Regional Emergency Medical
& Trauma Services
Systems Development Biennial Plan
Progress Update for
SECRETACPlan Cycle
July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2013
Plan Update: / June 30, 2012
Date Submitted: / June 30, 2012
Contact Person: / Michael C. Merrill
Address: / 17765 Woodhaven Dr., CO. Springs, CO. 80908
Phone: / (719)468-0711 Email: <>
Table of Contents
Section 1
RETAC Overview
Mission Statement
Description
Ongoing Organization and Planning Process
Section 2
Accomplishments
Section 3
EMTS System Components
Section 4
Goals and Objectives
Section 5
Attest Statement
Appendices:
Supporting Documents
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Section 1: RETAC Overview:
Mission Statement:
Description:
Ongoing Organization and Planning Process:
Organization:
Needs Assessment and Planning Process:
Section 2: Accomplishments:
Goal #1 Human Resources
A. Goal Statement: The goal is to provide the resources to maintain and provide a effective level of EMS providers in the region.
Objective #1: to identify needs concerning the staffing of all service providers to include, but not be limited to, dispatch/ communications, first responders, prehospital care transport services, facilities and tertiary care.
Objective #2: is to increase accessibility and affordability of educational programs, improve the retention of current providers, provide more regional educational programs, and improve programs in initial training centers
Objective #3: to apply for all available and appropriate funding from the EMTS Program for regional training and education including but not limited to: 603, EMTS Provider, CREATE and Base Building grants.
· Council provided a support letter to the Colorado Rural Health Center (CRHC) for the upcoming federal grant application for AEDs to regional contact Mr. Ron Seedorf. CRHC will submit application and provide notifications. If funded the SECRETAC Plan includes placement of AEDs into the public school system.
· SECRETAC received a extension of the $20,000 for regional Training & Education to complete the Farm Medic Courses. Las Animas course took place Feb. 17,18 & 19, 2012 and we had eleven (11) participants. Evaluations again were excellent. The Holly, CO., program will schedule a course in 2012.
· Clinical Education Committee reviewed the Recruitment and Retention Program for SECRETAC. Implementation targeted for January 2012. Council will put this program on hold for future evaluation.
· The Children's Hospital, EMS Outreach coordinator asked the SECRETAC Coordinator if a symposium would be possible in southeastern Colorado at the annual state EMS Conference in November 2011. The Coordinator working with the Clinical Ed. Committee and the ER Director at Arkansas Valley Regional Medical Center, Mike Archuleta worked on bring the one-day symposium on Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Trauma, Burn and Pre-Hospital Care in collaboration with Arkansas Valley Regional Medical Center, La Junta, CO. on April 20th, 2012 at OJC. SECRETAC Council has approved twenty (20) scholarships in connection with the CREATE program to cover the tuition costs of the program. Scholarship funds are from the RETACs registration fees that they have charged participants over the last six years with training and education programs. The region responded with seventy-eight (78) participants. The partnerships exceeded the regions expectations not only in the number of health care professionals who participated, but, the quality of the education, the accessibility and the cost-effectiveness of the CREATE Grant and the SECRETAC Scholarships to participants.
· SECRETAC received $8,000 FY11-12 HPP Funds to provide six "All Hazards Awareness" courses.
· Currently working with state and local all hazards professionals to bring six one-day awareness courses to each of the six counties. The instructors from the "Rocky Mountain Hazardous Materials Association," and the exam proctors from the Colorado Div. of Fire Safety have provided five courses; 4/28/12 Las Animas, 5/5/12 Ordway, 5/12/12 La Junta and Eads and 6/2/12 Lamar with a total of 40 participants. Each participant was able to sit for the certification exam at the end of each course. A "All Hazards" certification was included in the course with textbooks and the 2008 Emergency Response Guides. Evaluations indicated a "overall" successful and productive course.
Goal #2 Fiscal Resources to provide advice and technical expertise to organizations to assist them in becoming financially sound.
Objective #1: SECRETAC will work with all agencies to identify fiscal needs. Create solutions to ensure the success of each agency. It will work to acquire funding to provide service to its communities, equipment to perform the service, and the funding for training to maintain current professionals.
Objective #2: SECRETAC will explore the option of applying for 603 Grant to provide the region and local agencies with the state's technical assistance regarding "Best Practices" Innovative and Explorative Funding Alternatives for EMS.
