Paramedics from across the province were congratulated yesterday by Lieutenant-Governor John Harvard for their many years of exemplary service in the field of Emergency Medical Services.
Manitoba's EMS Medal Awards Committee approved 19 nominations this year for receipt of the EMS Exemplary Service Medal. The Honours Medals were presented to twelve of these recipients, with
family and colleagues present, during a formal ceremony hosted by the Lieutenant-Governor at Government House in Winnipeg.
The Emergency Medical Services Exemplary Service Medal is the newest member of the Canadian Exemplary Service Honours system designed to recognize those men and women who have dedicated themselves to preserving Canada’s public safety through long and outstanding service. The EMS Honours are reserved for professionals in the provision of pre-hospital emergency medical services who have performed their duties for a minimum of 20 years in an exemplary manner, characterized by good conduct, industry and efficiency.
The award ceremony, emceed by Manitoba Committee Chair Troy Pauls, saw paramedics from Assiniboine, Parkland, Interlake, NEHA and Winnipeg RHAs recognized for exemplary service. Seven of this years recipients had actually received the Exemplary Service Medal previously, and this year were awarded an additional 10 year bar signifying 30 years of exemplary service in EMS.
To date, 105 EMS providers in Manitoba have been awarded the EMS Exemplary Service Medal. I was honoured to have been asked to participate in this years ceremony. Congratulations to all medal recipients!
For more information, visit the Manitoba EMS Exemplary Service Medal Web Site.
On Tuesday, May 13th funeral services were held in Lac Du Bonnet for Paramedic Michael Motycka. Mike was killed in a work-related accident in his capacity as a scientist with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, but was also employed on a casual basis with North Eastman Region as a casual Paramedic in his home community of Lac Du Bonnet.
In addition to his work with NEHA EMS, Motycka was also a volunteer fire fighter in Lac Du Bonnet. As a result of his commitment and dedication to community service, Mike's family requested the presence of uniformed emergency services personnel at the funeral, and also asked the Manitoba Paramedic Honour Guard to lead the funeral procession prior to the memorial service held at the Lac Du Bonnet Community Center.
Three members of the Manitoba Paramedic Honour Guard recently took part in the LODD funeral for a BC Paramedic who died while at work. Until the Motycka funeral, however, the Guard had not participated in any formal functions as a unit...but you certainly wouldn't have known that to be the case if you saw them in action in Lac Du Bonnet.
I can't begin to describe the pride I felt as I watched the Paramedic Honour Guard in operation. Not only were they professional and very well coordinated throughout their manouevers, their manner and conduct were truly exemplary. The effort and dedication that these individuals have given to bringing the Honour Guard to fruition in one short year is remarkable. They have proven their ability to be excellent ambassadors for our profession and our Province!
The Manitoba Paramedic Honour Guard web site can be found at http://mphg.ca/
With Emergency Medical Services Awareness Week just around the corner (May 18-24, 2008), it seems fitting that a number of Paramedics will be recognized for their long standing dedication to EMS at two events to be held later this month.
On May 15th, 19 Manitoba Paramedics will be presented with the Emergency Medical Services Exemplary Service Medal. The EMS Exemplary Service Medal is a member of the Canadian Honours system, and is awarded by the office of the Governor General to pre-hospital providers who have performed their duties in an exemplary manner, characterized by good conduct, industry and efficiency for at least twenty years . The Manitoba EMS Exemplary Service Medal Advisory Committee, chaired by Troy Pauls, reviews all nominations prior to sending them off to Ottawa for final approval. This years awards ceremony will once again take place at the residence of Lieutenant-Governor John Harvard, and is a very fitting kick-off to EMS Week in the province.
On Tuesday, May 20th, the Paramedic Association of Manitoba will unveil a new 20 year long-service lapel pin at a lunch reception to be held in the Manitoba Legislative Building. This pin is designed to recognize all active EMS personnel with at least twenty years experience for their many years of dedication and commitment to patient care. Close to 150 individuals have been asked to attend the reception to receive this lapel pin...those unable to attend this reception will receive their pin at a later date. The Honourable Theresa Oswald, Minister of Health, will bring greetings to those in attendance and participate in the pin presentations. For anyone interested in attending, the reception will begin at 11:45 a.m.
