News

MAA was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of this respected member of our community.

Paramedic Scott MacAskill passed away this past Saturday at his home in Ipswich.  Scott has been involved in the MA EMS community for over 20 years with AMR, Cataldo, Northshore Ambulance, Action, Northeast Regional, Brewster, and for the last 5 years with Beauport. 

Scott had a positive influence on not only the patients in which he treated but also his peers in which he took pride and joy in teaching. 

Scott has left a hole that will never be filled within our family of employees and I kindly ask that you send a uniformed crew and truck for a walk through at Scott's wake.  Let's show him the respect and honor he rightfully deserves.   Below are the details for his service.   Please don't hesitate to contact me if you should have any questions.  

FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS. 

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The arrangements for Scott's visiting hours are as follows:
Wednesday August 9th 4p until 8p
Weir Mac Cuish Family Funeral Home
144 Salem St. 
Malden, MA

EMS/POLICE/FIRE, you are welcome and encouraged to show up in uniform as well as in a EMS, police, or fire vehicle. Let's all show the respect and final farewell that Scott deserves.

Thursday morning 10am there will be a service at the funeral home only. No church or graveside service will occurr.

Respectfully,

John R. Morris
President

Beauport Ambulance Service, Inc.

FIRST RESPONDERS APPRECIATION DAYS

FREE ADMISSION WITH ID*

Fridays in July & August

*Each Friday in July & August 2017, First Responders (with ID) will receive free admission for themselves. Law Enforcement, Fire Departments, and EMT's with department, company, or town issued ID's presented at our Guest Services Window at the time of purchase will qualify for the free admission.

Learn more at the Canobie Lake Park website.

MAA members, please be advised that Ford has issued a recall of late-model Transits. 

From the Ford website:

• Ford is issuing a safety recall for approximately 400,000 2015-17 Ford Transit van/bus vehicles with medium, long and extended wheelbases and chassis cab/cutaways with medium wheelbases to replace the driveshaft flexible coupling.
• In the affected vehicles, continuing to operate a vehicle with a cracked flexible coupling may cause separation of the driveshaft, resulting in a loss of motive power while driving or unintended vehicle movement in park without the parking brake applied. In addition, separation of the driveshaft from the transmission can result in secondary damage to surrounding components, including brake and fuel lines. A driveshaft separation may increase the risk of injury or crash.
• Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries associated with this issue.

• Affected vehicles include 2015-17 Ford Transit vehicles built at Kansas City Assembly Plant, Jan. 17, 2014 to June 15, 2017.

• The recall involves approximately 402,462 vehicles in North America (370,630 in the U.S., 2,361 in federalized territories, 3,217 in Mexico and 26,254 in Canada). The Ford reference number for this recall is 17S15.
• Based on the field data, Ford does not expect the current flexible couplings to deteriorate sufficiently to result in driveline separation in vehicles with less than 30,000 miles. Hence, for affected vehicles with under 30,000 miles or vehicles that have had a driveshaft or driveshaft flexible coupling replaced within the last 30,000 miles, no alteration or interim repair is required until the vehicle or replaced flexible coupling reaches 30,000 miles. At that point, the customer should schedule an appointment with their dealer for the interim repair to be performed.
•  For affected vehicles with more than 30,000 miles, the interim repair will consist of replacing the driveshaft flexible coupling every 30,000 miles until the final repair is available and completed. Owners will be notified by mail and instructed to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the flexible coupling replaced immediately at no cost. When the permanent repair is available, owners will be notified that they may schedule an appointment with their dealer to have either a redesigned flexible coupling with a modified driveshaft bracket and shield or a revised driveshaft equipped with a universal joint installed at no cost.

Update from the FDA: Extended Use Dates Provided by Pfizer to Assist with Emergency Syringe Shortages

Due to the ongoing critical shortages of injectable drugs used in critical care, please see additional emergency syringe products with extended use dates and corresponding lot numbers in the tables below.  To help ensure patient safety, these products should have been — and should continue to be — stored as per labeled conditions.  As data become available, this list can continue to expand. 

For more information, see the CDER Statement. Please contact CDER Drug Shortage Staff at drugshortages@fda.hhs.gov with questions regarding these tables.

Learn more on the FDA site►

Several staff members from MAA-member organizations were selected as 2017 American Ambulance Association Stars of Life. Check out photos of their time in Washington, DC on the MAA Facebook page!

View Photos►

Thanks to all who attended the MAA 2017 Operations Summit, and to LifeLine Ambulance Service for hosting. The event was well-attended, and received rave reviews.

Check out photos on the MAA Facebook page!

43rd Annual EMS Week
“Always In Service”
May 21–27, 2017

Each year, EMS Week celebrates the contributions of EMTs, Paramedics, Dispatchers, and other EMS professionals to their communities. Thank you for your service!

The Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services, Ground Vehicle Standard Division (CAAS-GVS) will be holding an open forum for organizations involved in the remounting of ambulances. The intent of this meeting is to identify and establish a dialogue with FSAMs and third party Remounters of ambulances in an effort to collect information that may be used in an identified project to create standards for the ambulance remount industry.

Any organization with interest in this topic is invited to attend, including ambulance builders, remounters, regulators, customers and component/material vendors.

CAAS GVS Remount Forum
June 7, 2017
NEW LOCATION: Harris Conference Center
Charlotte, NC
Register Now►

On Friday, May 12 th , the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) announced its intent to submit a Request to Amend the MassHealth Section 1115 Demonstration to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on June 26, 2017 and related State Plan Amendments (SPAs) thereafter. The Demonstration Amendment Request outlines the specific authorities being requested from CMS to ensure the sustainability of the MassHealth program while retaining access for vulnerable populations. Specifically, the Demonstration Amendment seeks authority to limit non-emergency transportation in the MassHealth CarePlus program, except for transportation to substance use disorder (SUD) services, to modify eligibility criteria for provisional eligibility, and to continue existing coverage of certain former foster care youth. Related SPAs addressing these changes will also be submitted pursuant to CMS requirements. 


EOHHS will accept comments on the proposed Demonstration Amendment including the related SPAs (collectively the “proposed Amendment”) through June 12, 2017. The proposed Amendment; details on where to submit comments; and additional relevant information are available at http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/masshealth/masshealth-and-health-care-reform.html . 

The MAA board is proud to present members with many more education opportunities in 2017 than in any previous year! Check out our list of upcoming events to find workshops to fit every member of your team. Go Now►