Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
8 <br /> <br />Both of these incidents could have ended up in tragedy were it not for the quick thinking and <br />selfless responses of these Orange County residents. Orange County Emergency Services <br />joins with the Board to present certificates to all the residents involved in both events <br />proclaiming each of them as a “Community Hero”. <br /> <br />A brief video was presented. <br /> <br />Dr. Anita Skariah presented some of her reflections on this event. <br />Chair Dorosin presented certificates and challenge coins to the first responders and <br />Community Heroes. <br />The Board joined with Orange County Emergency Services to present certificates to all <br />the residents involved in helping with both events, proclaiming each of them as a “Community <br />Hero”, and recognized their quick actions and the assistance of the public safety professionals, <br />all which led to two life-saving outcomes. <br />Commissioner Marcoplos said this is an opportunity to spread the word about the <br />opportunities to lean CPR. <br /> <br />d. Emergency Services EMS Initiative to Promote Community Well-Being <br />The Board received information on several Emergency Medical Services initiatives and <br />activities to promote community well-being. <br /> <br />BACKGROUND: <br />Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has been preparing for several months to launch several <br />initiatives that focus on critical issues in the community and to foster collaboration with EMS’s <br />partners to enhance the development of EMS as a coordinated system of care. <br /> <br />1. Freedom House Alternative Destination Transport <br />This initiative allows ambulances to evaluate behavioral crisis patients and ensure that the most <br />appropriate facility is utilized. EMS has worked closely with the Freedom House, Cardinal <br />Innovations and the State Office of EMS to develop alternative destination protocols that have <br />been approved. The target date to begin these transports is August 13, 2018. <br /> <br />2. Naloxone Distribution and Clean Needle Exchange <br />Beginning July 1, 2018, paramedics responding to opioid overdoses will be able to provide <br />naloxone to patients who refuse transport to the hospital. Utilizing a State Office of EMS <br />sponsored protocol; paramedics will leave naloxone with the patient, family or friends. Patients <br />may also request clean needles aiding in the prevention against spreading blood borne <br />diseases through the use of shared and/or dirty needles. Paramedics will also provide literature <br />from the Sheriff’s Office and the Health Department. <br /> <br />3. Coordinated Opioid Overdose Reduction Effort (COORE) <br />Paramedics work with the Sheriff’s Office, Criminal Justice Resource Department and the <br />Health Department to provide follow up services to patients who received naloxone during an <br />overdose episode. These patients receive education regarding the COORE program as well as <br />are able to receive additional naloxone, access to clean needles and access to prescription lock <br />boxes. <br /> <br />4. Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Bracelet Project <br />In collaboration with Carol Woods, UNC Hillsborough Hospital and Chapel Hill Fire Department, <br />EMS is testing the feasibility of the DNR bracelet through a ten (10) person focus group from <br />Carol Woods. Through drills using the uploaded DNR information, responders have vastly