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Air Medical Today™ Episode 27 - May 7, 2011 EPNetwork

2011-05-08T14:52:00.000-05:00

Episode 27 of the Air Medical Today Podcast for May 7, 2011 has been published. In this episode I interview Mr. Rex Alexander, who is a consultant specializing in safety training related to the air medical and helicopter industry.

Rex is currently the Regional Operations Manager for the Central United States for Omniflight Helicopters, Inc. He has worked in multiple capacities over the 16 years he has been with Omniflight, including pilot, safety manager, and base manager. He serves on the board of directors for the National EMS Pilots Association as the President and served as the President of the Indiana Association of Air Medical Services for five years.

Rex owns and operates his own company called RJ Alexander Consulting, L.L.C. specializing in consulting and training directly related to the air medical, safety and helicopter industries. He currently sits on the Helicopter Association International’s Air Medical Committee and Helipad Committee and is a member of the National Fire Protection Association committee for helipad design.

Rex has lectured throughout the United States to multiple air-medical, fire, EMS, and law enforcement agencies on a wide range of aviation and safety topics. He is an alumnus of Parks College of Engineering Aviation, and Technology of Saint Louis University, from where he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Maintenance and Management. He is a licensed commercial helicopter pilot and a certified airframe and power-plant technician.

Rex is a former member of the United States Military, serving worldwide as an Aero-Scout instructor pilot for eleven years with the U.S. Army both on active duty and in the Indiana National Guard. He and his wife Cindy live in Fort Wayne, Indiana with their three children.

Birkie Web Today Episode 10 - EPNetwork

2010-12-19T21:03:00.000-06:00

Episode 10 of the Birkie Web Today Podcast has published. In this episode I interview Dave Mathews, who is a long-time bicyclist and found Nordic skiing as a great winter activity while living in Omaha, Nebraska in 1982. He is an active member of the Kansas City Nordic Ski Club.

Dave, who lives in Prairie Village, Kansas which is a suburb of Kansas City, has been bicycling for 35 + years. He has been a long-time member of the Kansas City Bicycle Club, serving as a past club president and chairman of racing. Dave races in several road and cyclecross and sometimes mountain biking events each year.

He is a Civil Engineer with the US Army Corps of Engineers and graduated from Iowa State University and the University of California Berkeley with both degrees in civil Engineering. Dave began Nordic skiing while living in Omaha, Nebraska and has completed eight Birkie and two Kortelopet races as well as three City of Lakes Loppett races as a classic skier. He is an active member of the Kansas City Nordic Ski Club.

In the podcast Dave shares his secrets to staying in shape for skiing the Birkie when there is not much on-snow time. Something many Birkie skiers face.

Air Medical Today Episode 26 - EPNetwork

2010-12-19T00:13:00.000-06:00

Episode 26 of the Air Medical Today Podcast for December 18, 2010 has been published. In this episode I interview Dr. Mike Abernethy, the Chief Flight Physician with University of Wisconsin Med Flight Program and an associate professor with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

Dr. Abernethy is one of the few physicians in the country who works on a regular basis as a flight physician. His passion is taking care of critically ill patients in diverse and even sometimes hostile environments. This interest in EMS started in his early teen years with the TV program “Emergency” and is still strong over 40 years later.

While pursuing a college education at The Ohio State University he became an EMT and also joined the national guard with a helicopter aviation unit. After several career changes, he ended up in medical school at the University of Cincinnati. Mike completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Chicago where he was the first chief aeromedical resident for the University of Chicago Aeromedical Network.

He has worked as a flight physician with the University of Wisconsin Med Flight program since 1992 and has been the chief flight physician for the last two years. Dr. Abernathy is on faculty of the University of Wisconsin Emergency Medicine Residency Program where he says he is helping to train the next generation of emergency physicians. He is also a member of the board of directors for the Air Medical Physicians Association.

Mike has worked in almost every aspect of the Helicopter EMS industry. He has been a referring community physician, receiving trauma center physician, ground EMT, and the medical director for several ground ambulance and helicopter EMS programs. With over 21 years and several thousand patient transports, he is one of the most experienced flight physicians in the United States. This gives Dr. Abernathy a very unique prospective on prehospital care which includes to this day 7-10 helicopter shifts a month.

Dr. Abernethy’s opinions are from his viewpoint as both an experienced Emergency Medicine physician and prehospital care provider. He knows very well that the real life medicine “in the ditch” can be very different than anything found in protocols and/or textbooks. He is a well known speaker at many regional and national Emergency Medicine and EMS conferences. His publications and lectures on Helicopter EMS standards and utilization are a frequent source of controversy within the EMS community.

Mike is quoted as saying “There are countless great things about the HEMS industry, but it is also fraught with significant problems. Someone has to stand up and point out that the emperor has no clothes. I have no problem doing that. The bottom line is I care deeply about HEMS and its reputation. I also want the most appropriate, safe and quality care for all prehospital patients.”

Air Medical Today Episode 25 - EPNetwork

2010-11-14T19:30:00.000-06:00

Episode 25 of the Air Medical Today Podcast for November 14, 2010 has been published. In this episode I interview Dr. Bryan Bledsoe, an emergency physician, researcher, and EMS author. Due to the potential controversy with the interview I also asked a number of individuals from our entire air medical community what questions they would ask Dr. Bledsoe. I incorporated some of the questions into the interview and thank them for their time in sending them to me, as it was much appreciated.

Dr. Bryan E. Bledsoe, DO, FACEP, FAAEM, EMT-P is an emergency physician and EMS author from Midlothian, Texas. He entered EMS in 1974 as an EMT and attended one of the first paramedic programs in north Texas. He worked for several years in Fort Worth as a paramedic and went on to become an EMS Instructor and Coordinator. Bryan has his Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Texas and his Doctorate in Osteopathic Medicine from the University of North Texas. He completed a residency at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and at Scott and White Memorial Hospital/Texas A&M College of Medicine. He is board-certified in emergency medicine and holds medical licenses in both Texas and Nevada

Dr. Bledsoe has served as the Medical Director for two hospital emergency departments as well as for EMS agencies in north Texas. He is the author of numerous EMS textbooks including: Paramedic Care: Principles & Practice, Paramedic Emergency Care, Prehospital Emergency Pharmacology, Anatomy and Physiology for Emergency Care, and many others. He is a frequent contributor to EMS magazines and presenter at national and international EMS conferences. Dr. Bledsoe is often interviewed by the national media including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams as well as regional papers and media outlets.

Dr. Bledsoe is Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, at the University of Nevada School of Medicine and the Department of Emergency Medicine at University Medical Center in Las Vegas. He is co-chair of the Curriculum and Evaluation Board (CEB) for the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.

Dr. Bledsoe was recently named a "Hero of Emergency Medicine" by the American College of Emergency Physicians as part of their 40th anniversary celebration. He was also named a "Hero of Health and Fitness" by Men's Health magazine in November of 2008 as part of their 20th Anniversary issue. He is married and lives in Midlothian, Texas as well as Las Vegas, Nevada. He enjoys salt-water fishing.

Air Medical Today Episode 24 - EPNetwork

2010-10-31T13:09:00.001-05:00

Episode 24 of the Air Medical Today Podcast for October 30, 2010 has been published. This episode is a bit different than previous ones, as I have recorded a number of the Past Presidents of the Association of Air Medical Services. Through their own voices you will hear some of the critical issues, challenges, and accomplishments during their presidential tenure. This podcast is being done in celebration of the 30th Anniversary of AAMS and includes a fun quiz on the history of the association that includes prizes.

Through my work with the AAMS Communications and Public Relations Committee we had helped the staff in planning some of the activities for the association’s 30th Anniversary this year. I volunteered to record the voices of the past presidents of the association so that listeners can hear from them in their own words. This has been a really fun project because I got to meet and talk to many of the past presidents that I did not know or did not know very well. Pictured on the left on Sunday, October 11, 2010 at the Air Medical Transport Conference from left to right are, Back Row: Dan Reich, Jim Smith, Greg Powell, and Tom Judge and Front Row: Ed Eroe, Ford Kyes, Connie Eastlee, Denise Landis, Sandy Kinkade, and Dan Hankins.

With the help of the AAMS staff and others in locating everyone we still were not able to contact all the past presidents but I know you will still enjoy hearing many of the ones that are included. Pictured to the left on Monday, October 12, 2010 outside the Exhibit Hall at the Air Medical Transport Conference are from left to right, Connie Eastlee, Dan Reich, Denise Landis, Frank Thomas, Dan Hankins, Jim Smith, Sandy Kinkade, and Ed Eroe. Both pictures were taken by Mark Mennie.

The Past Presidents of AAMS that are heard in the podcast include the following in chronological order by the year they were president:

Joe Tye
Karl Gills
Dan Reich
Jim Smith
Frank Thomas
Don Stamper
Ford Kyes
Connie Eastlee
Denise Landis
Greg Powell
Tom Judge
Ed Eroe
Sandy Kinkade
Dan Hankins

A Survey Monkey Quiz of AAMS History can be found at this link: AAMS Survey Monkey Quiz. The first four individuals that answer all the questions correctly will receive a gift certificate from RoadID who is sponsoring the quiz. RoadID is trying to get the word out to all EMS and Pre-Hospital Personnel so that we are all aware of cyclists, skiers, runners, and other athletes wearing their identification for which you can obtain very helpful personal and medical information. For information on their many safety related products go to RoadID.com. A big thanks to RoadID for providing the gift certificates for the quiz!

