey City Medical Center for treatment of the non-life-threatening injury and he was listed in stable condition

2008-03-22T17:42:00.000-07:00

Shot to death

Francis Scott Walker Jr. had a plan -- finish college, become an accountant, and start helping out his mom, a dedicated single parent who raised her children to work hard and valued education.

Around 12:15 yesterday morning, that plan came to a tragic end after Walker was shot to death while parking his 1992 Pontiac Bonneville on a street in Elizabeth, a short distance from his home

Police said there is no evidence this was a car theft or robbery attempt, and speculate the shooting may have been a case of mistaken identity.

Michelle Walker said she remembers bursting with pride when her only son graduated in 2006 from the Union County Adult Vocational-Technical School. Yesterday, she could barely contain her grief as she described the horrific scene where she held her 20-year-old dying son in her arms.

"He was barely breathing when I got there," Michelle Walker said as tears rolled down her face. "I held him and told him he was going to be all right, and I thought I heard him say something, but I knew my baby was dying."

Francis Walker was treated by paramedics and taken to Trinitas Hospital with a single gunshot wound to the torso. He was pronounced dead just after 1 a.m., police said.

Walker, a student at the Elizabeth campus of Union County College who also worked at Federal Express, had been out to a fast food restaurant with two friends and his cousin, Sharif Hawk. Walker briefly stopped at his home on Broadway before driving to Hawk's girlfriend's house on South Park Street, where they planned to play cards. Then tragedy struck.

"He dropped the three of us off and said he was going to park the car. Not 45 seconds later we heard gunshots," said Hawk, 23.

Hawk and the friends dashed back outside and heard the engine of Walker's car racing, as if the accelerator was stuck. They found the car in the middle of the road, with Francis Walker slumped over the steering wheel."They shot him right through the window of his car," he said

2008-03-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

A 2-year-old boy was critically injured

his older brother and grandfather were also hurt this afternoon when a kitchen fire sent smoke and flames throughout their two-story home in Jersey city.

Fire Chief Tim Foy said Oliver Sy, was close to death when rescue workers found him in an upstairs bedroom just before 12:20 p.m.

Two firefighters - Jose Cotty and Pat Murphy - removed the boy from the house and performed CPR on the hood of a car to revive him, Foy said.

Once they stabilized the boy, he was transported to the Jersey City Medical Center,
officials said, and was awaiting transport to St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston. The extent of his injuries were not immediately available.

When firefighters arrived at the house on Orchard Street, they found the boy's grandfather, Bill Lee, who was not identified, battling the kitchen fire with a garden hose, officials said.

He, along with his 7-year-old grandson Antonio Sy, was also taken to Jersey City Medical Center for burns and smoke inhalation, said Armando Roman, the city's fire director.

Firefighters quickly brought the blaze under control and Roman said that investigators were inspecting the scene to determine a cause.

"This was a bona fide rescue," he said. "This boy would not be alive if it wasn't for the effort of these firefighters.

2008-03-22T16:54:00.000-07:00

Throat slit by assailant

A 32-year-old Freehold Township woman remains hospitalized after her throat was slit by an assailant during an armed robbery attempt at her home Friday morning, according to a report in the Asbury Park Press.

Detective Lt. Roy Ruiz said the woman was attacked as she opened the vestibule door to her apartment on Stonehurst Boulevard at about 3 a.m. She suffered a 9-inch cut to her throat and wounds to her hands as she tried to fight off her attacker, he said.

The woman was taken by NJ paramedics to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where she was listed in serious condition. The suspect escaped on foot.

2008-03-19T12:18:00.000-07:00

Ok I know it's not an EMS post but I just had to post this.I cant wait to see it.

2008-03-19T09:45:00.000-07:00

The Morristown Ambulance Squad

The Morristown Ambulance Squad, Inc., which has served the Morristown community since 1961, is a non-profit organization whose volunteer members provide free service 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year.
Morristown ambulance web page
Morristown ambulance Myspace page

2008-03-17T09:27:00.000-07:00

St Patrick's Parade - Morristown

The Morris Minute Men

The Morris Minute Men(web site)

Morristown Ambulance Squad

M.A.S (web site)

2008-03-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

I started a small clothing line called
Cyanotix Clothing.