· SECRETAC Members: EMTS Grants and Equipment: I sent the following email to Jeanne-Marie, Feb. 13th, 2012: "Jeanne-Marie: Quick question. There are a number of agencies going in for Auto Puls this grant cycle. Q: If we wait until the grant evaluations are in and we know who and how many are approved, would it be appropriate for a coord./RETAC to approach the vendor and request, if within their policies, a discount from that vendor? Thanks, Mike" I talked to her yesterday (Feb/ 14th) and she confirmed the answer is yes--that "we could discover who was approved for equipment through the grant FY12-13, compile a list of equipment that was approved throughout the state and as a "RETAC" Coordinator/myself" approach the vendor and negotiate a multiple/group price discount, if appropriate and available from the vendor! For agencies who are requesting the 50/50 EMTS Provider Grant (equipment), this would offer a potential choice of joining others and negotiating a price discount. This would be a win-win, for the state and the agencies. I'm sure there will be the details to work out; i.e., time lines, availability of equipment, etc., but, worth the time and effort provided by the coordinator to the regions and the savings to the state in this funding area. Please send me your thoughts, comments, recommendations, and I will provide the other RETACs with a update at the next RETAC Forum (June 6-7th). I will also provide any new information at our quarterly council meeting (Next: June 13th). I shared with RETAC Coordinators and together we will target equipment that has potential for a price reduction. Each RETAC Coordinator will work with a specific piece of equipment for negotiations with the vendors.
· Mission Note: "For every dollar we receive in grants for injury prevention, we save that "dollar," from the EMTS Grant Program. We maximize and sometimes double our funding with "matching" grants to optimize our funding, programs, resources and personnel. This In-Kind summary was provided to the PPF and SEMTAC Council, April 2011, to identify how we-SECRETAC-maximize our time, efforts and funds. Summary: The four partnerships and programs provided the following In-Kind: Total Annual (FY2011-12) In-Kind Support for SECRETAC: $51,560-$54,560 1. Safe Communities: $12,520.00 2. Southeastern Colorado MRC: $9,520.00
3. Safe Kids Southeastern Colorado Coalition: $ 12,520 4. Junglemobile for SECRETAC (SEC Junglemobile): $5,000
· SECRETAC has explored and pursued non-EMTS funding and has for this plan acquired approximately the same level of funding as provided by the state. Specific programs have been identified throughout the plan.
· Base Funding approved for FY11-12: SECRETAC, Aug. 24th, 2011 "Maxfield, Peterson, P.C., to provide our accounting services, effective Sept. 1, 2011.
· Maxfield & Peterson, P.C. provide financial reports for the RETAC, Finance Committee, Council and the EMTS Office. They will provide a review and analysis of previous accounting systems and provide recommendations for future reports, council and committee access, reviews and approvals. They have provided the on-line resources: Sharefiles; which allows our council members to access real-time financial invoices, revenue and bill paying.
· Coordinator has worked with the local banking; Colorado Bank and Trust to provide council with real-time business accounts for review and approval of revenue and expenses. The new accounting system is working on developing best practices, recommendations and has provided on-line access to the council, finance and executive committees for accountability and reliable reports.
· Council held its annual EMTS Provider Grant Review and Scoring meeting, in La Junta at OJC on March 14th, 2012. The Council reviewed and scored the regions grants and provided results to EMTS Office.
· SECRETAC Coordinator provides technical assistance to the members annual EMTS Provider Grants program. Coordinator provides data and financial options to agencies in the development stages of the grant application.
· Coordinator provides targeted, specific strategies to achieve successful funding; i.e. Talking points for grantees for addressing Grantors questions. On-line assistance with grantees while addressing questions from evaluators during the scoring and evaluation process. Ex: This year's facility requests for equipment-coordinator provided pre and post data and resources for justification and rationale for requests. The annual grantees application and defense of requests are supported by the on-going technical assistance provided to the grantees by the coordinator.
· This year one of our facilities opted to apply for equipment from the EMTS Grants program. Coordinator met with ER Director early in the process to assist the grantee with alternative resources-funds for specific equipment and capital requests. Ex: Request for a new helicopter landing area. Coordinator recommended options for funding; who uses the area? and who would be the best potential funder for the area. Facilities were provided with information and resources on funding support for training and education. Facility applied and was successful in the first TNCC program in the region with funding support from the EMTS CREATE Grant.