Air Medical Today Episode 23 - EPNetwork

2010-09-30T08:10:00.000-05:00

Episode 23 of the Air Medical Today Podcast has been published. In this episode I interview Doctor David M. Lam, Adjunct Associate Professor at the Center for Trauma and Anesthesiology Research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine who talks about his 30 years of research on the history of air medicine. There are also interviews of Dawn Mancuso and Jonathan Godfrey on the Air Medical Transport Conference and Vision Zero in the First Response section.

Dr Lam attended Carleton College, in Northfield, Minnesota, where he received a BA in Government and International Relations. He received his MD degree from the University of Minnesota in 1972, and also earned a Masters Degree in Public Health from the University of Texas.

He is Board-certified as a specialist in Aerospace Medicine, and is a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American College of Physician Executives. David has also been elected as an Academician of the International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine. He is licensed/registered as a physician both in the United States in Alaska and in the United Kingdom.

Colonel Lam was commissioned in the United States Army in 1971 and served in a wide variety of assignments, including one tour in Korea, two in Alaska, and two in Germany, in addition to his last military assignment at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. He served in many clinical, staff, and command positions throughout his career, including as commander of 3 hospitals, Corps Surgeon, Research Area Director, Surgeon for a Joint Task Force in combat, and additionally as Task Force Surgeon for U.S. humanitarian operations in Rwanda and Zaire.

Dr. Lam’s final military assignment was as Medical Staff Officer at NATO Headquarters. He served for an unprecedented 5 years at the request of the NATO medical community and was the impetus for some of the greatest changes in Alliance medical doctrine since its creation.

David retired from the active Army on July 1, 2001, and now serves as Adjunct Associate Professor at the Center for Trauma and Anesthesiology Research of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He has been seconded to the U.S. Army Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center in Ft. Detrick, Maryland where he serves as the European Liaison Officer, responsible for maintaining links to researchers in Europe, including with the NATO Medical Community, the European Space Agency, and the European Commission.

He works primarily in the areas of telemedicine standardisation, project development, and deployment of systems, mostly in the NATO and Partnership For Peace nations. He serves as the Secretary for the NATO Telemedicine Expert Team, which is charged with developing policies and procedures which will enhance the multinational interoperability of Telemedicine systems in a multinational operational environment. Additionally, he serves on several other Research Task Groups for the NATO Research and Technology Organisation, including one on the use of Unpiloted Aerial Vehicles for Casualty Evacuation. He and his wife have lived in Brussels, Belgium, for 15 years. They have two children and four grandchildren.

Starting as a young Flight Surgeon in the Army, is when he first became involved in Aeromedical evacuation and has been fascinated with the complex history of the development of Aeromedical evacuation ever since. He has been researching and writing on this subject for more than 30 years, and is now considered one of the world’s foremost experts on this subject. His current project is research for a biography of Mademoiselle Marie Marvingt of France, who has been described as “The Godmother of Medical Aviation”, and who was the first certified Flight Nurse.

Dawn Mancuso, Executive Director of the Association of Air Medical Services provides an update on the upcoming Air Medical Transport Conference being held October 11-14 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida including the 30th Anniversary activities.

Jonathan Godfrey provides an update on AAMS Vision Zero activities including events at the Air Medical Transport Conference.

All EMS Staff should be aware of RoadID and be sure to look for it when treating cyclists, skiers, runners, and other athletes. RoadID is an excellent source of personal and medical information.

Air Medical Today Episode 22 - EPNetwork

2010-07-16T23:56:00.001-05:00

Episode 22 of the Air Medical Today Podcast has been published. In this episode I interview Scott Kunkel, a paramedic, flight nurse, and an air medical executive who will be talking about Updates on New Developments in EMS and Their Impact on Air Medical Services There is also an update on three recent air medical transport crashes and a First Response Interview of Edward Wimmer and P.J. Rabice the Co-Founder and Director of Marketing Respectively for RoadID.

Scott Kunkel has been involved in transport medicine for the past twenty three years and has worked for a variety of organizations in both clinical and leadership positions. His experience includes pre-hospital emergency ALS, critical care ground transport, and rotor wing and fixed wing air medical transport. Scott holds a MBA with a concentration in Healthcare Administration and a Bachelor’s of Science Degree. He is a Certified Medical Transport Executive, Certified Flight Registered Nurse, and Flight Paramedic-Certified.

Scott is currently employed with air medical organizations in Ohio and Michigan. He is a site surveyor for the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems and maintains memberships in the American College of Healthcare Executives, The Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development through the American Hospital Association, and a number of clinical associations.

Scott is an item writer for the Board for Critical Care Transport Paramedic Certification and is a member of the Advisory Board for RSQ911 Solutions LLC, an organization that is dedicated to improving service and operational performance of critical care transport providers. Scott hales from Toledo, Ohio and currently is residing in Medina, Ohio.

Edward Wimmer is the 32 year old Co-Founder of Road ID which was started with his father, Mike Wimmer, out of his dad's basement. As the de facto CEO of Road ID, he oversees all of the day-to-day operations of the company while focusing on their long-range initiatives and budgeting.

P.J. Rabice is the 37 yr old Director of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships at Road ID. He spends the majority of his time managing the advertising and PR agencies as the company identifies new opportunities for growth, overseeing the company's social media presence, and working with their brand ambassadors. Prior to coming to Road ID he worked for a sports marketing agency as Account Director.

This recording was done as part of the Kansas Cyclist Podcast, which I do in collaboration with Randy Rasa the webmaster for the KansasCyclist.com website. I wanted to play a portion of their interview because Edward and P.J. are trying to get the word out to EMS agencies about looking for the RoadID Identification on athletes that they may need to treat. RoadID provides important health and emergency information and I have personally been a user and promotor of their product for 2 years now.

Kansas Cyclist Podcast Episode 21 - KansasCyclist.com and EPNetwork

2010-06-23T16:12:00.000-05:00

Episode 21 of the Kansas Cyclist Podcast for June 15, 2010 includes an interview of Andy Clarke who is the president of the of the League of American Bicyclists. We also, catch up with a few cyclists that are Biking Across Kansas during their tour, and finally we talk with the folks at RoadID about their personal identification products for cyclists.

Andy Clarke has more than 25 years of experience in cycling advocacy. He is currently the president of the League of American Bicyclists, whose mission is to promote bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation and work through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America. His past experience includes stints at the Rails to Trails Conservancy, the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals, the Bicycle Federation of America (now the National Center for Bicycling and Walking), and as a consultant to the Federal Highway Administration.

Andy’s passion for cycling started when he was growing up in England, and has stayed with him through hundreds of thousands of miles of cycling on four continents. He is recognized as a policy expert on almost every aspect of bicycling, and still enjoys a tough climb on his Trek touring bike better than anything else.

After the Bike League released their recent Bicycle Friendly State rankings, in which Kansas made a huge leap, from the 33rd most bike-friendly state, to the 13th. Although this was great news for bicycling in Kansas, we were frankly a bit puzzled by the big jump.
Andy fills us in on how the Bicycle Friendly State program works, as well as the related programs such as Bicycle Friendly Communities and Bicycle Friendly Businesses. We also discuss the League Cycling Instructor (LCI) program, which offers instructors and classes to help people ride their bikes safely and confidently on our roadways.

This is a fascinating discussion, and not just the details about how the programs work, but the larger picture, of how America as a whole is moving toward becoming a much better place to ride our bikes. This is an exciting time!

We’d like to welcome RoadID aboard as the latest sponsor of the Kansas Cyclist Podcast. In this episode we talk with RoadID co-founder Edward Wimmer (shown on the right) and Director of Marketing P.J. Rabice (left) about the RoadID a product line, how the company was started, and how their products benefit cyclists, runners, and other athletes.

RoadID is an innovative personal identification product that you wear around your wrist, around your neck, or attached to a shoe. In the event of an accident, if you can’t speak for yourself, your RoadID will. It contains all the information first responders, such as police and EMS, need to get you the medical attention you need, and to contact your loved ones.

RoadID has kindly provided gift certificates, which we’ll be passing along to podcast listeners in the coming months. We’re still working out the details, so stay tuned to upcoming episodes. In the meantime, check out the RoadID product line, which includes not just the wearable identification, but safety accessories such as lighting and reflective products, as well as RoadID apparel.

Both Randy and Ed, co-hosts of the Kansas Cyclist Podcast, have been RoadID customers for a long time, and neither of us will go for a ride without this critical piece of safety equipment. We think it’s that important.

The Biking Across Kansas tour wrapped up their week-long ride across the Sunflower state last weekend, and the podcast team got the chance to ride along for part of one day. In our “On The Scene” segment, we check in with BAK riders Mark and David Rainey, Robert Garcia, and Tim Oberle and let them share a bit about their experiences on the tour.

