Paramedic and Critical Care June Rapid Recertification.  Application DOH form 4010 original has to be the office noon on April 13.  Participants must also provide documentation of the 13 hour National Standard BLS updates, NIMS 100 (Paramedic 200) and 700 as well as HazMat awareness.  The PSE is June 13 and the written exam is June 18, 2015.  The DOH will not accept faxed application – must have original signatures- 

Special Midstate REMSCO meeting Monday March 30, 2015 @7PM

Due to technical issues, the recordings of the March 24, 2015 Midstate REMSCO meetings are not available. The Midstate REMSCO will conduct a special meeting on Monday March 30, 2015 at 7:00 PM to discuss and vote on the 3 emergency CON requests received and discussed at the regular meeting March 24. Please make every attempt to attend this vitally important Statutory meeting.

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a nationwide alert on Fentanyl as threat to health and public safety yesterday.

The alert warns the public about the dangers of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues/compounds and provides information about a current increase in overdoses related to these substances. Fentanyl is commonly laced in heroin, causing significant problems across the country, particularly as heroin abuse has increased. The alert was issued through the multi-agency El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) to all U.S. law enforcement.

Some recent examples of the fentanyl surge across the United States include the following:

• New Hampshire State Laboratory recently reported four fentanyl overdose deaths within a two-month period.
• New Jersey saw a huge spike in fentanyl deaths in 2014, reporting as many as 80 in the first six months of the fiscal year.
• Rhode Island and Pennsylvania have also seen huge increases since 2013. In a 15-month period, about 200 deaths were reported in Pennsylvania related to fentanyl.
• In the St. Louis area, based on information provided by medical examiners over a 10-year period, fentanyl was the only drug attributed as a primary death factor in 44 percent of overdose cases.
• In June 2014, DEA New York dismantled a heroin and fentanyl network and arrested the two heads of the organization. These individuals were linked to at least three overdose deaths from heroin and fentanyl they sold.

Charles W. Morgan, MD, FASAM, FAAFP, DABAM

Acting Medical Director

New York State Office of Alcoholism  and Substance Abuse Services

This Saturday March 21 9AM will begin a Basic Emergency Medical Technician Re-Certification Course hosted at Central Oneida County Ambulance in Clark Mills.  The class will meet on Monday and Wednesday Evenings from 7-10PM and occasional Saturdays 9AM – noon.  This class will test on Thursday May 21, 2015.  Sign up on line or call Bill at 738-8351

• The Oneida County EMS Meeting will be Tuesday March 17 6PM at the EMS Training Center 14 Foery Drive Utica
• The Madison County EMS Meeting will be Wednesday March 18 6:30 PM at SEVAC Morrisville
• The Herkimer County EMS Meeting will be Thursday March 19, 6:30 at the Frankfort Fire Station

The Critical Care Class scheduled for tonight March 3, 2015 has been cancelled due to weather conditions.

The Taberg Basic Original/Refresher class will be cancelled tonight, March 2, 2015, due to bad weather.