Great American Safety Drive’s Weston stop focuses on air medical safety awareness
Ministry Saint Clare’s Hospital in Weston was one of 60 stops this summer on the 2015 Great American Safety Drive (GASD).
GASD is the MedEvac Foundation International’s major fundraising initiative for 2015 with a goal to promote safety with medical transport programs and their valued partner organizations, as well as raise funds earmarked specifically for safety related research projects and educational opportunities.
Nearly 40 representatives from Central Wisconsin Medical Transport, EMS, Fire and Rescue agencies attended the event on Tuesday, July 14.
Ministry Spirit Medical Transportation and Aspirus Medevac jointly hosted the event which featured educational programing on helicopter landing zones, the proper use of air medical transportation and distracted driving.
“We were honored to serve as a host site for the 2015 GASD,” said Ted Ryan, system director for Ministry Spirit Medical Transportation. “This event provided the opportunity to come together as a community to focus on safety and improve skills for the communities we serve.”
The cross-country GASD kicked off in June with two teams taking the message of safety “on the road” with the finish line scheduled for October in Long Beach, Calif., the site of this year’s Air Medical Transportation Conference.
One of the originators of the GASD attended the event. Howard Ragsdale, senior vice president of business development for Air Methods, who is a major sponsor of the event told the group it is everyone’s duty as part of a team to guarantee the safety of air medical crews and the patients they skillfully transport.
“There have been significant advances in technology and training as well as policies and procedures, but in the end it’s up to all of us to be responsible for our own safety,” said Ragsdale.
For many years, air medical transport existed for the sole purpose of transporting trauma victims from accident scenes.
“In recent years, evidence has shown that when called upon correctly, air medical transportation has expanded lifesaving capabilities to heart attack, stroke and sepsis patients as well as other conditions that require critical immediate attention,” said Ryan. “It’s a medical decision from the field that must consider the needs and location of the patient.”
Ragsdale traveled to the Weston event in style in a 1969 Pontiac GTO, one of two cars that will be raffled off to benefit the Medevac International Foundation. He says they hope to raise up to $250,000 to benefit critical care air and ground research from this year’s drive.
More information about the GASD is available at http://medevacfoundation.org/2015-great-american-safety-drive/
About Ministry Saint Clare’s Hospital:
Ministry Saint Clare’s Hospital is an all-digital provider of quality, compassionate care offering a wide range of primary and specialty services as an anchor of the Weston Regional Medical Center.
In addition to 24-hour emergency-level III trauma and surgical services, Ministry Saint Clare’s was the first hospital in central Wisconsin to become an Accredited Chest Pain Center and features major medical and surgical specialties to meet the needs of central Wisconsin and beyond.
A leader in quality outcomes and patient safety nationally, Ministry Saint Clare’s has been recognized twice as a Top-100 Hospital by Truven Health Analytics. It is one of the nation’s first all-digital hospitals and has been annually named one of America’s Most Wired Hospitals by Hospitals and Health Network Magazine since opening in 2006.
About Ministry Health Care
Ministry Health Care (ministryhealth.org) is an integrated healthcare delivery network serving more than 1.1 million people across Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota. Ministry generates nearly $2.2 billion in annual operating revenue with 15 hospitals, 46 clinics, and over 11,000 associates, including 700 physicians and advanced practice clinicians. In 2013, Ministry Health Care joined Ascension, the largest Catholic and not-for-profit healthcare system in the nation. In that same year, Ministry became part of Integrated Health Network (IHN) which represents more than 5,000 physicians, 500 clinics and 42 hospitals in northern, central and eastern Wisconsin. IHN was created to improve the quality, efficiency and value of healthcare services in the markets served by its members.
Ministry is ranked among the top 20 percent of healthcare systems in the country according to Truven Health Analytics, and five Ministry hospitals are ranked in the top 10 in the state in Medicare’s Hospital Value Based Purchasing (VBP) program. Network Health, co-owned by Ministry Health Care and Froedtert Health, has received 4 ½-star recognition by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for its Medicare Advantage plans.
About Ascension
Ascension (ascension.org) is a faith-based healthcare organization dedicated to transformation through innovation across the continuum of care. As the largest not-for-profit health system in the U.S. and the world’s largest Catholic health system, Ascension is committed to delivering person-centered care to all with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. In FY2014, Ascension provided $1.8 billion in care of persons living in poverty and other community benefit programs. More than 150,000 associates and 35,000 affiliated providers serve in 1,900 sites of care – including 131 hospitals and more than 30 senior care facilities – in 23 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to healthcare delivery, Ascension subsidiaries provide a variety of services and solutions, including physician practice management, venture capital investing, treasury management, biomedical engineering, clinical care management, information services, risk management, and contracting through Ascension’s own group purchasing organization.