Pictured left to right are Robert Garcia, Tim Oberle, Randy Rasa, Mark Rainey, David Rainey, and Ed Eroe

This post is copied and adopted from Randy Rasa's Show Notes for Episode 21 of the Kansas Cyclist Podcast.

Air Medical Today Episode 21 - EPNetwork

2010-06-15T07:38:00.000-05:00

Episode 21 of the Air Medical Today Podcast has been published. In this episode I interview Tammy Chatman, who is the Professional Relations/Marketing Manager and Public Information Officer for the Flight For Life Transport System's McHenry, Illinois base who will be talking about Public Relations and Marketing. There is also an update on the CareFlite crash on June 2, 2010.

Tammy has 20 years experience in the air medical industry as a Professional Relations/Marketing Manager and Public Information Officer for the Flight For Life Transport System's McHenry, Illinois base. She is the vice chair of the AAMS Communications and Public Relations Committee and the Region 5 Director of the National Information Officers Association.

Tammy has presented on local, regional and national level on topics ranging from helicopter safety, post accident/incident planning, to patient/family advocacy. In 2006 she authored the chapter on "Post Accident/Incident Planning" for Principles and Direction of Air Medical Transport.

Tammy graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville with a bachelor of science degree in 1981 and obtained her CMTE from the Medical Transport Leadership Institute in 2008. She lives in Eagle, WI with her horse Dante and dog Cyrus. Tammy travels to the Western United States to hike and snowshoe any time the opportunity arises.

Air Medical Today Episode 20 - EPNetwork

2010-06-07T21:24:00.002-05:00

Episode 20 of the Air Medical Today Podcast has been published. In this episode I interview of Steve Johnson, Director of Government Affairs and Industry Relations for PHI Air Medical who talks about EMS and Air Medical Education. There is also an update on the CareFlite crash on June 2, 2010.

Prior to joining PHI Steve was the Director of Business Development at Clarian Health and was employed previous to that as the Director of Clarian Critical Care Transport and LifeLine. LifeLine is the transport service for the third largest health system in the United States and they provide rotor wing, fixed wing, and ground transportation services.

Steve first became involved in healthcare through the Skyland Volunteer Fire Service in 1988. His first entry into critical care transport came as a Paramedic and Communications Specialist with Mission Hospitals in Asheville, North Carolina in the early 1990s, eventually serving on several steering committees for the North Carolina Office of EMS, authoring a portion of the EMS Instructor curriculum, and helping write the guidelines for Critical Care Transport for the state.

He served as Chief Flight Paramedic at the University of North Carolina Hospitals and helped to further develop the critical care ground transport program for the hospital, and then worked as a transport nurse and EMS Coordinator for Duke Life Flight. In each of these roles Steve served on several state and national committees involved in shaping EMS education.

Education has always been a passion for Steve. He was a full time EMS Faculty Member at A-B Tech Community College teaching in the Associate Degree and Continuing Education programs. He also served as the Director of the Center for Pre-hospital Medicine helping with the first academy program for EMT to Paramedic education for the Mecklenburg, North Carolina EMS which had a 100% pass rate on the North Carolina Paramedic exam.

Steve also created the AAMS Medical Transport Educator Special Interest Group and served on the AAMS Education Committee for nearly 9 years. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Winston Salem State University in 2000 and his Masters in Health Sciences and Clinical Leadership, with Minor in Instructional Technology, from Duke University School of Medicine in 2002.

Steve lives in Jonesborough, Tennessee with his fiance Katie Lloyd

Air Medical Today Episode 19 - EPNetwork

2010-05-22T04:50:00.000-05:00

Episode 19 of the Air Medical Today Podcast has been published. In this episode I interview Mike Biasatti, the Founder and Webmaster of EMS Flight Crew - a New Web Portal Serving the Air Medical Community.

Mike is from Hayward, California and has his degree in Professional Aeronautics from the Emory-Riddle Aeronautical University. He started flight training at Helicopters Unlimited in 1989 and completed work at the Sierra Academy in 1994. Mike has over 4,000 flight hours in a helicopter which include the Bell 412, Bell 212, MD-900, B0-105, Bell 206, Hughs 500, Robinson22, and the Enstron F28A.

Since 2003 Mike has been an IFR Captain with Air Methods Corporation, flying for San Antonio AIRLIFE, where he pilots their Bell 430. He had previously flown for PHI, Economy Rotor Aid, and Keystone and then was hired by Air Methods on the contract with Miami Children’s Hospital in 2002.

Mike has been a board member of the National EMS Pilots Association since 2009 and has been the author of a several articles published in the Rotorcraft Professional and HeliOps Magazines.

He started EMS Flight Crew in May 2009.

Kansas Cyclist Podcast Episode 20 - KansasCyclist.com and EPNetwork

2010-05-20T16:19:00.000-05:00

Episode 20 of the Kansas Cyclist Podcast includes an interview of David Williams who is the sponsor and faculty adviser for the Newton High School Student and Faculty Bike Club and who uses cycling as a means to better health and well being.

We also check in with Brent Hugh, the Executive Director of the Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation, regarding the efforts to have the State of Missouri continue to fund the Tour of Missouri Professional Bicycle Race.

David “Mr. Bill” Williams is a speech and debate teacher at Newton High School in Newton, Kansas. David has a really interesting and compelling personal story — he had been morbidly obese since elementary school, maxing out at weighing 370 pounds, and eventually it began to catch up with him with diabetes, alcoholism, liver disease.

At this point, David made a decision to take control of his life. He stopped drinking and began to watch what he ate, the pounds began to come off, and when he added cycling on a stationary bike, he began to see real improvements. When he got bored with pedaling indoors, David took to his son’s mountain bike and began riding outdoors, and found he loved it. Eventually, David dropped more than 130 pounds and greatly improved his health.

In September of 2008 he started the Newton High School Student and Faculty Bike Club, which is the only high school cycling club in the state. David teaches his students about bicycle safety and bicycle maintenance, and leads group rides on trails and streets in Newton. The bike club only officially meets once a month for rides during the last hour of the day, but there are many more rides that take place outside of school among students and faculty.

It’s great to see a program like this launch in Kansas, and we’re hoping it proves to be a model for other schools — getting kids out on their bikes and promoting a safe, healthy, and active lifestyle.
You can follow David on his blog, Cycling & CX, or contact him on Facebook or Twitter.

In the “On The Scene” segment of the podcast, we get an update on the Tour of Missouri from Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation Executive Director, Brent Hugh. Brent’s been part of the Tour since the beginning, and no one is more knowledgeable about the race, or is a bigger fan.

You can show your support for the Tour of Missouri by following it on Facebook, signing the petition, or, especially, by contacting Governor Nixon at 573-751-3222 or http://governor.mo.gov/contact, and the Division of Tourism at 573-751-4133 or tourism@ded.mo.gov.

This post is copied and adopted from Randy Rasa's Show Notes for Episode 20 of the Kansas Cyclist Podcast.

Air Medical Today Episode 18 - EPNetwork

2010-05-15T22:07:00.002-05:00

Episode 18 of the Air Medical Today Podcast has been published. In this episode I interview Dustin Duncan, Chairperson of the Family Grant Fund and Children’s Scholarship Program Committees for the MedEvac Foundation International.

Dustin H. Duncan, RN, CEN, CMTE began his career in EMS as a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician while attending high school in south eastern South Dakota. As an EMT, he was exposed to air medical transport which ultimately played a large part in his pursuit of becoming a flight nurse.

After three years of working in the Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Department and in a Burn Unit as an RN, Dustin became a flight nurse with Mercy Flight in north central Montana. Since Mercy, he has worked as a chief flight nurse, flight program manager, and interim roles as an Emergency Department Director in Montana and western Colorado. In January 2010, Dustin became the Clinical Services Manager with AirLink Critical Care Transport in Bend, Oregon.

He currently serves on the board of directors for the MedEvac Foundation International and serves as the Chairperson of the Family Grant Fund and Children’s Scholarship Program Committees. Dustin previously served on the board of directors for the Association of Air Medical Services and the Colorado Organization of Nurse Leaders.

Outside of work, Dustin’s free time is spent with his family and enjoying a passion for unique classic cars. This includes his fully restored 1956 Cadillac Ambulance that frequents many parades and car shows. I have not seen this gem in person but in viewing many pictures that he posts it is in mint condition.

Dustin’s wife and two boys, 9 & 11, will be making the move to Bend later in May after school is out.

Air Medical Today Episode 17 - EPNetwork

2010-05-01T16:20:00.001-05:00

Episode 17 of the Air Medical Today Podcast has been published. In this episode I interview Krista Haugen, Megan Hamilton, and Teresa Pearson who are the co-founders of the Survivor's Network for Air & Surface Medical Transport.

Krista Haugen, has 20 years of nursing experience from working as an Emergency Room nurse at the Tacoma General Hospital in Tacoma, Washington and the Harborview Medical Center Level I Trauma Center in Seattle, Washington, and as an Intensive Care Unit nurse with the Harborview Burn Center and Pediatric ICU.

She worked as a flight nurse with Airlift Northwest for six years from 2000 to 2006 where she was involved in a crash off the roof of St. Peter’s Hospital in Olympia, Washington in 2005.

