EMS on AIR Podcast

In this episode we talk about something that is a little bit uncomfortable for most people.  It’s something that we all do, but we don’t like to talk about, because it might make us feel ashamed, or guilt.  Or maybe we don’t want to talk about it because we don’t want to damage our reputation or a fragile ego.  I’m talking about making a mistake .  Every single person that will ever listen to this...

In this episode we’ll introduce you to Samantha Mishra DO, MPH.  Dr. Mishra, or Sam as she prefers to be called, is the EMS for Children Coordinator for the State of Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.  Sam is here to tell us what the EMS for Children Program is, what it does and how you can get prepared for your next pediatric emergency. Specifically, we’ll discuss the intent and pu...

In this episode, Dr. Steve McGraw and Dr. Russell Faust are back to answer more questions from the EMS and hospital communities about the COVID-19 vaccinations.  Russ and Steve are both considered experts in their respective fields and they are back to break down the latest info about the COVID-19 vaccinations with a nice clean update.  As always, everything you hear during this episode is based i...

In this episode, we sit down with Randall Hawkins, the National Sales Director of GD.   Randall is here to discuss the importance of reliable, clear communication between EMS and the hospital.  Specifically, we’ll compare and contrast traditional EMS communication technology and tools versus the new mobile tele-health tech that has been becoming more popular and affordable over the last 5-10 years...

Over the past decade, numerous advances have been made in the treatment of stroke patients.  During that time, stroke center designations have evolved.  Designating bodies across the US generally recognize four stroke center levels. These four levels have been created in collaboration with the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. Starting with the highest level of care, they...

In this episode, we welcome Emily Bergquist, MSA, Paramedic I/C ( BergquistE@michigan.gov ) to compare and contrast Michigan to other US state EMS systems.  Emily is the Medical Control Authority Coordinator for the State of Michigan Bureau of EMS, Trauma and Preparedness.  She is the one at the State EMS office that works on all of the protocols and supports the MCAs to assure that the multitude...

In this episode, Dr. Ethan Brandler discusses the S-LAMS stroke severity scale that is currently being used by the New York City Fire Department .  Dr. Brandler is an associate professor of emergency medicine at Stony Brook University Hospital and he is also the Associate Medical Director of the university-based EMS system which provides 911 and critical care services. He also provides online medi...

In this episode, Dr. Steve McGraw and Dr. Russell Faust are back to answer more questions from the EMS and hospital communities.  In episode 11 (launched Dec 15, 2020) of this season, Dr. McGraw and Dr. Faust laid out all the questions they’ve been receiving about the COVID-19 vaccinations and delivered clear and concise answers.  Most importantly, all of their answers were based in the latest sci...

In this episode, we introduce you to Jennifer Combs, MSN, ARNP,  from Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Broward, Inc. and Captain James Carrol from Fort Lauderdale’s Fire Rescue.  These two fantastic people have teamed up for about the last ten years to create and grow the Direct On Scene Education Program, more commonly called DOSE.  DOSE is an innovative attempt at eliminating sleep-r...

The COVID-19 vaccines are here!  Today, we welcome back Dr. Steve McGraw and Dr. Russell Faust.  Together, these guys have been major part of EMS’ understanding and response throughout the entire COVID-19 pandemic.  Even though we are located in Southeast Michigan and we mention our home state a lot, today’s content applies to EMS on the national and even the global scale.  Dr. Steve McGraw is an...

Hatzalah of Michigan is a volunteer EMS agency that augments existing EMS response in the cities of Oak Park, Southfield, and Huntington Woods, Michigan with community-based state-certified volunteer EMS providers. Their volunteers are local, dedicated community members, who drop everything and hurry to assist those in need. Nobody can argue that when something goes wrong, seconds can make the dif...

During this episode, we welcome back Dr. Robert Swor, an emergency center physician at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, in Oakland County, Michigan. For over the last 30 years, Dr. Swor has been a staple in the EMS community in Michigan.  Especially when it comes to the latest research involving EMS and cardiac arrest.  Dr. Swor has an intensive background when it comes to EMS cardiac arrest outcome...

