Jessamine Matters Newsletter Booklet 2016 flipbook

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Going Above and Beyond heart attack, the faster we can relay information to the hospital and get patients the treatment and medication they need,” Stamper said. “We’re also proud of the fact that our Education Coordinator Jamie Goodpastor has been tapped to serve, along with a Duke Clinical Research team as well as area physicians, hospital administrative personnel and other health care workers, on a committee dedicated to regionalizing STEMI care in Eastern Kentucky," he said. In addition to the American Heart Association award, Jessamine County Emergency Medical Services (JCEMS) has also been awarded a highly competitive Assistance to Firefighters FEMA grant for $108,330. “This is also a big deal for us,” Stamper said. As part of its celebration of its upcoming thirtieth anniversary as a county operated ambulance service, Jessamine County Emergency Services (JCEMS) revealed its new emblem, with the core values it strives to exemplify: excellence, integrity, and compassion. These are the standards exemplified by the Jessamine County Emergency Services department. “Jessamine County Emergency Medical Services (JCEMS) has a lot to be proud of,” Chief Aaron Stamper said. “This department has done a tremendous job for the county over the past 30 years, and we plan to continue to improve and grow.” Stamper is also proud of his team's "quality people, with fresh ideas and great outlooks." “They not only have sound medical skills, but they are always willing to step up whenever their help is needed,” he said. The grant is for the purchase of stretchers with hydraulic systems that work off batteries and eliminate the need for manual lifting of patients. This will keep the patients safer in addition to drastically reducing the possibility of injuries and workers’ compensation insurance claims. With fewer muscular skeletal and back injuries, they will have longer and healthier careers. Because 2016 is Jessamine County Emergency Medical Services (JCEMS)’s 30 year anniversary, the timing of the recent Jessamine County Emergency Medical Services (JCEMS) accolades and grant funding are “just about perfect,” Stamper said. "We held an anniversary event on July 1, and we had a lot to celebrate," he said. That level of excellence was recognized by the American Heart Association when it awarded Jessamine County Emergency Medical Services (JCEMS) the Mission: Lifeline® EMS Silver Award for implementing quality improvement measures for the treatment of patients who experience a “STEMI” (a term for ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction, a type of heart attack caused by a complete blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment). “EMTs and paramedics play a vital part in the system of care for those who have heart attacks,” said Nancy Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. “Since they often are the first medical point of contact, they can shave precious minutes of life-saving treatment time by activating the emergency response system that alerts hospitals. We applaud Jessamine County Emergency Medical Services for achieving this award that shows it meets evidence-based guidelines in the treatment of people who have severe heart attacks.” Jessamine County Emergency Medical Services (JCEMS) was one of 15 Kentucky’s 220 EMS agencies to receive the award. “This shows that we have the quality measures and equipment in place and our staff are doing a great job at doing EKG’s and recognizing a STEMI when it occurs. The earlier we can detect a Jessamine County Emergency Medical Services (JCEMS) Education Coordinator Jamie Goodpastor (left) received the American Heart Association (AHA) Mission: Lifeline® EMS Silver Award from AHA representative Alexander Kuhn (right) while Judge/Executive David West looked on. ~ 2 ~
The “Mackey Bill” (Senate bill 43) passed on April 1, as the result of the dedicated efforts of the Jessamine County Emergency Medical Services staff, John Mackey’s family and friends, local and state government officials and representatives, and medical services workers across the state. Working as a Team to Care for Others Jessamine County Emergency Medical Services (JCEMS) Chief Aaron Stamper and his team of 40+ healthcare professionals know that you can’t just call yourselves a team and expect to succeed. Instead, you have to “walk the walk” and support your teammates as you would expect them to support you. In fact, it’s their dedication to teamwork, service and community that has allowed JCEMS to provide the highest quality of advanced life support and pre-hospital care to our county’s residents for almost 30 years—saving countless lives along the way. That long record of dedicated teamwork and caring service is, perhaps, what makes it so appropriate that the “Mackey Bill” (Senate Bill 43)—a piece of legislation that extends line-of-duty death benefits to Kentucky emergency medical services (EMS) workers like the late JCEMS paramedic John Mackey, who died while on duty in November, 2015 and for whom the bill is named—was signed into law on April 1, just months before JCEMS’ thirtieth anniversary and less than six months after Mackey’s death. The Mackey Bill was, after all, motivated by a strong desire to ensure that all the