Krista is a 1991 graduate of the Pacific Lutheran University with a Bachelors of Science in nursing and the University of Washington - Tacoma in 1998 with a masters in nursing.

She served as the Chair of AirLift Northwest Safety Committee, post crash, and is a recipient of the peer-nominated Airlift Northwest Fleetwood-Riebe Award in 2007, which recognizes the outstanding nurse of the year.

Presently Krista is a traveling ER nurse splitting time between Hawaii and Seattle.

Megan Hamilton has worked in the EMS field since 1993 as a first responder, Emergency Medical Technician, and as a Paramedic. She has worked with Baldwin, Kansas EMS; the Emergency Department at Stormont Vail Regional Medical Center in Topeka, Kansas; the Shawnee Mission Medical Center in Shawnee Mission, Kansas; American Medical Response in Topeka, Kansas; Yellowstone Park Medical Services in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming; and St. John’s Medical Center in Jackson, Wyoming.

Megan completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1997 from Baker University in Baldwin, Kansas and has worked as a flight nurse with StarCare Air Ambulance in Lincoln, Nebraska; ALERT Air Ambulance in Kalispell, Montana where she was a member of the Safety Committee; and REACH Air Medical Services in Corvallis, Oregon.

Teresa Pearson is trained as an RN and Paramedic and became a flight nurse with EagleMed based in Hayes, Kansas in 2001. In 2003 she started at LifeTeam based in Great Bend, Kansas where she was a Base Manager for three years and Program Development Manager for an additional three years until August 2007 when she was involved in a crash.

Teresa now flies part time with LifeTeam and is the Emergency Room Coordinator at the Clay County Medical Center in Clay Center, Kansas. She will be graduating from Tabor College with her Bachelors of Science in Nursing in May 2010 and will be starting in an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner program in the Spring of 2011.

Teresa lives in Longford, Kansas with her husband Shane, who is a retired flight paramedic and is currently a Fire Fighter and a Mobile Intensive Care Technician with the Salina Fire Department. They have a blended family of 5 sons and 2 daughters between the ages of 23 and 8.

Kansas Cyclist Podcast Episode 19 - KansasCyclist.com and EPNetwork

2010-04-29T12:32:00.000-05:00

Episode 19 of the Kansas Cyclist Podcast features an interview of attorney Alvin Wolff, Jr., who’s written a book called The Total Guide for Motorcycle & Bicycle Accident Victims in Missouri and the Seven Mistakes that Can Sink Your Claim.

His law firm, Alvin Wolff Jr. & Associates from St. Louis, Missouri, specializes in personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death and work related injuries, but Wolff, who is an avid cyclist and former motorcyclist, has a special interest in cases involving bicycles.

When someone is injured in an accident, she or he usually doesn’t have any previous experience on which to draw, to understand how to talk to insurance adjusters, whether to sign insurance company forms, or when to hire a lawyer.

Every cyclist should have some familiarity with bicycle laws, and some sense of what they should do in case an accident does happen, and this is what’s covered in Wolff’s book, and what we discuss in this fascinating podcast interview. You can learn more at his web site at Alvin Wolff Jr. & Associates and be sure to check out his blog for frequent news and tips.

You can request a free copy of The Total Guide for Motorcycle & Bicycle Accident Victims in Missouri and the Seven Mistakes that Can Sink Your Claim on his website or your can order the book on Amazon.com.

If you’re involved in an accident on your bicycle, and you’ve been injured, you need to be aware of your rights and responsibilities. If you’re in doubt, get legal council, and if you’re not sure who to contact, Wolff can provide referrals to attorneys in your area with knowledge of bicycle law.

This post is copied and adopted from Randy Rasa's Show Notes for Episode 19 of the Kansas Cyclist Podcast.

Air Medical Today Episode 16 - EPNetwork

2010-04-24T04:42:00.001-05:00

Episode 16 of the Air Medical Today Podcast has been published. In this episode I interview Dr. Kevin Hutton, Chairman of the MedEvac Foundation International.

Kevin Hutton is a practicing, Board Certified, Emergency Physician and the Founder, CEO, and Chairman of Golden Hour Data Systems, Inc. He began his career in 1980 as an ambulance driver then progressed into becoming an academic emergency physician, flight physician, air medical researcher, operational medical director, and the San Diego County EMS system quality assurance committee chairman.

Dr. Hutton is recognized for his expertise in teaching, clinical research, privacy and compliance management, medical transport reimbursement, and the application of integrated information systems to transport medicine. He is a founding and past board member of the Air Medical Physician Association, Past Secretary and Board Member of Association of Air Medical Services, and the current Chairman of the MedEvac Foundation International.

In 2006, Kevin was recognized as a finalist for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for his creation and growth of Golden Hour Data Systems, Inc. He founded and grew Golden Hour, a company with 160 employees that provides air medical and ground transport services including integrated computer aided dispatch, transfer center integration, clinical charting, quality assurance, billing, collections, and data analytics. This is all done via Internet based on Software-as-a Service or SaaS, throughout the United States. Dr. Hutton has been awarded several US patents on these technologic innovations.

Kevin was also the recipient of the Marriott-Carlson Award in 2008. This is the air medical industries highest award for individual contribution to the air medical community. He has been an invited speaker both nationally and internationally on medical transport reimbursement, medical transport research, and has been an advisor to the Japanese in the financing of their HEM-Net air medical network.

Dr. Hutton is also the Medical Director of the Cat Cay Medical Clinic in the Bahamas and is a volunteer physician with the Aeromedicos bush pilots that operates a medical clinic in Baja California.

Kevin has two sons, age 20 and 17, and lives in Del Mar, California. He enjoys sailing, snowboarding, and carpentry.

Air Medical Today Episode 15 - EPNetwork

2010-04-16T18:23:00.000-05:00

Episode 15 of the Air Medical Today Podcast has been published. In this episode I interview Hayden Newton, the Chairman of the Association of Air Ambulances in the United Kingdom. I also provide an update on the Iceland Volcano and News and Information from the air medical community and industry.

Hayden Newton is currently the Chief Executive of the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust where he was appointed in February 2008. He was the former operational manager at Peterborough ambulance station before taking up a directorship with the Scottish Ambulance Service in 1988.

Hayden returned to England as Director of Performance for the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Ambulance Service in 2000 and was then appointed Chief Executive of Kent Ambulance Service in 2003. After Kent, Hayden moved to a national post at the Department of Health leading the Call Connect initiative.

Hayden has a post graduate diploma from the University of Glasgow in Management studies and is a paramedic. He lives with his wife and son in Cambridge.

Air Medical Today Episode 14 - EPNetwork

2010-04-09T11:34:00.000-05:00

Episode 14 of the Air Medical Today Podcast has been published. In this episode I interview Rollie Parrish, founder and webmaster of FlightWeb.com. I also provide News and Information from the air medical community and industry.

Rollie Parrish worked as a flight nurse for 13 years with HelpFlight in Billings, Montana and Northwest MedStar in Spokane, Washington. He now works in Quality Improvement and Clinical Informatics with a primary focus on cardiac services at the Providence Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane.

Rollie started FlightWeb in 1995 to help individuals in the air medical community communicate using new innovative technologies. In addition to FlightWeb he assists with a number of other websites including the Air Medical Physician Association, the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems, the Concern Network, and the Association of Professional Flight Chaplains.

Rollie is a graduate of the Walla Walla Community College Nursing School and is currently pursuing studies at the Washington State University. He lives in Spokane, Washington with his wife and three teenage boys. Rollie is from Trout Lake, Washington, which is small town north of Portland, Oregon, and has now lived in Spokane for 15 years.

Kansas Cyclist Podcast Episode 18 - KansasCyclist.com and EPNetwork

2010-04-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

Episode 18 of the Kansas Cyclist Podcast features an interview with Eric Benjamin of Adventure Monkey, a bicycling blog covering the Flint Hills of Kansas.

Eric Benjamin started the Adventure Monkey blog last summer as a way to document and share his rides in the Flint Hills of Kansas. “I am a professional photographer that fell in love with cycling,” Eric says. “At Adventure Monkey, I share my cycling adventures and photography in hopes that I may inspire you to remember your dreams and live the life you have always wanted to live, no excuses or regrets. It’s time to live.”

The Adventure Monkey web site is also where Eric sells his amazing photographs. Be sure to check out the Adventure Monkey Image Portfolio for some examples of his work, which you can also purchase on paper or canvas.

In just a few short months the blog grew in popularity and readership, and soon expanded. In March, Adventure Monkey Magazine was born. This is a full-color, professionally-produced publication, and issue #1 focuses on Kansas Cycling, with a special focus on the challenges and rewards of bicycling in winter.

The magazine features articles from an amazing variety of contributors, including Anne Marie Garrett (ride like a girl), Shawn Honea (IM Design Group), Robert Garcia (River City Cyclist), LeLan Dains (The Life of LeLan), Rebecca Martin (Get Spoked), Matt and Stephanie Brown (High Gear Cyclery), Garret Seacat (Seagato), Mike Wise (The Vertically Challenged Mountain Biker), Adam Didde (Adamthedad), Rob White (Maverick Enterprises), Bobby Wintle (something to write home about) and Randy Rasa (DirtBum).

