Firestorm

Ambulance Diversions Decrease Survival Rates for Heart Attack Victims

2011-06-14T13:22:00.001-07:00

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) just released a new study showing that heart attack victims were less likely to survive when hospital EDs were overcrowded and ambulances were diverted.

As one USA Today reader responded:

Wait now, so they are saying if you have a heart attack, and get the proper care and treatment at a hospital later rather than sooner, it leads to higher death rates?? Gosh, who would have thought that Batman.

The study looked at more than 13,000 Medicare patients in four California counties and concluded that hospital EDs that were on diversion at least 12 hours a day had higher mortality rates for patients suffering cardiac arrest.

Dr. Renee Hsia of UCSF, one of the lead researchers on the study explains, "In fact, for every 100 patients who are unfortunate enough to have a heart attack when ambulances are being diverted for long periods of time, our study shows that there are three potentially avoidable deaths.”

LA to shut 18 Fire Engine Crews

2011-05-26T16:04:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles City Council voted last week to shut down 18 fire engine crews in an effort to help rein in the city's massive deficit.

This is the latest in a steady erosion of the LAFD's budget and services. According to an Op-Ed by Jim Newton of the LA Times, the LAFD's "modified coverage plan" already means that "one out of three Fire Department divisions is always closed, as are two of its 16 battalions; half a dozen ambulances are out of commission at all times. Firefighters rotate through the city to cover for unstaffed areas. The result: Firefighters are often working in communities they don't know, confronting dangers they have not been trained to address."

The LAFD has been tasked with cutting its budget by 30% from 2009 levels, which is a hefty bite to take out of any public safety service. To comply, the LAFD has devised a "New Deployment Plan," which promises no fire stations will be closed and there will be no decline in service. How they can achieve that, given the rolling brownouts and a hiring freeze, is baffling.

Most of the press we've seen concentrates on the fire hazards of a reduced fire service. Considering that the majority of what LAFD does now is medical, when are we going to acknowledge the health care risks?

Hsopitals left with $49B in unpaid tabs

2011-05-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

A new study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shows that even higher income uninsured families are struggling to meet the high costs of health care.

According to the government report released May 10, 2011 (titled "The Value of Health Insurance: Few of the Uninsured Have Adequate Resources to Pay Potential Hospital Bills"), uninsured Americans (including those with incomes well above the poverty line) leave hospitals with unpaid tabs of up to $49 billion a year. The report states that every year, nearly 2 million uninsured Americans are hospitalized. With 58% of these hospital stays resulting in bills of more than $10,000, most uninsured people are unable to afford potential hospital bills. even the top 10% of uninsured families with the most assets are estimated to be able to pay the full bill for only half of potential hospital stays.

In the HHS press release, the HHS assistant secretary for planning and evaluation says "No family should bear the burden of being one illness or accident away from bankruptcy."

To read the HHS Press Release: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/05/20110510a.html

To read the full HHS Study: http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2011/ValueofInsurance/rb.shtml

To read the USA Today article about the study: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-05-09-uninsured-unpaid-hospital-bills_n.htm

FIRESTORM nominated for Emmy!

2011-05-05T13:40:00.001-07:00

Talking Eyes Media is thrilled to announce that FIRESTORM has been nominated for the 2010-2011 Northern California Emmy Awards! We are honored to be included in the "Documentary" category along with the films OUT. The Glenn Burke Story and The Next Frontier-Engineering the Golden Age of Green.

Debut of Fire Responders Network.tv

2011-03-14T13:52:00.000-07:00

Congrats to the Chronicles of EMS team for the debut of their new program: Fire Responders Network.tv.

This great new network uses the power of entertainment, education, technology and partnership to work with and improve the health care industry. If you're an EMT, firefighter, filmmaker, social media expert, or just interested in our nation's EMS and health care system, make sure to check out this new platform to learn about the latest EMS news.

FIRST RESPONDERS NETWORK.TV

FIRESTORM screened at EMS Today

2011-03-10T07:30:00.000-08:00

Filmmaker Julie Winokur and I traveled to Baltimore last week to present FIRESTORM at this year's EMS Today conference. Although we were only there from Thursday to Friday, our schedules were jammed pack. From attending a few educational sessions and exploring the exhibition floor to meeting up with old EMS friends and networking with new ones, EMS Today was a great success as well as a blast!

Julie was interviewed by GenMed host Natalie Queubedeaux and we also met up with EMS bloggers Chris Kaiser (Life Under The Lights) and Scott Kier (EMS in the New Decade), podcaster Jamie Davis (the Podmedic), and Ted Setla, Justin Schorr, and Sam Bradley of Chronicles of EMS. We also met paramedics from other countries including Switzerland and Germany. It was amazing to hear their thoughts after watching FIRESTORM and to compare notes about each of our country's EMS and health care system.

