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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: January 21, 2010 <br />Action Agen,+dah <br />Item No. <br />SUBJECT: EMS Medical Director Agreement Renewal <br />DEPARTMENT: Emergency Services -EMS <br />PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Renewal Agreement <br />Designation of Medical Director <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />F.R. Montes de Oca, Emergency <br />Services, 919-245-6100 <br />Annette Moore, Staff Attorney, 919- <br />245-2317 <br />Kim Woodward, Emergency Services, <br />919-245-6100 <br />PURPOSE: To renew an agreement between Orange County and the University of North <br />Carolina (UNC) Department of Emergency Medicine for the medical direction of Orange <br />County's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) program. <br />BACKGROUND: Orange County provides both Advanced and Basic Life Support (ALS & BLS) <br />EMS transport service. Under state regulations, a county providing this service must function <br />under the supervision of a Medical Director. The County receives medical direction through the <br />UNC Department of Emergency Medicine and UNC Hospitals by Dr. Jane Brice and her <br />assistants. <br />The Medical Director's responsibilities include: <br />• Providing training, monitoring and protocol development for the emergency medical <br />dispatch program at 9-1-1. <br />• Performs quality assurance reviews and approves telecommunicators for certification. <br />• Establishes the level of medical practice for all first responders and has required that <br />any practioner hold a state office of EMS credential in order to treat patients in Orange <br />County. <br />• Determines the standard of care and appropriate treatment protocols for paramedics <br />and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs}. <br />• Provides training, skill proficiency and evaluation of paramedic and EMT technical <br />performance. <br />The agreement with UNC also requires that the Medical Director have an appropriate number of <br />assistant medical directors to assure availability at all times. The Medical Director serves as a <br />