You can read issue one of the magazine online (PDF) or purchase a hard-copy from MagCloud. Eric hopes to offer subscriptions in the future

In addition to the web site and magazine, you can also follow Adventure Monkey on Facebook and Twitter.

For this episode’s “On The Scene” segment, I interview my partner with the podcast, Randy Rasa, about a recent week-long trip he took to Arkansas. You might have seen some of the posts that came from that trip (Cyclo-Tourist Outlasts Winter and Eureka Springs: Naturally Bicycle Friendly), but Randy put together a full write-up on his personal blog, DirtBum, with lots of photos and descriptions of the places he explored. Yeah, you might say his Adventure Monkey led him to Arkansas …

It was a fun trip for him, but there was a lot of climbing in the Ozark Mountains, way more uphill than the flatlands he is accustomed to! Read more at DirtBum’s Arkansas Adventure.

Incidentally, you can also follow the DirtBum blog on Facebook and Twitter, as well as subscribe via RSS or email.

This post is copied and adopted from Randy's Show Notes for Episode 18 of the Kansas Cyclist Podcast.

Air Medical Today Episode 13 - EPNetwork

2010-04-03T16:06:00.000-05:00

Episode 13 of the Air Medical Today Podcast has been published. In this episode I interview Steven Sweeney, Board Chair of the Air Medical Memorial. I also provide an update to the Hospital Wing crash and other News & Information.

Steven Sweeney, Board Chair of the Air Medical Memorial, works as a Marketing, Creative and Art Director in the Denver metropolitan area. He has worked in the architectural and engineering, aviation and healthcare industries, including acting as Investor Relations Manger at Air Methods Corporation, in the early 1990s.

Steven grew up around the Flight For Life Colorado program in Denver and made many friends with members of the team. His interest in the air medical industry began with a tour of the Flight For Life program back in 1973 at the age of five. Both Steven and his brother Kevin lost a friend, Sandy Sigman, when their Flight For Life helicopter went down on Huron Peak in Colorado in July 1994. Steven’s brother also lost friends and colleagues when AirLife Denver crashed in Littleton Colorado in December 1997. Kevin worked at AirLife for 9 years as a dispatcher.

Those two crashes inspired the brothers to start developing the concept of a national memorial honoring the air medical industry. After 8 separate crashes and the loss of 24 air medical crew members in 2008, Steven started the Air Medical Memorial group on Facebook in January of 2009 to create awareness within the industry and gain support from the friends, family members, and coworkers of those lost in the line of duty.

Steven lives in Littleton, Colorado with his wife and two children.

Air Medical Today Episode 12 - EPNetwork

2010-03-27T07:22:00.000-05:00

Episode 12 of the Air Medical Today Podcast has been published. In this episode I interview David Kearns, the Coordinator of the CONCERN Network. I also check in with Tim Pickering, Vice President of the Association of Air Medical Services, regarding the AAMS Spring Conference in the First Response section. News & Information and the initial reports from the Hospital Wing crash in Tennessee.

David Kearns is the Clinical Coordinator at Flight for Life Colorado which is based at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Denver, Colorado. He has been a flight nurse since 1981 and has served in several positions at Flight for Life Colorado since 1988.

David has been the Coordinator of the CONCERN Network since the retirement of the late Roseanne Krantz in 2004. He helped move the CONCERN Network, in conjunction with Rollie Parrish from Flightweb, to the current e-mail system notification system from the older fax-based one in 2000.

David is the current Region II board member of the Association of Air Medical Services and a past board member of the Air & Surface Transport Nurses Association from 1998 to 2002. He served as president from 2001-2002. David has delivered presentations on physiologic monitoring, post-of-care technology, prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia, and the history of the CONCERN Network at past Air Medical Transport Conferences and Clinical Midyear Meetings.

He graduated from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska in 1981 with a bachelors in science in nursing and from University of Colorado in 1994 in Denver, Colorado with a masters in nursing. David lives in Lakewood, Colorado and has interests in things historical, things that fly, fitness, and computer technology.

David will become a regular contributor to the Air Medical Today Podcast where he will provide updates on the CONCERN Network.

Tim Pickering is currently the Vice President and Region III Board Member of the Association of Air Medical Services and the Director of Public Affairs for Air Evac EMS, Inc. in West Plains, Missouri.

Tim is going to be a regular contributor to the Air Medical Today Podcast with a feature called the Commindustry Update where he will provide an overview of trends in the air medical and critical transport community and industry.

I want to extend Air Medical Today's deepest sympathy, thoughts and prayers to the crew, family, and friends of the Hospital Wing program after their tragic crash on March 25, 2010.

Air Medical Today Episode 11 - EPNetwork

2010-03-14T17:31:00.003-05:00

Episode 11 of the Air Medical Today Podcast has been published. In this episode I interview Denise Landis, Chairperson, and Kris Nelson, Co-Director of the Graduate School, with the Medical Transport Leadership Institute in Wheeling, West Virginia. I also check in with Kathy Nichols, former flight nurse with West Michigan Air Care who recently returned from a medical mission to Haiti in the First Response section. As always news & information, listener feedback, and soon a special feature covering various aspects of the air medical and critical care transport community in each episode.

Denise Landis, is the Manager, of the Survival Flight Critical Care Transport program at the University of Michigan Health System as well as serving as Chair of the Medical Transport Leadership Institute. She has been with Survival Flight for 25 years holding the positions of Flight Nurse Specialist, Chief Flight Nurse, and now Manager, Critical Care Transport. Denise has been the Chairperson of MTLI since it’s inception.

Denise has been actively involved in local, state and national boards and committees including being one of the founding members of the Michigan State Chapter of AAMS. She continues involvement with the Michigan Chapter and also with the state chapter of the American Ambulance Association. Denise also served on the AAMS Board of Directors and is a past president.

She is a graduate of Madonna College in nursing and completed her Masters of Science in Health Administration from Central Michigan University and resides in Hamburg, Michigan, near Ann Arbor, with her husband Scott.

Kris Nelson is a Flight Nurse Specialist with Survival Flight and also the Co-Director of the MTLI Graduate School. He has been with Survival Flight since 1987 and joined MTLI after completing the school himself in 2000.

Kris received his diploma as a registered nurse from Mercy School of Nursing in Detroit in 1976. He worked at various positions in Michigan Washington, and Florida before being hired by the University of Michigan in 1985 where he first worked as a staff nurse in the Emergency Department. His interest grew for the field of flight nursing and in March of 1987 he met all the qualifications and was hired by Survival Flight.

In 2006, Kris was honored to be a guest speaker at the Japanese Air Medical Conference in Tokyo, Japan. While in Japan, Kris visited a number of cities and spoke with many groups of physicians, nurses and medical transport personnel about his experiences with flight nursing in the United States.

Kris has been married to his wife Michele for 30 years and they have raised two sons, Matthew and Emmett. Michele and Kris currently live in a log home on five wooded acres approximately 30 miles from Ann Arbor. He enjoys working on his property, running, snowboarding, and most importantly spending time with his family. He has a unique Twitter client that he uses at AMTC.

Kathy Nichols is a retired flight nurse from West Michigan Air Care in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She joined West Michigan Air Care when the program was formed through the merger of the Borgess and Bronson Hospital helicopter programs in 1993. She had been a flight nurse for 23 years and served as an emergency department nurse for 20 years prior to her flight nurse career. She continues serving as an instructor for PALS and ACLS. Kathy is in the blue scrubs 3rd from the left in the picture.

Kathy’s current goal is traveling independently with various groups for medical care missions in developing countries. Her recent travels have included Tanzania in November 2009 and Haiti in late February and early March 2010.

She is a graduate of the Borgess School of Nursing and Western Michigan University with degrees in nursing. Kathy is a past president of the National Flight Nurses Association - Michigan Chapter. I had the honor and privilege of working with Kathy when I was the President & CEO of West Michigan Air Care from 1993-1998.

Kansas Cyclist Podcast - Episode 17

2010-03-08T17:17:00.000-06:00

Episode 17 of the Kansas Cyclist Podcast features a look at the Topeka Community Cycle Project, a community bicycle workshop that will offer cyclists a place to work on their bikes, learn about bicycle repair and maintainable, and even earn a bike of their own.

Randy Rasa and I talk with founder Robert Fitzgerald, a law student at Topeka’s Washburn University, who launched the project this winter. Robert modeled the idea after similar bike co-ops from around the country, which offer cyclists a place to work on their bikes, learn about bicycle repair and maintenance, and even earn a bike of their own through the innovative “earn-a-bike” program, in which a person invests 10 hours volunteering at the shop and earns shop credit. That credit can be turned in for a bicycle of their choosing from the inventory. Then that person works with a shop mechanic to overhaul the bicycle to make it fully functioning — in the process learning how to repair and maintain their bicycle. After the bike passes a safety checklist they can take it with them. At this point the person has invested in the shop and in themselves and has a functioning bicycle for transportation. If they run into any mechanical issues with the bicycle in the future, they have the skills to repair it and they have a space at the shop and access to the tools necessary to complete the repairs.

