Cair Foundation

The C.A.I.R. Foundation, Inc. would like to let you know
that one of the main public awareness campaigns that we  promote is the NHTSA’s First Care First There Program.

Through local EMS, and medically qualified, volunteers to teach the public how to stop and help when they see an auto accident. Most people do not stop out of fear.  Fear of not knowing what to do more than what they will see.  No one wants to stop and then not know what to do.  What most people dont know is that it does not take much to stop and help. Just a few simple steps to learn.

Stop and C.A.I.R. when you see an atuo accident. The First There First Care Program created and offered from NHTSA has 5 simple steps:

1. STOP
2. Call for Help.
3. Assess the Victim.
4. Start the Breathing.
5. Stop the Bleeding.

This public awareness service can be held in schools, libraries, hospitals, clinics, and universities, etc. These simple steps can help to prevent further injury and in some cases, even death. Not to mention your presense can provide an injured person with the comfort of knowing that someone C.A.I.R.’s!

If you or someone you know has ever had a serious auto accident please contact www.cairfoundationinc.com or email this author to volunteer your time and/or make a donation, or if you would like more information about the C.A.I.R. Foundation, Inc. or the NHTSA program.

Thank you for your interest.
Antinea
antinea@cairfoundationinc.com  

The EMS System

Guide to Interfacility

Patient TransferThe transfer of patients from one medical facility to another has become an ongoing issue for EMS. Patient transfers between facilities or between facilities and a specialty care resource have increased as a result of regionalization, specialization, and facility designation by payers. The emergence of specialty centers (e.g., cardiac centers, stroke centers) often determines the ultimate destination of patients rather than proximity of facility. Transfer may be necessary if payers provide reimbursement only for specific facilities within their own plans.

Interfacility transfer (IFT) is provided by a variety of levels and types of personnel and agencies. Key issues include the IFT infrastructure, including the qualifications of those delivering the care. Meeting patient needs and maintaining continuity of care are only two of the many issues related to IFT. The national EMS community determined that consensus guidelines for interfacility patient transfer would be very useful to promote consistent high-quality patient care while allowing variation to meet specific local needs. This document is currently near completion and will be posted on the NHTSA EMS Web site in 2006.

For more information please contact Laurie Flaherty.  laurie.flaherty@dot.gov

Technology and EMS. 
How it will improve auto accidents.

Technology is producing more gadgets and making more information available every day. Some of it could be very useful in EMS; some are just gadgets. How can you tell the difference?

More important, how can you tell if new technology makes a difference? Many new technologies have great potential for their application to emergency medicine and the improvement of emergency care.

But there is no coordinated method for determining the clinical utility or the effectiveness of new technologies before they are deployed in EMS – at least not today. But the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP), through an agreement with NHTSA EMS, is looking to increase national medical and emergency care community involvement in the planning and implementation of technology in EMS.

Through a multi-disciplinary oversight committee, the NAEMSP is managing a project designed to develop a template and a process fo assessing the medical utility of various forms of technology and their potential for improving patient care.

This two-year project will provide a focal point and sounding board for future national technological issues and for helping to assure medical community involvement before technology is deployed in EMS. For more information on the Technology and EMS project, contact Laurie Flaherty.
laurie.flaherty@dot.gov

Please if you have an idea, project or know of any technology out there that would or could possibly help especially in a catastrophic auto accident contact the email address above or the person who posted this article.

THANK YOU!

Helping to improve the quality of “C.A.I.R.” when an auto accident happens

NHTSA -“First There, First Care” Program

Have you ever had friends or family members ask you what to do if they witness a car crash or a motorcycle crash? Many people want to help but have reservations about knowing exactly how to help. Ordinary people who are trained to use simple actions can save lives. The challenge is to overcome the fear of “not doing it right” and the attitude of “not wanting to get involved.” The First There, First Care program is designed to give simple but life-saving information to the public, build awareness, and empower people to take action. The goal of First There, First Care is to give motorists information, training, and confidence to provide life-saving bystander care at the scene of a crash, increasing the chance of survival for crash victims.

What can you do to get started? If you are an EMS provider and would like to teach First There, First Care, you need the First There, First Care Instructor Preparation Package (item # 3P0116). This kit contains all the materials necessary to complete a one-hour self-paced lesson which prepares medical professionals for teaching First There, First Care to lay motorists. The package includes the First There, First Care for the Injured Awareness Kit, the First There, First Care Train-the-Trainer CD-ROM, the First There, First Care training video, and the First There, First Care Instructor Guide.

Once you’ve completed First There, First Care instructor preparation, and need materials to conduct to conduct First There, First Care training, you need the First There, First Care Student Materials (English-language kit - item # 3P0124, Spanish-language kit - item # 3P0125). This kit contains all the necessary pamphlets and brochures for up to 30 students participating in a First There, First Care training. All materials are FREE and can be obtained by visiting the NHTSA Web site at www.nhtsa.dot.gov and clicking on “Traffic Safety Materials & Publications” on the “Quick Links” drop-down menu, or faxing an order to 301-386-2194. For more information on the First There, First Care program, contact Laurie Flaherty

If you are a health care worker, doctor, or any medical affilation PLEASE find out if your company or organization would be interested in offering this free program to the local community? Thank you for your interest!