Goal #3 Human Resources includes Injury Prevention (IP) Programs-- searching for funds that help accomplish the 15 components.
Objective: #1 to approved a long-term, regional IP program and to address the number one traffic safety issue in the area, seat-belt usage.
Objective: #2 to develop a three year program to provide data, resources and interventions for the six counties of our region.
Objective #3: to develop a comprehensive evaluation to be provided to the grantor (Colorado Department of Transportation-CDOT and the Council. . More information on this program is under Injury Prevention.
· SECRETAC continues to receive mini-grants from CDOT for targeted issues: SECRETAC Safe Communities & Safe Kids Supplemental Funding: $475.07 impaired driving mini grant, $608.22 Motorcycle Awareness, $500.00 Booster seat Blitz through CDOT.
· SECRETAC EMTS Provider Grant for Bicycle Helmet-Injury Prevention Program has not received any matching funds; although we have rejection letters from several foundations and organizations, at this time we will provide the state with a progress report that will include our recommendation to revert this grant due to a lack of matching funds.
· Safe Communities Coordinator is working on the initial goals and objectives. We have submitted a EMTS Provider Grant for FY13-14 with a 50/50 match from CDOT. We anticipate the CDOT will provide us grant guidance, once they have their federal (NHTSA) budget, on or before Oct. 1, 2012. This was a backup plan, just in case CDOT has difficulties with funding the original seven RETACs with funds for the primary Occupant Protection Grants. As with all matching grants we will notify the state EMTS office upon notification of approval or denial of the CDOT Grant immediately upon notification from CDOT.
· SECRETAC new National Safe Kids Coalition/State of Colorado Safe Kids Program for the SEC Safe Kids Coalition for injury prevention program "Walk to School," safety program for the upcoming year is in the planning stages. Data and reports are being generated for the council to apply results and provide the council with a full report on programs and activities.
· A Walk to School program was implemented in Crowley County in Ordway and they are awaiting surveys and evaluations from the program.
· SECRETAC Safe Communities Car Seat Guidelines have been reviewed, approved and are available through the coordinator and the SEC Safe Communities Trailer.
· Safe Communities data collection: Safe Communities subcommittee is collecting MVC data from local EMS Transport agencies to developed targeted strategic intervention programs for the region.
· The Children's' Hospital, "Jungle mobile" program entered into a pilot program with SECRETAC. Our region provided the "Jungle mobile" for local programs in the Spring and Summer of 2011. This pilot program provided our region assessment of the "Junglemobile" programs and identify whether our region should invest in a "Junglemobile" for our own region, or, modify the goals and objectives of the programs to meet our regional unique needs. The Coordinator and a small team of Human Resources/Injury Prevention Committee and SEC Safe Kids Coalition members have met, Sept. 14th, and are reviewing evaluations of the program. The results of the evaluation was that it would not met our goals and objectives. SECRETAC decision, based upon the pilot, was too explore other injury prevention strategies and not invest in re-making a Junglemobile for our region.
· 103 Alive at 25 scholarships are being distributed in conjunction with our Mock DUI programs, we received a in-kind match for $1,000.00 from the Colorado State Patrol Family Foundation to help cover the cost of the scholarships.
· Safe Communities data collection: Safe Communities subcommittee is collecting MVC data from local EMS Transport agencies to developed targeted strategic intervention programs for the region.
· UC Denver School of Public Health: Prof. Holly J. Wolf, PhD, MSPH, Colorado School of Public Health and CU Cancer Center, assistant professor in Community and Behavioral Health and Epidemiology in the Colorado School of Public Health for the community health assessment, program evaluation and project management. The final report is available on the SECRETAC.org web page. The collaboration with the UC Denver School of Public Health with SECRETAC provided one of the major recommendations from the American College of Surgeons (ACS Survey) provided to the state in 2011. *A survey team from the American College of Surgeons came to Denver from May 17-20, 2009, to conduct a consultative review of Colorado's trauma system. ACS Recommendations 1. Injury Epidemiology a. Develop a relationship with the new school of public health and identify injury epidemiology projects for graduate students to increase the depth and breadth of injury data that can be analyzed. (page 13)