When the Topeka Community Cycle Project officially opens this spring, it will be the only such community bike shop in the state of Kansas. They’re currently accepting donations of bicycles, components, tires, tools, accessories — basically anything bicycle-related, they can find a use for. You can contact them via email at topeka@cycleproject.org, via their web site, cycleproject.org, or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

For this episode’s “On The Scene” segment, we’re doing something a different. This time out, the scene is a hospital bed, where we talk with Chris Love, who suffered a broken leg and broken arm in a bicycle accident in late February. We bring you this story not because there’s anything really unusual in Chris’s story (other than, perhaps, his incredibly positive attitude and determination to get back on the bike), but because this type of accident — in Chris’s case, a wheel slipping on a wet board on an innocuous-looking bridge on an easy paved trail, with no cars or other cyclists involved — happens more often than we care to admit. Even for someone like Chris — a fit and experienced mountain biker, with a well-maintained bicycle, riding on familiar trails — things can happen quickly, with devastating consequences. Makes you think.

Chris is facing a long period of rehab, but he’s looking forward to riding again. You’ll want to listen to his story, and perhaps hit him up with a few words of encouragement at chris1281982@gmail.com or on Facebook.

Air Medical Today - Episode 10

2010-03-05T09:14:00.000-06:00

Episode 10 of the Air Medical Today Podcast has been published. In this episode I interview Dr. Daniel Hankins, Medical Director of Mayo Clinic Medical Transport and current President of the Association of Air Medical Services and Dawn Mancuso, the Executive Director & CEO of AAMS. In the First Response section of the podcast I check in with David Kearns regarding the discontinuation of the Alaris MedSystem III Multi-Channel Infusion Pump by CareFusion and some grass-roots work that he is doing in response.

Dr. Hankins has been serving as the Medical Director of the Mayo Clinic Medical Transport since 1991 and as the President of AAMS since October 2009. He also has been serving as an Emergency Physician Consultant with the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Mayo Clinic since 1991. Dan is boarded in both Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine and did his training at the University of Minnesota. He attended medical school at the University of Pittsburgh and did his undergraduate work at George Washington University in Washington, DC in Anthropology.

Dr. Hankins served as the Chairperson of the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems from 1997-2000 and the Chairperson of the Minnesota Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board from 2000-2004

Dan is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and lives in Oronoco, Minnesota with his wife, Joan who is a flight nurse. They have 6 children and step-children and 6 grandchildren. Joan and he also have their own rural cat rescue shelter with 13 cats on their 6 acre property.

Dawn Mancuso is the Executive Director and CEO of the Association of Air Medical Services, where she has been responsible for overseeing the association’s move to the Washington, DC area and transitioning the association’s structure and services to meet the industry’s changing needs. She also serves as executive director and chief executive officer for the MedEvac Foundation International.

Dawn received her CAE (Certified Association Executive) designation from the American Society of Association Executives or ASAE in 1992. She has an undergraduate degree in International Relations from Georgetown University and a Masters Degree in Association Management from George Washington University. Dawn has been an active member of ASAE and the Greater Washington Society of Association Executives or GWSAE and is a past member of the Board of Directors of ASAE.

Dawn is a past winner of GWSAE’s Monument Award, ASAE’s Diamond Award of Excellence, and the Associations Advance America Summit Award. She is a frequent presenter at association management conferences, and has been published in magazines such as Association, Executive Update, and other non-profit management publications. She is the author of one of the chapters of Professional Practices in Association Management, a textbook for those in the association management profession. In March of 2001, she was named a Fellow of the American Society of Association Executives.

Dawn has worked in the association management field since 1982. She has held positions with other associations such as the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, the Educational Dealers and Suppliers Association International, the National School Supply and Equipment Association, and the International Chiropractic Association.

In her spare time, she has volunteered as an usher for the Washington Shakespeare Theatre, and has served on the board of several community non-profits, including PAL, an organization that promotes the human-animal bond through sponsoring pet therapy visits to nursing homes, veterans homes and hospitals, the Association Foundation Group (AFG), and MetroPets, an organization created to promote the adoption of homeless animals and the well-being of companion animals in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area.

In the First Response section of the podcast I check in with David Kearns who is the Clinical Coordinator for Flight For Life Colorado, the Region II Director for the Association of Air Medical Services, and the Coordinator of the CONCERN Network. I discuss with David the recent announcement regarding the discontinuation of the Alaris MedSystem III Multi-Channel Infusion Pump by CareFusion and some grass-roots work that he is doing in response.

Air Medical Today - Episode 9

2010-02-17T23:08:00.000-06:00

Episode 9 of the Air Medical Today Podcast has been published. In this episode I interview Mr. Howard Ragsdale, President, and Mr. Christopher Eastlee, Managing Director, of the Air Medical Operators Association. There is also News & Information and an update on the Southwest Med Evac crash on February 5, 2010.

Howard Ragsdale is the Vice President of Business Development at Air Methods Corporation located in Englewood, Colorado. Besides serving as the current President of the Air Medical Operators Association, he serves on the Board of Managers of The Center for Medical Transport Research and is the industry representative to the Board of Directors for the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems.

After attending Southeastern Christian College and Eastern Kentucky University, Howard joined the US Army in 1970 and remained on active duty until 1978. He is a commercial rated instrument pilot in both fixed and rotor-wing aircraft and has served in various positions in the air medical industry to include line pilot, Director of Operations and Business Development.

Howard is known for his innovative leadership in both traditional and community based services and unwavering commitment to quality. He lives with his wife Terri, who is the EMS Manager for American Eurocopter, and is currently in transition from Phoenix, AZ to their new home in Parker, Colorado. Howard and Terri have a combined family of 4 grown children with 5 grandchildren.

Christopher Eastlee is the Managing Director for the Air Medical Operators Association. His role is to help formulate policy on behalf of the members and provide association representation to various government agencies, the United States Congress, and other trade associations and policy groups. Previous to his current position, Chris served as the Government Relations Manager with the Association of Air Medical Services where he was the liaison to the Government Relations and Safety Committees. Through this service he became familiar with numerous issues, and spent much of his time on matters of aviation regulation and safety.

Chris began his Government Relations work at the Gencarelli Group, the government relations firm representing, among others, the Association of Air Medical Services. He was involved with numerous subject areas, including healthcare, insurance, homeland security, and national defense. During this time, Chris also gained extensive experience working with both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Chris is a graduate of the International Studies School at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois where he studied social and political issues from both a domestic and international perspective. He lives with his wife, Tara, in Alexandria, Virginia where they enjoy hiking, reading, music, and cooking together.

Air Medical Today - Episode 8

2010-02-13T14:05:00.000-06:00

Episode 8 of the Air Medical Today Podcast has been published. In this episode I interview Drs. Howard Werman and Cathy Janyes, the Medical Director and Director of Research for the new Center For Medical Transport Research. In the First Response section of the podcast I check in with Rex Alexander, the President Elect of the National EMS Pilots Association, on their new Helipad Safety Sign Program. There is also News & Information and more detailed information on the Southwest Med Evac crash on February 5, 2009.

Dr. Howard Werman is a Professor in the College of Medicine at The Ohio State University as well as the Medical Director for the MedFlight program. His extensive experience as a board-certified emergency physician has expanded to directing and consulting national and international efforts to improve emergency medical systems.

Dr. Werman has published extensively in the area of emergency care and critical care transport and in 2006 received the Barbara A. Hess Award from the Association for Air Medical Services in recognition of his significant contributions to the enhancement of the emergency medical industry through research and educational excellence.

Dr. Werman completed his undergraduate studies at Duke University, medical school at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and his emergency medicine residency at The Ohio State University. He lives in Bexley, Ohio with his wife and has three grown children.

Dr. Cathy Jaynes is an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado’s College of Nursing and brings years of experience in critical care transport leadership and flight nursing. Her doctoral studies focused on health services evaluation and research methods and her current research is focused on the provision of safe and effective critical care transport for rural underserved populations.

Dr. Jaynes received her Bachelors in Nursing from California State University in Fresno, California, her Masters in Community Health Nursing and Ph.D. in Nursing in Healthcare Systems Evaluation & Research Methods from The Ohio State University. She lives in Denver and has two grown children.

Mr. Rex Alexander has spent 34 years in aviation with 24 of those years in helicopters and 16 years in the air medical industry. Rex serves as the Regional Operations Manager for the Central United States for Omniflight Helicopters and is the President Elect of the National EMS Pilots Association, or NEMSPA. He is an Army veteran of 11 years.

Rex is also the Past President of the Indiana AAMS Chapter and is a member of the Helicopter Association International Heliport Committee. He has a consulting firm called RJ Alexander Consulting, LLC where he provides consulting for heliport design and safety.

Air Medical Today - Episode 7

2010-02-06T16:42:00.000-06:00

Episode 7 of the Air Medical Today Podcast has been published. In this episode I interview Tom Judge, Jason Schwebach, and Lisa Tofil, the President, Vice President, and Executive Director of the new Association of Critical Care Transport (ACCT), formerly the Patient First Air-Ambulance Alliance (PFAA). I also provide general News & Information and the initial report on the Southwest Medevac crash in New Mexico. Please go to the podcast Show Notes for links to the stories.

