Section of Prehospital and Disaster Medicine News and Activities
February 2020
COVID-19 Preparedness and Response
EMS Faculty Members were actively involved in the preparedness and response functions with regards to COVID-19. Multiple EMS faculty members were involved with the hospital and system Incident Command System. In these roles, faculty participated in various stages of both the preparedness and response to COVID-19 to ensure safe interfacility transport of patients, collaboration between the prehospital/interfacility operations and the hospital operations across the University of Maryland Medical System. Our faculty also participated in development of a tele-triage model and provided tele-triage services to hospitals throughout the network.
August 2015
Mass Gathering Medical Care: Moonrise Electronic Dance Music Festival
EMS faculty, medical students, and paramedic personnel participated in the second annual Moonrise event. Over 30,000 people attended this day-long music fest. Medical providers logged several hundred patient encounters and provided first aid, medical transport, and emergency medical treatment to concert-goers in need.
July 2015
Critical Care Emergency Medical Transport Program
EMS faculty participated in curriculum review, didactic sessions, and skills labs for the UMBC CCEMTP course. This course hosted approximately 70 paramedic and nursing personnel from locations across the country. The CCEMTP curriculum represents the educational foundation for prehospital providers who want to expand their scope of practice and work in the air medical and critical care transport industries.
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April 2015
Maryland EMS Cares educational conference
EMS faculty delivered educational sessions at the annual Maryland EMS Cares conference on the Eastern Shore. Dr. Benjamin Lawner gave the keynote address, and EMS physicians Dr. Jennifer Guyther and Dr. Roger Stone lectured on pediatric prehospital emergencies and conducted skills workshops for providers in attendance.
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March 2015
EMS Educational Bonanza: EMS Today and the National Collegiate EMS Foundation Conference
EMS faculty participated in two national EMS conferences that were hosted in Baltimore, MD. In a presentation entitled, "Sidestepping the Road to Yellow Alert," Deputy Chief Mark Fletcher led a dicussion on how fire based EMS services adopt a proactive approach to reducting at-hospital times. Dr. Benjamin Lawner presented several lectures at the National Collegiate EMS Foundation's conference. Over 1,000 collegiate EMS providers descended on the Inner Harbor to listen to an innovative curriculum complete with skills workshops and mass casaulty simulations.
February 10, 2015
The Price of a Helping Hand
Third year medical student Andrew Bouland and Maryland alumnus Nicholas Risko published an article on the costs associated with creating and maintaining a fire-department based community CPR program. The study published in Prehospital Emergency Care used a cost analysis model to estimate the savings attributed to an active bystander training program. Co-authors on the study included the current Executive Director of MIEMSS, the acting medical director of Howard County Department of Fire Rescue Services, and Dr. Lawner
January 2015
Newly Released Textbook on Medical Oversight of Emergency Medical Services
Drs. Debra Lee, JV Nable, and Benjamin Lawner co-authored a chapter on "Medical Overisight of EMS Systems." Dr. Robert Bass, retired Executive Director of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems served as lead author on the chapter. The two volume set is the official text of the National EMS Medical Director's Course that is sponsored by the National Association of EMS Physicians.
November 14, 2014
LADDER Study Begins Data Collection
In a collaborative effort with Johns Hopkins and the Baltimore City Fire Department, section faculty assisted with the roll out of the EMS Linkage to Addiction Treatment study's roll out. The study involves BCFD paramedics and examines whether EMS providers are able to screen and efficiently refer patients at risk for substance use disorders. Officials from the Washington DC department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services attended the study session as did representatvies from Behavioral Health Systems Baltimore and other public health agencies.
November 14, 2014
University of Maryland Baltimore County Paramedic Refresher
Physician faculty presented at the annual paramedic refresher featured at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Dr. Lawner presented on central venous access and gave participants an overview of important, EMS-related articles of 2014.
November 13, 2014
Eastern Shore Critical Care Symposium
Faculty were invited to present at the annual critical care transport symposium hosted by Maryland ExpressCare. Dr. Benjamin Lawner presented a talk on "Avoiding Common Prehospital Errors." The symposium included various lectures and skills workshops. Critical care providers also mentored attendees on advanced endotracheal intubation and ultrasound techniques.
Novemver 9, 2014
Virginia State EMS Symposium
Faculty presented various talks and worskhops at the annual Virginia EMS symposium. Over 1500 EMS providers attended the regional event. Dr. Benjamin Lawner hosted workshops on 12 lead ECG interpretation and presented a didactic session on a review of the current EMS literature.
September 29, 2014
Faculty render aid at scene of building collapse
The Shock Trauma GO-TEAM and Dr. Benjamin Lawner responded to the scene of a structure collapse. Members from the Baltimore City Fire Department's Special Rescue Operations and EMS divison worked for several hours to free one patient entrapped in the rubble. The patient was successfully extricated from the debris and transported to the Shock Trauma Center in stable condition.
Baltimore Sun story
CBS local story
September 17, 2014
Meeting with Stakeholders about Alternative Destination Transport
Physician medical directors collaborated with professionals from MIEMSS, Baltimore City Department of Health, and Behavioral Health Systems Baltimore to discuss the concept of a sobering center within the Baltimore city limits.
July 18-26th, 2014
Critical Care Emergency Medical Transport Course
Faculty and residents collaborated with the University of Baltimore County on the nationally recognized Critical Care Emergency Medical Transport Course (CCEMTP). This two-week course brings transport professionals in from across the country and reviews foundational tenets of critical care transport medicine. The course included didactic sessions, skills labs, and procedure-based cadaveric labs.