The Winnipeg Free Press (Sunday, May 5th) carried an article written by the senior policy analyst for the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network calling for amendments to the blood testing bill currently before the Manitoba Legislature. Bill 18, The Testing of Bodily Fluids and Disclosure Act, would permit a blood testing order to be served upon a source individual in the event emergency personnel, Good Samaritans or victims of crime are exposed to another person's bodily fluids. The author of this article (Bill provides an illusory peace of mind) suggests the proposed legislation invades rights and privacy while providing no real benefit to those requesting the blood testing.
In making her argument against the Bill, Alison Symington makes reference to misinformation cited by emergency workers who have been exposed to bodily fluids, suggesting that education about the real dangers associated with blood borne pathogens is of greater importance than the option to request blood testing. Her remarks stem from comments made by media and the UFFW in support of this type of legislation, first suggesting that tuberclulosis would fit into the realm of diseases for which blood tests would be sought, and secondly for citing comments about exposed workers being unable to hug their children for fear of further disease transmission .
Legislation of this form pushes the balance between the individual who has been exposed and the source person from whom blood testing will be sought. While undoubtedly emotions run high following a potential exposure to blood borne disease sources, the importance of relating accurate and factual information when arguing in favor of blood testing cannot be overemphasized. The swiftness with which those in opposition to this legislation point to inaccurate statements and expectations can have damaging results to public and political support for this bill.
Earlier this week the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and Winnipeg EMS announced a pilot project to help ease service problems associated with increasing offload delays at Winnipeg hospitals. The WRHA will provide funding to place paramedics in Emergency Departments to assume responsibility for patients until care can be transferred to ER personnel. This will allow transporting crews to transfer patient care to waiting paramedics stationed in hospital during peak periods, thus ensuring ambulances aren't tied up for prolonged periods of time as as result of ER backlogs.
In January 2004, then Minister of Health Dave Chomiak announced a formal review of the emergency care system in Winnipeg. The Emergency Care Task Force was mandated to review Winnipeg's ER system and make both short and long term recommendations for improving wait times and back logs associated with emergency rooms across the City. In correspondence sent to Minister Chomiak immediately following the Task Force announcement, the Paramedic Association of Manitoba outlined the benefits of integrating Paramedics into the health care system and better utilizing paramedics within emergency health care to address this issue. Among our recommendations at that time to ease system congestion and better utilize existing resources:
- make use of Advanced and Critical Care Paramedics in emergency care facilities to assist with triage, patient re-evaluation and high workload efforts including resuscitative measures;
- enhance Paramedic treat and release capabilities, resulting in fewer ER admissions;
- enable Paramedics to refer or transport to Urgent Care and other health care facilities as appropriate to reduce ER patient loads.
The joint announcement made by the WRHA and WFPS is good news not only in the sense that it may provide some short term relief to ever increasing ambulance offload delays, but also in that it opens the door to opportunity for development of the profession. In a statement issued by WRHA VP Dr. Brock Wright, he alludes to the pilot project as a means to help offset system delays and better integrate paramedics into the health care system. Paramedics in other Canadian jurisdictions, most notably Alberta, have been utilized in non-traditional health care roles for quite some time.
As our identity as health care practitioners more fully evolves and the credibility of the profession grows, the benefits associated with professional self-regulation strengthen. Paramedics licensed to practice under the umbrella of a regulatory college would be employable outside the realm of an ambulance service...they would hold a license not tied to a specific employer. Opportunities to practice paramedicine in environments such as clinical, industrial or research settings will improve career progression and longevity.
The use of Paramedics in Winnipeg emergency departments will not only offer system improvements and opportunity for professional growth, but also emphasizes the need for professional self-regulation sooner rather than later.
The 2007 Annual General Meeting of the Paramedic Association of Manitoba was held at the Fairmont Winnipeg this past weekend, and I'll be so bold as to suggest it may well be the most "successful" AGM in our Association's short history.