Tom Judge serves as the Executive Director of LifeFlight of Maine, a non-profit hospital consortium based helicopter critical care system, serving the entire state of Maine. In addition he serves as the Executive Director of the LifeFlight Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization that funds aviation infrastructure and outreach education services to hospital and EMS providers in Maine. Tom is a practicing paramedic where he has served for over 30 years with the St. George Volunteer Fire Ambulance.

Tom brings a thirty year background in pre-hospital emergency medical services in roles from provider to system planner/regulator. He is the former Board Chair of Maine EMS, the State Regulatory and Licensing Agency. He currently serves on the Board of the MedEvac Foundation International as Treasurer and is a past President of the Association of Air Medical Services. Tom also serves on the Joint Helicopter Safety Implementation Team, one of two work groups of the International Helicopter Safety Team. He is a member of the Air Medial Safety Advisory Council and is a 2003 Jim Charlson Award recipient.

Tom is an active professional member of the National Association of EMS Physicians, a faculty member of the National Medical Directors Course and Practicum, and serves on the Editorial Board of the Emergency Medicine Journal. He is a graduate of Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin in English and received his paramedic training at Kennebec Valley Technical College. Tom lives with his wife Susan in Port Clyde, Maine and is serving as the President of ACCT.

Jason Schwebach is currently the Assistant Vice President for Carolinas Healthcare System’s - MedCenter Air transport service. He has 17 years experience in Air Ambulance transport and previously worked as the Director for the air ambulance department of Providence Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska. Jason served 8 years as a Medevac pilot and healthcare administrator in the US Army, and for 7 years as a Combat Search and Rescue Pilot in the United States Air Force; including an assignment with the Alaska Air National Guard as a Senior Rescue Controller.

He is the immediate past president of the North Carolina Air-ambulance Affiliation, and was the recipient of the 2008 AAMS Program Director of the Year Award.

Jason holds a Bachelors degree in Biology from the University of Rio Grande, and a Masters degree in Business & Healthcare Management from the University of LaVerne. He is also a Certified Medical Transport Executive.
He lives Live in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife, and 2 children ages, 7 & 10.

Lisa Tofil is a Partner in the Holland and Knight Public Policy and Regulation Group. Her practice is focused on federal relations and policy in health care, emergency medical services, and transportation issues. She represents a number of health care organizations including trauma centers, hospitals and health systems, clinical laboratories, and air medical transport programs.

Lisa possesses an in−depth knowledge of the Medicaid and Medicare programs and in developing innovative opportunities to enhance state and federal funding for health care providers. She spent several years on Capitol Hill as a health care legislative assistant to Senator John Chafee (Republican−Rhode Island) and served on the staff of the House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Labor Management. Lisa also worked as the Government Relations Representative for Northwestern Memorial Hospital and as the Vice President for Government Relations at Carolinas Healthcare System.

In addition to the new association where she serves as Executive Director, she represents the Trauma Center Association of America, Advocates for EMS, the Safety Net Hospitals for Pharmaceutical Access Association, the Florida Hospital Association, the Clinical Laboratory Management Association, and a variety of health systems and medical groups.

Lisa received her Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of Vermont and her law degree from the Kent College of Law in Chicago, Illinois. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, 3 kids, 2 dogs. She also has 1 horse.

Birkie Web Today - Episode 9

2010-02-02T06:25:00.004-06:00

Episode 9 of the Birkie Web Today Podcast has been published. In this episode I interview Louis Muench, Vice President of the Cumberland Area Ski Touring Association, about his experience skiing in the inaugural BirkieTour. I also check in with fellow Birkie Buddies, Tim Burke and Mike Tarnow, who participated in the Noquemanon Ski Marathon in Marquette, Michigan this past Saturday in the On The Trail section of the podcast.

Louis Muench lives in Cumberland, Wisconsin where he works at Louie's Finer Meats owned by his family. He is the Vice President of the Cumberland Area Ski Touring Association, which maintains the Timberland Hills Ski Trails. Louis is responsible for updating trail conditions on the club’s website and their Facebook page.

In 2001 Louis completed the Kortelopet, but was first signed up for the race in 2000 which was the year it was canceled. In 2002 he completed his first Birkie and has participated each year ever since. Louis also participates in a number of other ski events each year including the Pre-Birkie and Book Across the Bay races.

As part of our On the Trail section of the podcast we will either be literally out on the Birkie Trail or on the scene for interviews. Today I check in with my fellow Birkie Buddies, Tim Burke and Mike Tarnow, who participated in the Noquemanon Ski Marathon this past Saturday, January 30th in Marquette, Michigan.

Tim (left) and Mike (right) have skied the Noque, as it is called, three times since the race began several years ago. This year Tim completed the 25K Freestyle event and Mike the 25K Classic race where he placed 4th overall for his age group.

Air Medical Today - Episode 6

2010-01-28T22:14:00.000-06:00

The Air Medical Today Podcast - Episode 6 has been published. In this episode I interview Mr. Lee Aase, Manager of Syndication and Social Media for the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and provide News and Information including a "First Response" Interview of Mr. Dave Hardin, Air Evac LifeTeam Director of Safety, on his work with the Haitian Air Medical Response.

Mr. Lee Aase's team’s focus is developing quality medical news resources for mainstream media, and using social media applications to create more in-depth, extended relationships directly with key stakeholders. You can see examples of Mayo Clinic’s social media offerings through the Mayo Clinic News Blog or at Sharing Mayo Clinic.

By night, Lee is the Chancellor of Social Media University - Global or SMUG, a free online higher education institution that provides practical, hands-on training in social media for lifelong learners.

Prior to joining Mayo Clinic in 2000, Lee spent more than a decade in political and government communications at the local, state and federal level. He received his B.S. in Political Science from Mankato State University in 1986.

Lee lives with his wife and 2 of his 6 children in Austin, Minnesota. His other 4 children are grown and Lee is also a grandfather.

For this episode’s First Response section of the podcast I talk with Mr. Dave Hardin, who is the Director of Safety for Air Evac LifeTeam. Dave has been in the Dominican Republic, at the request of Aero Ambulancia, to assist in their response to the Haitian Earthquake. Aero Ambulancia is the only air medical provider on the island of Hispaniola where the Dominican Republic and Haiti are located. I caught up with Dave from his office in West Plains, Missouri after he just got back from the Dominican Republic.

Air Medical Today - Episode 5

2010-01-23T17:47:00.000-06:00

The Air Medical TodayPodcast - Episode 5 has been published. In this episode I interview Mr. Jonathan Godfrey, a flight nurse, air medical crash survivor, and chair of the Vision Zero Initiative for the Association of Air Medical Services and provide News & Information including the Haitian Air Ambulance Response, and a "First Response" Interview of the Survival Flight Crew who transported two Patients from Haiti.

Jonathan Godfrey lives in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, next to the Chesapeake Bay but is originally from San Antonio, Texas. He took a nursing travel assignment in the Washington, DC area in 1996 and never expected to stay but found that he liked four seasons and their were great job opportunities to boot. He still describes himself as a south Texas man at heart, however.

Jonathan is the sole survivor of a January 10th, 2005 Life Evac 2 crash into the Potomac River in Washington, DC after dropping off a patient at the Washington Hospital Center. Pilot, Joseph Schaeffer and Flight Paramedic, Nicole Kielar were killed in the crash. Underwater, Johnathan made it to the surface, swam to the tail of the aircraft which was floating in the water and then held on in the freezing cold until he was rescued by Alexandria Fire & Rescue via boat and then flown to the Washington Hospital Center by the Maryland State Police Trooper 2 medevac helicopter. Over the next few days and weeks he learned of all his injuries which included a compound fracture of his right humerus, a sternum fracture, 2 right rib fractures, pulmonary contusion, substernal hematoma, 7 thoracic fractures, right shoulder dislocation with a Hill Sach’s lesion, sprained ankles, and severely bruised hips.

From that terrible ordeal, Jonathan has spoken around the country on air medical safety as the Chair of the Association of Air Medical Services Vision Zero Committee. He is also involved in the new Survivor's Network for Air & Surface Medical Transport with fellow air medical survivors, Megan Hamilton, Teresa Pearson, Krista Haugen.

When not speaking and lecturing he works as a flight nurse at one of the busiest pediatric /neonatal transport systems in the country.

Jonathan has three children, 2 girls and a boy ranging in age from 7 to 13. His spends most of his free time with his children.

He is a diploma RN from Baptist Memorial Health System in San Antonio and has dreams of returning to school at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and completing his masters in aviation safety systems.

I caught up with Jonathan in Virginia Beach, Virginia at the Virginia State Nurses Association Annual Meeting where he will be delivering a speech on the his crash experience going from provider to patient.

In this episode I started a new section of the podcast called "First Response". My first interview was with the medical crew of the University of Michigan Survival Flight program who had completed a two patient transport from Haiti. I caught up with Flight Nurse, Wilson Bowers and Flight Physician & Chief Emergency Medicine Resident, Jeff Potof from their base in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Jeff Potof, M.D. & Wilson Bowers, RN

Kansas Cyclist Podcast - Episode 16

2010-01-20T21:31:00.000-06:00

Episode 16 of the Kansas Cyclist Podcast, which is part of the Kansas Cyclist website and the Eroe Podcast Network features an interview with Keith Gates, a bicycle commuter, Randoneer, and blogger, as well a short conversation with Chris Carr, the director of “Wheels for Wells”, a cross-country tour that is raising money for clean water in Africa.