In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Steve McGraw and Dr. Russell Faust.  Dr. McGraw is an ED physician at Ascension Providence Hospitals in both Southfield and Novi, Michigan.  Doc is also the current Oakland County Medical Control Authority EMS Medical Director which provides oversight to over 50 EMS agencies.  Dr. Faust is the Medical Director of Oakland County Health right here in Southeast Mi...

In this episode, Geoff sits down with one of his long-time colleagues and friends, Chris Haney, Director of Operations at Star EMS.  Chris is a fixture of the first responder community in Oakland County, Michigan with over 37 years of experience in EMS.  He enjoyed a full career at the Pontiac Fire Department prior to his time at Star EMS.  Throughout his time on the job, Chris has been a part of...

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Robert Swor, an emergency center physician at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, in Oakland County, Michigan. For over the last 20 years, or so, Dr. Swor has been a staple in the EMS community in Michigan.  Dr. Swor ALWAYS been deeply involved in EMS and cardiac arrest research.  He has a pretty impressive background when it comes to EMS cardiac arrest outcome data.  Dat...

In this episode, we introduce our listeners to three key role players at Beaumont Hospital - Royal Oak, located in Oakland County Michigan.  Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak is a Comprehensive Stroke Center that served 1,319 patients in 2019.  Needless to say, that’s a lot.  In addition, Beaumont Royal Oak is a participating hospital in the OCMCA Stroke Study.  In this discussion, we’re joined by Dr. R...

The primary objective of this episode is to provide you with an overview of the initial findings from the first two years of the Oakland County Medical Control Authority Stroke Systems of Care Special Study that is being conducted in southeast Michigan.  The pilot phase of this study went into effect January 1, 2018 and after two years the OCMCA has compiled some interesting and promising findings...

When an EMS provider or agency becomes convinced that a stroke severity scale is the right thing to adopt for their system, they often assume the best thing to do is take all stroke patients, or at least those with indicators of LVO, to stroke centers that can provide neuro intervention.  It’s easy to consider bypassing one hospital for another in these situations, but the data clearly shows that...

In this episode, we present an example of an EMS system using FAST-ED to evolve their stroke system of care.  The OCMCA Stroke Systems of Care Special Study is designed to evaluate EMS’s ability to measure stroke severity using FAST-ED.  I’ll provide you with a nice clean overview of the study, who’s currently in it, how to get involved, and more.  This study is rapidly expanding.  If you’d like t...

The EMS on AIR is back with Season 2!  In this season opener, Dr. McGraw kicks us off with a very brief COVID-19 update for EMS.  Then, the doc gives us a clear picture of what is at stake for stroke patients.  Stroke is a big deal.  It’s the third leading cause of death, and according to the CDC, in 2018, 1 in every 6 deaths from cardiovascular disease was due to stroke.  Someone in the United St...

In this BONUS episode, Dr. Faust kicks us off with an update of the status of the virus and its impact on our communities. Then, our other resident expert and all-around amazing human being Dr. Steve McGraw joins in to discuss the differences in the COVID infection and severity rates between what we experienced in March and April 2020 and the spike that occurred in August 2020.  In August 2020, it...

In today’s BONUS episode, we have put together a group of local experts to provide a nice clean overview of the most current OCMCA EMS Emergency Protocols that went into effect September 9, 2020.  Since then, all EMS providers in Oakland County, Michigan are expected to understand and provide care in accordance with these protocols.  The good news is that this will be easy, because the few updates...

In this episode, we wrap up season one by providing you with a reminder that the fight is not over, not even close.  The world must remain diligent and EMS must maintain a high degree of operational and PPE discipline on duty and recognize the impact of social distancing off duty.  The real trick will be to avoid COVID fatigue in the healthcare world as a topic of discussion, training and operatio...

Learning through first-hand experience is likely the most impactful way to successfully absorb information when training and preparing for the next big emergency.  Unfortunately, many areas throughout the US and the rest of the world had plenty of first-hand experience with the COVID pandemic, especially in the earliest and scariest stages.  Southeast Michigan was hit pretty hard by COVID and the...

In this episode, Dr. McGraw leads off the discussion with an update regarding the status of COVID-19 pandemic, as of July 28, 2020.  Then, we discuss current vaccinations undergoing evaluation throughout the world.  Including two that are showing signs of hope.  We also talk about what it’s going to take to create distribute, administer and track hundreds of millions of doses in this country alone...