Typically the AGM is considered by many to be little more than a formality driven only by a Bylaw requirement to hold the meeting on an annual basis. To date our inaugural General Meeting held in Brandon (2001) was still the best attended. But this year the membership took full advantage of their ability to provide guidance and direction to the Executive on a number of issues.
The Board of Directors provided thorough updates on the various activities undertaken by PAM over the course of the past year. Membership numbers are up from 2006. PAM's Con-ed packages and On-line testing program are being used by paramedics in almost all regions for ARML purposes (with the exception of ARHA, Brandon and the Interlake), including Winnipeg dispatch and MTCC staff. The Manitoba Paramedic Honour Guard is in the final stages of preparation and is expected to be operational by early Spring. PAM has been an active participant in the development of the PCP Education Program requirements as recommended by the Program Advisory Committee. Members were updated on a number of local political and legislative initiatives, reviewed the status of issues which had been considered a priority going into 2007, were presented with an update of the latest Paramedic Association of Canada news and heard the Board's views on important matters heading into 2008.
Elections were held to fill three outgoing Executive positions, including two Directors and the Chair. I'm honored to have been re-elected to another three year term as Chairman of PAM, and also returning as Board members are Diane Findlay (IRHA) and Michelle Bessas (WEMS).
Members were asked to consider two Bylaw amendments at this year's AGM and approved both. The first change eliminates the requirement to elect two Board members from the EMR (Tech) member category and two from the Paramedic level category. Board members are now elected by majority vote from any of the current provincial EMS license categories. The second Bylaw change was only editorial in nature.
The Executive had notified the membership of a proposal to change the Full/Active registration fee from the existing $60.00 per year to $72.00 per year effective July 1st, 2008. When the motion was debated at the AGM, members decided that it should actually be raised too $80.00 annually to ensure the Association is able to grow and meet anticipated needs as we prepare to apply for self-regulation.
In addition to business set out by the Board for consideration, a number of resolutions were introduced by members at the AGM. The Association membership has provided the following direction to the Executive:
- Effective September 1, 2008, Con-Ed packages and On-Line testing should be available only to Paramedic Association of Manitoba registrants;
- Registration categories should be reviewed and amended as possible to allow "retired" EMS license holders full membership privileges and to develop a "student" category;
- Investigate a means to electronically telecast the AGM throughout the province in an effort to allow members to participate from sites outside of the host location.
It was exciting to see those who attended the AGM express not only an interest in Association activities but also recognize and act on their responsibility to be active in the profession. I think it bodes well for a very successful year in 2008.
The Annual General Meeting of the Paramedic Association of Manitoba is just days away, and among the items of business to be conducted at the January 12th meeting is the election of two Directors and the Chair. As my current term concludes, it marks the end of my seventh year as Chairman of the Association...and what many, including myself (and certainly my wife), expected would be my last.
In January 2001, a group of eight paramedics gathered in a meeting room at the Hotel Fort Garry, and with the help of the Paramedic Association of Canada formulated a plan to resurrect a pre-hospital professional association in Manitoba. Since that time, the face of emergency medical services in our province has undergone significant change, and PAM has been front and centre through much of that evolution. An increase in career opportunities, higher educational requirements for paramedics, improvements in continuing education, revised legislation, alignment with the National Occupational Competency Profiles, improved communication and dispatch systems, discussions around the concept of self-regulation...PAM has played a very important role in the betterment of emergency health care available to Manitobans today.
The establishment of a professional association for paramedics in Manitoba has served both our patients and our profession well. No doubt there have been frustrations along the way, and there is still much more to accomplish than what we've managed to achieve to date. But I think there is a greater willingness today than ever before, both politically and within the profession, to continue to strive for improvement, and that's exciting! As a result of that excitement I have decided to seek re-election as the Chairman of the Paramedic Association of Manitoba for one final term.
Now I need to go explain this decision to my wife :)
Paramedics from across the province were congratulated yesterday by Lieutenant-Governor John Harvard for their many years of exemplary service in the field of Emergency Medical Services.
family and colleagues present, during a formal ceremony hosted by the Lieutenant-Governor at Government House in Winnipeg. 