With a turnout of about 80-100 people, Julie and I couldn't have been more pleased with the screening of FIRESTORM. The more EMS professionals we show the film to, the greater the reach of our outreach campaign. And the greater the outreach campaign, the greater the chance of successfully reducing overcrowding in our nation's EDs.

So many EMTs tell us "ER overcrowding, wall delays, ambulance diversion -- all of this is currently happening in my community too!" Unfortunately, it's the public at large who remain unaware and uneducated about our nation's EMS crisis. Communities across the US (both urban and rural) are facing the same ER problems as seen in Los Angeles, and (as many of us discussed at the conference) 'If these problems exist on a day-to-day basis across the country, then how can EMS be prepared for and adequately respond to a disaster situation?' Americans have no idea that our EMS systems are overwhelmed and facing dire circumstances. That's why opportunities such as screening at EMS Today is so important to our film and campaign's success....We need more EMS members to learn about FIRESTORM so they can then use the film as a tool for advocacy and awareness in their communities.

Thank you to EMS Today for giving us this opportunity and to all our EMS friends for supporting our film and helping us spread the word. Our nation's EMS system is made up of such dedicated, skilled, intelligent, and humble men and women. It was such a privilege to be welcomed into their tight knit community with open arms.

P.S. Thank you to our Swiss fans for sharing your pictures with us! (From left to right: Ra, Julie, Elmar, Elissa, and Helge.)

Insult to Injury

2011-01-25T06:04:00.000-08:00

A man in Texas spent 6 hours in an ER waiting room with a sore ankle, got fed up and left without being seen. A few weeks later, he received a bill from the hospital for more than $100. The patient was told such billing was "standard procedure." After a local news station got involved, the bill was revoked and the incident was resolved.

Watch the report on KHOU.com.

What's unclear, is how often this sort of thing happens and how many patients are billed inappropriately.

Firestorm Screens at EMS Expo

2010-10-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

FIRESTORM screened twice this week at the EMS Expo and Conference at the Dallas Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. The conference features educational workshops and labs by industry professionals as well as the latest EMS products, technologies and innovation.

Both on Thursday, September 30 and Friday, October 1, director Julie Winokur was on hand to screen her film and answer questions from the audience. Check out some photos from the expo:

Update on our June 23 post ("LAC+USC 'Dangerously Overcrowded' ")

Emergency department services in LA County's USC hospital continue to worsen according to an article from MercuryNews.com.

In August 2010, overcrowding took place 98 percent of the time, up from 80 percent in July. As a result, "adults arriving in the emergency room wait an average 12 1/2 hours from the time they are triaged until they are admitted or discharged."

2010-08-26T06:20:00.000-07:00

A new trend is unfolding: ERs across the country are posting their wait times online, via text, and even on a flashing billboard. With ER usage at a record high, hospitals are struggling to keep the wait times down, and this is one effort to dissipate the patient load.

According to an article by the Associated Press, "There are no statistics on how many hospitals advertise wait times, although they tend to have multiple ERs in a region, usually the suburbs. The idea: People with less urgent conditions — maybe they need stitches for a cut — might drive a bit farther for a shorter wait, possibly helping a hospital chain spread the load without losing easier cases to competitors."

Hospitals are trying everything from "team triage" — where patients are met by a doctor, nurse and paramedics at the front door — to "hallway medicine," where patients on guerneys are divided by the severity of their condition and given nursing attention in hallways.

These measures all point to a shortage of hospital in-patient beds and a poor system for directing non-urgent cases to appropriate places for care. Perhaps it's time to redefine "ER" so we preserve this valuable resource for true emergencies.

New JAMA report highlights America's ER crisis

2010-08-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles is definitely not the only city experiencing a crisis in emergency care. Firestorm captures this national trend, but for those who remain skeptic about the severity of this issue then check out The Journal of the American Medical Association's recent report on national ER visits.

One of the report's findings: the number of patient visits in emergency rooms nationwide rose from 95 million to 117 million in 10 years. You may think "But ER visits will obviously increase with the growth of population, so what's the big deal?" The big deal is that while the number of patient visits grew 23%, only HALF of that increase can be attributed to the population growth. AND as the demand for ERs grew by this surge in visits, the number of ERs dropped by 5%.

So, still not convinced our nation has an emergency medical care problem??

Learn more about the JAMA report in this LA Times' Health Care blog post: Emergency rooms are getting more crowded everywhere, study finds

FIRESTORM now available for purchase!

2010-07-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

FIRESTORM is now available to purchase on DVD for institutional use, community screenings, or personal viewing. To buy a DVD online through TEM please click here.

Generation Medicine Podcast featuring Firestorm

2010-07-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

The EMT/Paramedic-centric podcast Generation Medicine recently uploaded their 7th episode, and Firestorm was the main topic. The host, Jeremiah Bush is an EMT and student in the Bay Area. Two guests appeared on the podcast as well; Natalie, a paramedic from Louisiana, and Sam Bradley, a paramedic who has worked in Los Angeles and the East Bay area. All three had been at the Firestorm premiere in San Francisco on May 16th, and use the podcast to discuss their own experiences, as well as how the issues in Firestorm affect the nation as a whole.

