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COVID-19 Resources

KEMSA has been working closely with national, state, and local partners to navigate guidance and resources for the COVID-19 response. Below are resources, documents, and links that may be useful to your agency. Please remember things change quickly and all treatment guidelines and/or protocols would need to be approved at your local level.  We will continue to add resources here instead of sending out emails for every resource added.

Latest Updates

KDHE adds vaccine information

Kansas Department of Health and Environment announced that a weekly vaccine update will be published on its website every Wednesday by 5 p.m. This week’s copy can be found at: www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1664/COVID-19-Vaccine-Updates-1292020-.

COVID-19 Vaccination Considerations for Paramedics (12/9/20)

The National EMS Management Association (NEMSMA) has put together a document on the COVID vaccines that will be available to EMS providers in the near future.  In Kansas, EMS Providers are designated as healthcare workers on the frontline of the Coronavirus pandemic and will be in the first tier of those vaccinated.  We are all waiting for further information on the details of the Kansas distribution plan.  Some concern has been expressed by EMS providers on taking the vaccine and this document helps address some of those concerns. You will find document at the link below:   

COVID-19 Vaccination Considerations for Paramedics

Part-Time KPERS / KP&F Restrictions - Clarified (12/7/20)

KEMSA has received an official statement from KPERS that clarifies the 1000 hour restriction on part-time employees and the use of previously retired KPER / KP&F personnel.  The documents appear to provide guidance that will allow the use of such staff during the currently declared emergency beyond their normal restrictions.

KEMSA offers no legal guidance on the attached documents.  Each agency should present the attached information to their own Human Resource staff for interpretation and implementation.

We hope this will provide some additional staffing options to agencies during this challenging time.     

KEMSA COVID-19 Surge Survey - Compiled 11/20/20

KEMSA sent out a survey the week of Nov. 16 to service directors to assess how the COVID surge is impacting Kansas EMS.  85 EMS agencies responded to the survey and below are some of the more concerning issues identified. 

KEMSA is reaching out to help find solutions and this survey will help to bring awareness to our current situation.  The full results of the survey can be found at the link on the bottom of this note.  

Summary:

  • 62% of agencies surveyed currently have employees unable to work due to being COVID positive or due to being in quarantine/isolation. 34% of those were due to work exposures.
  • Major concerns in the next 30 days include
    Staffing shortages and unable to staff emergency units
    Staff fatigue
  • 45% of agencies surveyed are encountering 2 or more COVID patients a day.
  • There were huge disparities in the availability or COVID testing for employees and the time for results to be returned.
  • 26% of agencies surveyed have encountered issues with hospitals diverting 911 patients due to COVID in the past week.
  • 48% of agencies surveyed have encountered issues with hospitals diverting interfacility transfer patients due to COVID in the past week.
  • 50% of agencies surveyed have had an increase in transfers with destinations farther away than your normal transport area
  • Major concerns were expressed over hospital capacities and interfacility transfers.
    Not able to find beds for patients in the immediate region.
    Lack of coordination with hospitals in finding open beds.  

Detailed survey results:  https://kemsa.org/resources/Documents/COVID-19/COVIDSurge_Results_11.20.20.pdf

COVID-19 VACCINATION PLANNING (9/27/20)

HSS Reporting Requirements

HSS Notice - Re: Additional details for providers that received one or more payments from the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) totaling at least $10,000 (9/19/20)

COVID Reporting

EMS COVID RESOURCE REPORTING TOOLhttps://nemsis.org/ems-covid-resource-reporting-tool/

SERVICE DIRECTORS - Please:  Take 3-5 minutes each Monday to complete this tool.

Each day over the past several months, I have been involved in multiple state and federal meetings regarding COVID and COVID response.  What I quickly learned is that when it comes to reporting information on PPE availability, personnel shortages, and workforce impacts, there is no shortage of national level information regarding nursing, long-term care facilities, and hospitals, but next to nothing on assessments of and impacts to EMS. 

NHTSA’s Office of EMS and the NEMSIS-TAC saw the same concerns and found a way to change that in a similar fashion to how these other entities are reporting their information (providing an apples-to-apples comparison) and have it specific to EMS.

I am happy to present to you their creation: the EMS COVID RESOURCE REPORTING TOOL.  And although it does have COVID in the title, we fully expect this to become utilized during the impending influenza season as well.

By filling out the report, you are helping us provide a current and accurate assessment of Kansas EMS on PPE availability and “stress” (personnel shortages and EMS workforce impacts - numbers, no names) your agency may be experiencing.  This will be shared with KDEM during this response and will allow us to focus state level resources into areas of need.  Completing this will also help bring EMS officially to the federal table and identify local resource status and needs to help focus federal assistance and federal assistance programs – this is a huge step forward for EMS nationally.

I know that you may be reporting similar information to your local county emergency manager each week or two for their reporting/request process and some of you are reporting similar data to HHS TeleTrack.  This is not meant to replace that.  The only difference here is that this will be solely EMS related and is a direct link to us, as the State, and to Federal officials.  NEMSIS-TAC has done their best in placing logic into their tool to streamline data entry and limit the time involved. 

We would anticipate this tool growing slightly down the road to assess for needle and syringe capacity when a vaccination becomes available.

Please review the two documents below and please strongly consider taking that short time each Monday to complete the tool available through the NEMSIS website.  I would love to see 100% participation on next week’s report.  We will be pushing this tool out to the Emergency Medical Response Agencies as well and feel free to forward this to those agencies within your area as well. 

Let’s put Kansas at the lead on this!  Let me know if you have any questions.  

Jospeh House

Executive Director, Kansas Board of EMS


    CMS & COVID-19

    Webinars/Trainings

    Documents


    Helping Our Own

    This is a stressful time for first responders. If you know of someone who needs help or would like more information about helping your own, please reach out to KEMSA's peer support society for resources.

    KEMSA Peer Support Society
    Representing anyone with an interest in peer support and/or helping our own.  The Peer Support Society was created in 2018.  The society was created to: provide support to first responders throughout Kansas mentally, emotionally and physically; provide support to Peer support teams throughout Kansas; provide mental health education and resources to Kansas providers; represent the mental health concerns and interests of providers at the local, regional, and state level; and to support the mission of the Kansas EMS Association.  
    President - Chrissy Bartel - (316) 772-0494

    Mental Health Resources:

    Advocacy - Kansas

    Advocacy - National

    CARES Act Grant/Stimulus Updates

    News Updates

    From EMS Services:

    The documents below can include, but aren't limited to: COVID -19 specific protocols, policies, COOP plans, and more that might be helpful to others.  If you would like to share your items, please send them to Mary Napier.

    *Disclaimer: Each agency must verify the practices listed comply with current recommendations from KDHE.  Remember things are changing rapidly.  

    Consulting resource for services or health departments:
    Paige Dodson, MD, MPH, FAAFP - cmo@kemsa.org
    KEMSA Chief Medical Officer

    Reno County EMS Documents (3/27/20)

    Butler County EMS Documents

    • Tracking of COVID-19 All Data (4/3/20) - See instructions in the excel worksheets.
    • Pandemic Incident Plan (3/7/20)
    • Dispatch SOP - a tool for 9-1-1 call centers to use to identify and track the current outbreak that was accepted by the National Academy as an example protocol, and we have permission to share this protocol with others.  Note: the SOP is in flux. (3/7/20)

    Sedgwick County EMS Documents

    • COVID-19 Manual (updated regularly, so this might not be the latest version)

    Other Resources

    Midwest Medical in Wichita and Scott City are available for assistance with transports.

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