2008-03-11T14:28:00.001-07:00

Women run over by a 400-all-terrain vehicleA 28-year-old female sustained injuries March 11 about 12:20 p.m., when she was allegedly run over by a 400-all-terrain vehicle on Railroad Avenue.

The Rio Grande Rescue Squad was requested at 506 Railroad Ave. to attend to the victim of the accident.

Emergency medical services requested a Medevac to fly.

South Star Medevac responded to the National Guard Armory in Crest Haven to air lift the victim to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center City Trauma Division. She reportedly sustained trauma to the groin.

2008-03-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

A 30-year-old man drove a car into a group of peoplestanding outside a Newark bar early Saturday morning, killing one woman and injuring four others, police said.

Police arrested Wilquan Williams of Irvington, charging him with murder and several other counts, said Newark Detective Todd McClendon. The 1 a.m. incident happened outside Tremont Lounge, at Tremont Avenue and Halstead Street.

Williams had been thrown out of the same bar a short time before, police said.

Killed was 20-year-old Rasheena McCray of Newark, who was standing outside the Tremont Lounge with others when police say Williams drove a 1998 Cadillac DeVille into the group. The car belonged to a friend, police said.

Williams, who lives in a halfway house in Irvington, was scheduled to be at work that evening but instead went to the Tremont Lounge, police said. He was told to leave after walking into the women's bathroom, McClendon said.

Once outside, Williams got behind the wheel of the Cadillac and intentionally drove into the bystanders, police said. Williams fled the scene on foot but was arrested after police tracked him to his halfway house on Lyons Avenue in Irvington.

McCray died a short time after being taken to University Hospital by NJ Paramedics, police said.The other four injured were treated by EMT's and taken to the hospital.

Williams had been completing his sentence for unspecified weapons charges in Union County. Now, in addition to murder, he is also charged with four counts of aggravated assault, possession of a weapon (the car), and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

McCray's death marks the fourth homicide in Newark this year compared to 14 during the same period last year, police said.

2008-02-25T17:05:00.000-08:00

MAN vs CAR

2008-02-19T15:23:00.000-08:00

A 49-year-old Hardyston woman was found dead in her homethis afternoon and her husband was discovered there with a severe head wound, police said.

The incident was reported at about 1:20 p.m. when police responded to an address on Mountain Road "for a report of an unknown medical emergency," police said in a statement.

Dawn Yurchak was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Her husband, James Yurchak, had a head wound and was airlifted by New Jersey flight paramedic's to Morristown Memorial Hospital, police said. He is listed in critical condition, a hospital spokesperson said.

2008-02-17T10:23:00.000-08:00

The Venoscope II transilluminator

The Vein Finder, allows a clinician to easily locate hard to find veins, making it faster and more efficient for health care providers and clinicians to deliver a higher level of quality care. Fewer sticks means less time that a clinician needs to spend with each patient, reduces the waste of materials such as needles, syringes, PICC and midline trays, and makes the procedure safer and more comfortable for the patient.

Although in most cases a clinician can easily identify and access the veins of their patient's, there are those patients with hard to find veins, such as the obese, elderly and patients with dark skin. Data collected in hospital settings show that as a result of patients with hard to find veins, multiple sticks occur on twenty-five (25%) percent of patients.

2008-02-12T20:10:00.000-08:00

A slick coating of snow and ice fell on New Jersey

Jersey roads today, leading to hundreds of accidents and widespread slow going during the evening commute.

Snow this afternoon changed over to freezing rain and sleet by evening, a treacherous combination whose timing seemed pegged to the rush-hour slog home. As of early this evening, the majority of the accidents were spinouts or minor collisions, and no serious injuries were reported, according to the State Police.

The wicked weather's effects were expected to linger until Thursday, with a flood watch in effect for Bergen, Camden, Passaic, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Burlington, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties.

Today's wrecks were scattered throughout the state, but appeared slightly worse in South Jersey, where numerous crashes occurred on the New Jersey Turnpike and Route 295 in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties, police said.

In Linden, an afternoon accident involving a tractor trailor and a number of cars on northbound Routes 1&9 kept the northbound lanes closed until about 3 p.m., police Sgt. William Turbett said.