Listen to Episode #7 - "There's a Storm Brewin'"

Check out the rest of Generation Medicine.

LAC+USC "Dangerously Overcrowded"

2010-06-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

Many news sources are picking up on yesterday's LA Board of Supervisors report that the LAC+USC Hospital was dangerously overcrowded for the month of May.

The AP report was picked up by Southern California Public Radio KPCC/KUOR/KPCV and the San Jose Mercury News. Both say the hospital was overcrowded for "greater than 10% for the month of May" as opposed to 2% in the month of April.

The LA Times quotes Supervisor Gloria Molina as saying "I think we're having a real problem. This is a serious situation". Read the rest of their story here.

NBC Los Angeles is also reporting on the story, and say the problems stem from a move from the former 800 bed facility to a newer (but smaller) 600 bed facility in November of 2008. You can read their story here.

FIRESTORM on NPR Radio Show

2010-06-15T06:42:00.000-07:00

Tune in today at 9am PST or 12pm EST to the Mind Body Health & Politics radio show on the NPR affiliate KZYX to listen as host Dr. Richard Miller highlights our film FIRESTORM in his discussion of the nation's health care crisis.

Dr. Miller will interview FIRESTORM director Julie Winokur, paramedic and EMS District Captain Dave Pimentle, and ER doctor and Regional Medical Director for Emergent Medical Associates Dr. Lee Weiss. A patient who saw firsthand what happens when you don't have access to health care and have to call 911 when sick will also be interviewed.

You can also listen to the show live by clicking on the following link:

http://www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/listen

Have any thoughts, comments, or questions in response to the broadcast? Post them here and start a conversation!

Launch Screenings and New Reviews

2010-05-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

FIRESTORM premiered on San Francisco's KQED this Sunday, and to promote the film we held screenings across the country. Paramedics, Firefighters, and regular citizens showed up to support the film in Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco. Since the premiere, TEM has been flooded with calls and emails from those who saw the film or were unable to attend a screening and want to view it as quickly as possible. The response to the film has been overwhelmingly positive, and we appreciate everyone who came out in support of Firestorm.

One audience member from Philadelphia (who drove all the way down from Massachusetts to attend) went so far as to write a very detailed review on his blog, EMS in the New Decade. You can read Scott's review here.

Thanks again to everyone who came out, and to those of you in other parts of the country, we hope to see you soon at a screening near you!

Film Premiere & 3-City Simulcast: MAY 16th

2010-04-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

If you're in Chicago, Philadelphia or San Francisco May 16th, please join us for the premiere of FIRESTORM and the launch of National EMS Week.

Talking Eyes Media and Chronicles of EMS are co-hosting a 3-city live streaming event at the following locations:

Philadelphia — 8-10pm @ Fado Irish Pub
Chicago — 7-9pm @ Fado Irish Pub
San Francisco — 5-7 pm @ Gordon Biersch Brewery

We'll share the movie, food, drink and lively conversation between the three locations.

Coming Down to the Wire!

2010-04-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

As we inch closer and closer to the Firestorm air date, everyone here at Talking Eyes Media is anxiously awaiting the public response. Today we received a sneak peek of what is to come, when EMSResponder.com published a great article about the film.

Associate Editor John Erich spent some time interviewing Julie about the film, and writes how important it is to educate the "average citizens (who) may encounter crowded emergency departments, but many have no idea a lot of those EDs regularly shut their doors to us and our patients." We can't wait to hear what other people have to say in response to the film.

Click here to read the article in it's entirety on EMSResponder.com

We're also proud that Firestorm has been selected to screen at the Council on Foundations Annual Conference in Denver April 25th-27th. This is a great opportunity for our film to present EMS related issues to foundations from all over the country who could potentially help steer funds or support towards repairing the issue.

Lastly, if you're in the San Francisco Bay area, don't forget to mark your calendars for 6pm Sunday May 16th. Firestorm will be kicking off KQED's EMS week, airing on their Truly CA series.

That's all for now!

Welcome!

2010-04-05T11:30:00.000-07:00

FIRESTORM is a one-hour documentary that goes behind-the-scenes with LA firefighters of station 65 in South LA, and reveals how the LAFD has become the de facto health care safety net for many of the region's poor and under-insured. Like fire services across the country, the majority of the LAFD's calls are medical, rather than fire-related.

Please check back to get the latest news and updates about the release of the documentary. We also want this blog to be a place where pre-hospital personnel in the field and in the emergency room can exchange ideas and stories aimed at improving emergency medical services.

To stay informed of screenings and future FIRESTORM related news, please send a message to studio@talkingeyesmedia.org with your name, email, and zip code. Also feel free to include any stories you might have regarding EMS or Health-care related issues. We look forward to hearing from you!