Download PDF Since first reported in August, Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) has spread from the Midwest to the majority of the United States. The CDC now reports that over 32 states have reported cases of the respiratory illness, however, it is more than likely that the virus has spread to all parts of the US. Prevention is key to keeping the virus from spreading. To learn more about prevention tips and recommendations for EMS, download the PDF.
Download PDF The CDC recently released a report stating that if there is no action on tackling the Ebola virus, their models predict 1.4 million persons will become infected by January 2015. U.S. officials are very concerned about the possibility of cases being introduced on US soil with the CDC offering guidance to healthcare facilities and EMS. To learn more about the 13 CDC based recommendations for EMS, download the PDF.
Mountain-Valley EMS Agency Deploys Real-Time Situational Awareness Monitoring System Download the PDF Mountain-Valley Emergency Medical Services Agency (MVEMSA) is working towards deploying FirstWatch to monitor real-time dispatch data for the five county areas they serve: Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa and Stanislaus. MVEMSA Executive Director Richard Murdock says, “The ability to see a complete picture of our system in real-time was the driving force in deploying our FirstWatch system. We are excited to use the FirstWatch system for compliance monitoring, early...
We are pleased to announce that two of our Medical Director Special Interest Group members have recently been nominated to participate on the National Association of Emergency Medical Services Physicans’s Board of Directors for the 2015 – 2017 term. Please join us in congratulating, Dr. Alex Garza, former FirstWatch Medical Director and Dr. David Slattery, Las Vegas Fire Rescue Medical Director! You can find details on the full list of nominees and voting information in the September...
Law enforcement agencies are faced with the significant challenge of making sense of mountains of crime data. FirstWatch, headquartered in Encinitas, Calif., helps the Oceanside Police Department by turning this raw data into valuable, actionable information available to their law enforcement teams and other authorized stakeholder groups in real time.
Download PDF The CDC has released an early report on a cluster of children with severe respiratory complaints in the Midwest. The Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, MO and the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital in Illinois also contacted the CDC to report an increase in patients presenting to the hospital with respiratory distress. To learn more about what this means for EMS, download the PDF.
The CDC has posted interim guidance for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems and 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) for management of patients with known or suspected Ebola Virus Disease in the United States. Please note: This information supersedes any information we have previously posted on the Ebola Virus. Click here to view their recommendations
FirstWatch founder Todd Stout was surprised with the 2014 Pinnacle Leadership Award after his father, Jack Stout, accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award. Todd was honored for his leadership mantra: "What is the right thing to do." Read article
Download PDF The CDC has posted recommendations for Hospitalized patients suspected or known to have the Ebola virus. View recommendations.
Download PDF The largest outbreak of the Ebola virus is occurring on the African continent with fear that the deadly disease will spread to other countries. So far, there have been over 672 persons that have contracted Ebola according to the World Health Organization, with the number increasing every day.
"FirstWatch significantly expedites the process. Departments using FirstWatch can look at and act on data, essentially in real-time, and can map trends and set up alerts based on crime category or location."
Register now to attend the 5th annual FirstWatch EMS User Group at the Pinnacle EMS Leadership Forum July 22nd in Scottsdale, Arizona. Visit Conference Website
Download PDF Today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a second case of MERS-CoV. The second case was identified in Orange County Florida in a healthcare worker who was visiting the U. S. from Saudi Arabia. Dr. Alex Garza, former FirstWatch Medical Director and Health Intelligence page contributor, was featured this morning on the St. Louis TV news station KTVI to discuss the current threat of Mers-CoV.
Two British passengers who flew into Heathrow next to a man who has been diagnosed with Mers-Cov are being tracked down by Public Health England. Read full story
Download PDF The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting the first case of Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome caused by the Corona Virus, otherwise known as MERS-CoV. The CDC states that a man has tested positive in Indiana after a recent trip to Saudia Arabia. The man arrived in the United States approximately one week ago after a layover in London. He eventually landed in Chicago and then took a bus to Indiana. He was apparently...
Download PDF FirstWatch has recently developed our first MERS-CoV near-real-time triggers. Earlier this week, Dr. Neal Richmond, Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director for Louisville Metro EMS in Kentucky asked us to help develop MERS triggers as part of their preparation for the Kentucky Derby (May 2 – 4, 2014). The Kentucky Derby is an international event with attendees from all over the world, including from countries with MERS cases.
To ensure that police, fire and emergency medical services in Snohomish County have their fingers on the pulse of the community, the SNOPAC 9-1-1 has deployed FirstWatch to monitor in real-time the roughly 1,500 calls they dispatch each day (more than 600,000 calls in 2013).
Download PDF Flu Activity Continues to Increase: Twenty-five states are now reporting widespread levels of activity, up from 10 the previous week and further increases are expected. Despite the increase in ILI, the proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza decreased this week, and remains below the epidemic threshold. Our Canadian RIN (Regional Influenza Network) members seem to be having a slightly higher rate of alerts than most US RIN members, but still not higher than a...
Download PDF(EMS World, October Issue, 2013) FirstWatch president Todd Stout talks FirstWatch dashboards that monitor key performance indicators in real time as part of the “Perspectives from Pinnacle” feature in the October issue.
Download PDF (EMS World, August Issue, 2013) Alexander Garza, MD, MPH, former FirstWatch medical director and homeland security advisor and Nick Nudell, systems integration manager, discuss the necessity of collecting and evaluating data in real time to improve the quality of patient care. They provide examples of how different agencies around the country are putting their data to use.