Icy road conditions contributed to the crash, which caused five people to have minor injuries, police said. Linden police were handling 20 accidents during the afternoon. On most days, they only get two, they said.
Jerry McCrea/The Star-LedgerRescue crews work at the scene of an accident involving a commerical van and a car on Route 287 in Morristown.

In Edison, Route 1 North was shut down for more than five hours after a garbage truck collided with a pick-up and then struck a utility pole as a result of the icy conditions, Sgt. Tom Marino said.

No one was injured, but a three-quarter mile stretch of Route 1 between the two intersections where Old Post Road crosses the highway was closed at 2 p.m., Marino said. The road remained shut down five hours later, with no relief in sight, he said.

"It's a mess, not counting the hundreds of other accidents we have," Marino said.

Woodbridge police received 47 reports of accidents in less than three hours, including one crash where a utility pole was knocked down onto Route 9 near Green Street, leaving one lane open for much of the rush hour.

"As officers are coming to work, we're sending them out to accidents," Lt. George Conklin said.

The state Department of Transportation had more than 1,300 plows and trucks out on the state's highways, spreading salt to prevent to roads from icing up, spokeswoman Erin Phalon said.

But crews faced challenges because of the combination of freezing rain, dropping temperatures and the rush-hour traffic influx, Phalon said.

"Our crews are working as quickly as they can to plow and salt the roadways," she said.

Starting at 1:30 p.m., the New Jersey Turnpike Authority reduced the speed limit to 45 mph along the turnpike from Interchange 8 up to the George Washington Bridge, authority spokesman Joe Orlando said.

Orlando said workers started spreading salt around 11 a.m. and would continue through the night to keep ice off the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway. Between the two highways, the authority had 253 of its own plows working, and another 126 contractors focused only on the Parkway, he said.

In addition to the trouble on the roads, arriving flights faced delays of more than an hour at the region's three airports, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Some departing flights were also slowed at Newark Liberty International Airport, according to the FAA.

On Wednesday, expect a messy morning commute as slushy conditions are left behind from the storm. It will slowly start to warm up, reaching the lower 40s.

The dangerous conditions move out late Wednesday, leading to a nice Thursday. The flood watch is scheduled to be lifted Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Friday will be mostly cloudy with some rain or snow at night. Saturday will be cold under partly sunny skies.

2008-02-11T14:37:00.000-08:00

NY man held in bus slashing

A Brooklyn man is charged with slashing the face of a homeless man aboard a bus on the Garden State Parkway over the weekend.The man was taken to the hospital by NJ EMT's

New Jersey State Police say Juan Mateo used a box cutter to slash the face of Heraldo Jacobo aboard a bus heading northbound near mile marker 68 in Barnegat.

Mateo is charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

He is being held on $150,000 bail at the Ocean County Jail.

Details on the victim's condition were not immediately available.

2008-02-09T19:52:00.000-08:00

it's safe for both the victim and the caregiver- and fast, simple, and easy to use - and can be used for bleeding injuries in extreme low temperatures and will even clot heparinized (thinned by some medications that keeps it from clotting normally) blood.

Best of all, CELOX can be used as an immediate response for all external bleeding - even high pressure, high volume bleeding from major arteries - which saves time, eliminates decision-making and reduces blood loss.

HOW IT WORKS
CELOX is a granular hemostat powder intended for emergency use as an external temporary traumatic wound treatment. Pouring CELOX into the wound helps prevent blood loss and achieves hemolysis by coagulation. It reduces blood loss and significantly increases survivability of catastrophic bleeding wounds. It forms a strong gel-like clot that protects the wound and is easy to clean out.

WHAT IT IS
CELOX is a proprietary blend of materials that contains Chitosan. It is both safe for the caregiver and the victim. It can control the most severe arterial bleeding, even when applied within moments of the onset of high pressure, high volume bleeds. CELOX works in hypothermic conditions, and will work when even on heparinized (thinned by some medications that keeps it from clotting normally) blood.EVERY REASON TO CHOOSE CELOX
CELOX is lightweight, small, and fits into a pocket. It is intelligently packaged to be safely opened with one hand and easily applied. CELOX is affordably priced and available in two small, lightweight, and compact package sizes - 15g (0.5 ounce) or 35g (1.25 ounce) with a shelf life of 3 years.