The Ohio Division of EMS and The Ohio Fire Academy have been advised that many of our brothers and sisters across the state are staying in campers, garages, and even cars because of the fear of exposing their families to the COVID virus. All of these folks still working in the streets are already under enough stress and risk without having to risk their families or endure the austere conditions of living in their garage for weeks on end. Below are several free options that are available for Ohio’s first responders and healthcare workers.
Family-distancing-options-for-Ohios-first-responders-and-healthcare-workers.Author: Steve Weigold
PWW is teaming up with NAEMT and Lexpipol/EMS1 to present a special free national EMS law webinar geared specifically for EMS field practitioners on Friday, April 17th at 2pm EDT (11am PDT / 1pm CT). Sign up for this important event HERE.
PWW-Co-Hosting-National-COVID-19-Documentation-Legal-Webinar-for-EMS-ProvidersFeaturing a real time Law Enforcement impact dashboard!
Shared by Major Wendy Stiver, Dayton Police Department.
Agencies can input their own data to help track exposures and PPE needs.
Data will likely be used to support future funding to better prepare for the next pandemic or next wave of this one.
NPF is funded by federal grant, private industry (like Microsoft) and foundation funding.
Here is the 8AM SITREP detailing State EOC Operations over the past 24 hours as of 0800 April 13, 2020.
For additional COVID-19 information, explore the ESF-5 Resource Portal and the following highlighted applications:
- Ohio Sentry: COVID-19 Mobile Monitoring
- Ohio Sentry: COVID-19 Hub Site (desktop)
- Ohio EMA: State EOC Daily Ops Report
Several weeks ago, PWW and other industry groups asked CMS for relief from signature rules because of the impracticability of obtaining Assignment of Benefits (AOB) signatures from suspected or actual COVID-19 patients. Now, CMS has officially acknowledged that due to CDC Guidelines, it is improper to ask suspected or known COVID patients to handle styluses, pens and other devices or equipment used to obtain signatures due to the infection risk.
BREAKING-ALERT-Official-Answer-on-Beneficiary-Signature-RulesAmbulance service suppliers will begin seeing their portion of $30 billion under the CARES Act today. This represents only part of the $100 billion in total that is available under the Act, the remaining $70 billion to be distributed at a later time.
CARES-Act-Relief-Payments-Begin-Today-–-Here-are-the-Terms…
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Flu Report – MMWR Week 14
Flu activity has been downgraded to regional in Ohio and continues to decrease across much of the U.S. Please see the following flu report for MMWR week 14.
Influenza activity is decreasing in Montgomery County and across WCO (only 1 hospitalization reported in week 14). Note that emergency department indicators and thermometer sales data after week 9 are likely skewed due to COVID-19. The number of hospitalizations reported for Ohio during week 14 was 121 – a 47% decrease from last week.
Nationally, flu activity is decreasing, and laboratory-confirmed flu activity is low; ILI activity has decreased but is still elevated likely due to COVID-19.
The CDC estimates 39-56 million illnesses, 410,000-740,000 flu hospitalizations, 24,000-62,000 total flu deaths, and confirms 166 pediatric deaths so far this flu season.
MMWR-Week-14-3.29-4.4