families of EMS workers who die on duty, including all employees and volunteers who serve city or county governments, fire protection districts, or emergency ambulance service districts, would receive the same benefits that families of firefighters and law enforcement officers currently receive. “For the JCEMS team and for Mackey’s wife Janine, the need to support the bill and to make sure that Mackey’s name was attached to it wasn’t just about the Mackey family,” JCEMS Chief Aaron Stamper said. “We wanted the Mackey family to be taken care of, but we also didn’t want to see another agency family face an uncertain financial future when they lose one of their loved ones. Janine and the JCEMS team didn’t want others to suffer what we suffered through,” he said. It’s also appropriate—and comforting--according to Chief Stamper, that as he, along with the JCEMS team, Representative Russ Meyer, Sentator Tom Buford, and first responders across the state stood by Janine through the long, stressful process of getting the bill passed, “we felt him with us every step of the way.” “John Mackey had a one of a kind personality with a huge heart, and he loved his family and the people he worked with. He was just so generous and caring—taking care of others—his family, his team, and his community—was very important to him. It was the way he lived his life.” With the passing of the Mackey Bill, that dedication to teamwork and caring for others, along with John Mackey’s contribution to his community, will continue for generations to come. “John Mackey had a one of a kind personality with a huge heart, and he loved his family and the people he worked with. He was just so generous and caring—taking care of others—his family, his team, and his community—was very important to him. It was the way he lived his life.” – JCEMS Chief Aaron Stamper Maintaining our Roads Anyone driving on Jessamine’s approximately 208 miles of county roads during the heavy rains of the summer of 2015 knows that whether roads are covered with a foot—or even just an inch—of flood or overflow waters, problems can occur. When that contact happens repeatedly over time, as it did last summer, the water seeping underneath asphalt can cause transportation problems such as pot holes, crumbling shoulders, and cracked and disconnected pieces of asphalt that can, eventually, make roads extremely dangerous and even un-passable. Luckily for Jessamine County residents, the Road Department (JCRD) staff includes certified Roads Supervisor Coleman Tudor, who is also a “Roads Scholar” and “Roads Master.” JCRD’s Barry Humphrey and William Hager are also Roads Scholars. The Roads Scholar program is offered by the University of Kentucky College of Engineering and provides local and state government employees with the skills and knowledge needed keep roads safe and passable. That’s important—especially in Jessamine County, according to Tudor. “We have more miles of Kentucky River than any other county, and that means we have more miles of roads that can be affected by the Kentucky River overflow than any other county,” he said. “Our training helps us watch for—and solve—the problems that can cause.” In addition to monitoring road conditions, the Road Department team works to: • Repair and replace bridges, culverts, and road sections • Mow, and remove snow and tree limbs as well as other debris from county roads • Work with other county departments and organizations to provide assistance and ensure access even during bad weather • Seek funding and grant monies to assist in the completion of Road Department projects Doing More with Less: A Recap “Like communities all over the United States, Jessamine County is dealing with the fact that so many of our roads and bridges have been in place for decades. Those roads and bridges are now getting older and falling in disrepair,” Jessamine County Judge/Executive said. “At the same time, our county budget is under a tremendous strain, so we are working to do more with less.” Some examples of JCFC's Road Department's ability to offer more and better services at a lower cost include: Personnel: In 2012, the Jessamine County Road Department (JCRD) had 12 employees; in 2013, 11 employees, and in 2014, 10 employees. In 2015, the department shrank to 9 employees. “This year, we completed the same work—and possibly more—with less manpower,” JCRD Supervisor Coleman Tudor said. Salt: In 2014, JCRD used manpower and salt during snow events, with yearly salt usage of less than 577 tons. In 2015, the team used only 140 tons of salt during snow events. The result: a significant operating cost savings. “We had more snow events in 2014, but the snow that we had in 2015 was much deeper. To save money in 2015, we pushed a tremendous amount of snow,” Tudor said. “Instead of throwing salt down every chance we got, we pushed the snow off of the roads—and waited for it to stop snowing before using salt; that way, the salt could actually do its job.” Budget: “I’ve been working for the Road Department since the 1980’s, and we never go over our budget. Even with the amount of snow we had in 2015, we still stayed within our budget, and we’re proud of that,” Tudor said. ~ 3 ~
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Page 7: Camp Nelson’s Civil War Years: By

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