Oldham County EMS Recognized for Outstanding Quality
Today, the Oldham County EMS was recognized at a ceremony including a proclamation from Oldham County Judge Executive David Voegele declaring it Oldham County/Baptist Health EMS Day and words of thanks from Dr. Tom Clark, Chairman of the Board for Oldham County Ambulance Taxing District and Clint Kaho, president of Baptist Health La Grange.
July 12, 2019 – La Grange, KY – Today, the Oldham County EMS was recognized at a ceremony including a proclamation from Oldham County Judge Executive David Voegele declaring it Oldham County/Baptist Health EMS Day and words of thanks from Dr. Tom Clark, Chairman of the Board for Oldham County Ambulance Taxing District and Clint Kaho, president of Baptist Health La Grange. The triple recognitions are as follows.
Oldham County EMS has received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services for its compliance with national standards of excellence. They are one of only 187 ambulance services in the country to successfully complete the voluntary review process which included completion of a comprehensive application and on-site review by national experts in emergency medical services (EMS). With this achievement, Oldham County EMS becomes the third EMS agency to be accredited in the state of Kentucky. Panel of Commissioners has officially awarded Oldham County/Baptist EMS with a three (3) year re-accreditation. Baptist Health La Grange manages the Oldham County EMS, a service owned by the Oldham County Ambulance Taxing District and Fiscal Court.
“We received a “Perfect” score between our paperwork submission in January and on site visit earlier this month,” said Colonel Keith Smith, BS, EMT-B, Director of Oldham County EMS. “Our staff has been key to our successful completion of the process. I think it gives the feeling of prestige and pride to work in an accredited ambulance service. Everyone here played a valuable role in our ability to meet the Commission’s high standards. We have achieved accreditation but I believe it can only be a stimulus for continued improvement.”
Dr. Tom Clark, Chairman of the Board for Oldham County Ambulance Taxing District said accreditation “represents our firm commitment to our patients and community. We continuously strive to do our best and we viewed accreditation as another step toward excellence. The surveyor also placed us in the top 5% of the 1% of the ambulance services in the nation.”
In addition to the accreditation, the agency has also received awards from other organizations as well. The Emergency Medical Services for Children Project managed by the Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services presented OCEMS with the Pediatric Emergency Care Award of Excellence. The KYEMSC Voluntary EMS Pediatric Recognition Program honors EMS Agencies who meet established criteria, beyond regulatory requirements, which are designed to improve the agency's capabilities to deliver care to pediatric patients.
In late June Oldham County EMS received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® EMS Silver Plus Award for implementing quality improvement measures for the treatment of patients who experience severe heart attacks.
Every year, more than 250,000 people experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) the deadliest type of heart attack caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it’s critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.
The Mission: Lifeline initiative provides tools, training and other resources to support heart attack care following protocols from the most recent evidence-based treatment guidelines. Mission: Lifeline’s EMS recognition program recognizes emergency medical services for their efforts in improving systems of care to rapidly identify suspected heart attack patients, promptly notify the medical center and trigger an early response from the awaiting hospital personnel.
Oldham County EMS is dedicated to providing optimal care for heart attack patients,” said Keith Smith, BS, EMT-B, Director of OCEMS, “We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in emergency medical care efforts through Mission: Lifeline.”
“EMTs and paramedics play a vital part in the system of care for those who have heart attacks,” said Tim Henry, M.D., Chair of the Mission: Lifeline Acute Coronary Syndrome Subcommittee. “Since they often are the first medical point of contact, they can save precious minutes of treatment time by activating the emergency response system that alerts hospitals to an incoming heart attack patient. We applaud Oldham County EMS for achieving this award in following evidence-based guidelines in the treatment of people who have severe heart attacks.”