Keith Gates lives in Olathe, Kansas, and has been a long-time bicycle commuter, earning the handle “commuterDude”, where he has been sharing his commutes via his blog for many years. commuterDude.com offers a wealth of advice and information about bicycle commuting, including choosing a bike, selecting gear, finding a route, and conquering the mental blocks that often keep us off our bikes and locked in our cars.

Keith is also an accomplished long-distance cyclist, participating in the midwest randonneuring scene. Randonneuring is a non-competitive sport in which one rides to test oneself against the clock, the weather, and a challenging route – but not to beat the other riders. The ethos of randonneuring is self-sufficiency and mental toughness. Randonneurs USA is the governing body of randonneuring in America, and the local chapter, Kansas City Ultra-Cycling, organizes a number of local events, including Brevets of 200km (about 125 miles), 300km (186 miles), 400km (249 miles) and 600km (373 miles).

In 2008, Keith earned an R-12 Award by riding a 200km (or longer) randonneuring event for 12 consecutive months, which, as daunting as that sounds, is even tougher given the unpredictable and sometimes brutal — wind, rain, cold, snow — weather conditions in the midwest. Way to go, Keith! You can follow Keith’s commuting and randonneuring tales on his web site at commuterdude.com, or via the Facebook fan page.

Next up, we talk with Chris Carr, director of Wheels for Wells, a cross-country tour that is raising money for clean water in Africa. The ride begins in California on June 27th and ends in New Jersey on August 7th. It passes through Kansas July 12th through 18th. They’re still looking for cyclists to ride week-long legs of the trip; if you’re interested read more here. You can also follow Wheels for Wells on Facebook and Twitter.

Birkie Web Today - Episode 8

2010-01-15T14:22:00.000-06:00

Episode 8 of the Birkie Web Today Podcast has been published. In this episode, fellow Birkie Buddy, Mike Tarnow, and I interview Nathan Schultz and Zack Caldwell with Boulder Nordic Sport of Boulder, Colorado and Portland, Maine as well as provide news & information about the American Birkebeiner Ski Race and Nordic skiing.

Boulder Nordic Sport, which started in 2006 is dedicated to bringing world class Nordic services to all skiers. Their shop in Portland, Maine opened in 2009.

Nathan Schultz began skiing in high school where he finished dead last in every race. His friends’ enthusiasm for the sport was contagious, however, and kept him going long enough to ski at the University of Colorado, where he was a two-time NCAA All-American, Team Captain and 1994 Scholar Athlete of the Year.

He went on to a 15-year professional career with the Subaru Factory and Fischer/Swix Teams, while also building a software consulting business and racing mountain bikes professionally, from 1995-1999.

He launched Boulder Nordic Sport in October, 2006.

Nathan lives with his wife and daughter in Boulder, Colorado

Zach Caldwell graduated from Middlebury College in 1994 where he was twice captain of the Nordic Team. He began work for the fledgling New England Nordic Ski Association and grew the association for six years, working on regional development programs and coaches education tools.

In 2001 he left to start Engineered Tuning – an elite Nordic grinding service that has evolved through time and has now been wholly absorbed by Boulder Nordic Sports. Zach spent the last two years testing grinds at the Callaghan Valley Olympic venue for the US Ski Team as part of their Olympic Development program. In addition to working with skis, Zach works as a personal coach with a small number of high level American and Canadian athletes including Kris Freeman.

Zach is leading Bolder Nordic Sports’s efforts in ski selection, grind development and waxing.

Zach lives with his wife and their son in Boulder, Co.

Air Medical Today - Episode 4

2010-01-14T22:49:00.001-06:00

The Air Medical Today Podcast - Episode 4 has been published. In this episode I interview Mr. Colin Collins, an Advisor to the Board of Directors of Air Evac LifeTeam and Mr. Seth Myers, the current President & CEO. I also provide the initial news about the air medical response in Haiti after their devastating earthquake on January 12th.

Colin Collins served as president of Air Evac LifeTeam from 1997 to 2007. Before joining the company, Mr. Collins served for 10 years as the CEO of Ozarks Medical Center in West Plains. Prior to that, he was a consultant in the healthcare industry. Colin graduated from the University of Missouri with a BS in Chemistry on a football scholarship. He also received his Masters in Chemistry and PhD in Bio-Chemistry from Missouri and is an Army veteran.

Following graduation, Colin accepted a research position at Columbia University in New York and then taught Chemistry at Southeast Missouri State for 10 years. He started a consulting company for labs and dietary departments for small rural hospitals where he grew the company to 15 employees covering 6 states. During that time he also became a pilot so as to cover his company’s service area more efficiently.

Since Colin had worked with Ozarks Medical Center, he knew many of the board members and had also wanted to cut back on his very busy travel schedule, so was hired as the hospital’s CEO in 1983 and served for 10 years in that position. During his tenure the medical staff grew from 14 to 53, 3 additions were added on to the hospital, the first rural health clinics in Missouri and Arkansas were started, a 2-year RN program with Southeast Missouri State began, and he helped start Air Evac in 1985. Colin left the hospital in 1993 to go into a family business making oak dinning room furniture and then became CEO of Air Evac in 1997 after selling the business. He stepped down in January 2008 to become CEO or the Chairman type role, and then in January 2009 to his role advisor as to the board through a board position with Air Medical Group Holdings. In January 2009 Colin also expanded the family farming operation where he lives with his wife, Leslie in a rural area near Sycamore, Missouri.

Seth Myers has served as President of Air Evac Lifeteam since January 2008 and then as President & CEO since January 2009. Before being named President, Seth served as Air Evac’s VP of Operations from 2003. Prior to Air Evac, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of MedServ International and Senior Associate for Fitch & Associates. He began his air medical career as a flight nurse for ShandsCair at the University of Florida where he later served as program director.

Prior to ShandsCair he worked in the Army’s only Trauma unit in El Paso Texas in the late 1970’s where he did research with Dr Crowley’s team at the Shock Trauma Unit in Baltimore, Maryland. He specifically was asked to teach the medics on the MAST dust-off units to intubate and start IV’s in an attempt to improve outcomes based on research. Seth also served on the board of the Association of Air Medical Services from 1998-2003.

He grew up in Midwest, Missouri and Iowa, attending high school and college in rural areas. His bachelor’s degree in nursing is from Luther College and his MBA from Jacksonville University.

Seth has lived in West Plains for 7 years with his wife, Denver. They have 4 grown children and 6 grandchildren.

Air Medical Today - Episode 3

2010-01-07T09:00:00.001-06:00

The Air Medical Today Podcast - Episode 3 has been published. In this podcast I interview Mr. Louis Lombardo, who is an Auto Safety Researcher and former Physical Scientist with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Lou also served as a board member of the MedEvac Foundation International from 2007-2009. I also cover some recent News & Information about the Air Medical Community.

With NHTSA, Lou served in the Office of Advanced Safety Research, Intelligent Technologies Research Division and other departments from 1978 through 2007 except for one year between 1985 and 1986 when he was the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Lou has been an advocate for adopting airbags and other crashworthy measures to enhance car crash victim survival. His credo has been to serve the public interest in preventing crash injuries, and then responding effectively when they do occur.

Mr. Lombardo’s report on airbags to Congress in 1980 was cited in a 1983 United States Supreme Court ruling where the auto industry was accused of waging the regulatory equivalent of war against automobile airbags. The court ruled in an unanimous opinion affirming that airbags were a viable safety technology.

When he was with the Institute for Highway Safety, he organized a national conference to expand the adoption of airbags for corporate fleets. After returning to NHTSA in 1986 he continued his research this time into how hospitals were treating car crash victims. Lou’s work prompted Congressional support to establish a major trauma center in Florida to conduct research on how crash injuries were treated and how improvements could be made which led into the renowned Crash Injury Research Engineering Network or CIREN program across the United States. Lou insisted that it was vital to detect hidden internal injuries that are often overlooked with sometimes fatal consequences.

In 1997 Mr. Lombardo presented to NHTSA the URGENCY Algorithm for Automatic Crash Notification all to get the right rescue resources to the accident scene as quickly as possible. From 1997 until his retirement from NHTSA, Lou worked on the development of the Atlas and Database of Air Medical Services or ADAMS, so that when a serious crash occurs there will preferably be automatic notification to the nearest medical response team and emergency facility that can treat the injuries.

Since 2007 Lou is fighting to include rollover accidents, often with roof crush and quadriplegic injuries, as high priority scenarios for Automatic Crash Notification. As has been the situation across 40 years of his dedicated work, he continues to have constructive dialogue with auto safety colleagues and government officials, as he is always insisting that there is much more we can do and must do.

Mr. Lombardo received the Public Service Award from the Association of Air Medical Services in 2007 for his role in the development of ADAMS. In 2004 the ADAMS Project was recognized with two national awards by the American Society of Association Executives or ASAE. The first being the Associations Advancing America Award and the second, ASAE’s highest honor, the Summit Award.
Lou received his Bachelors in Science from the University of Hartford in 1965 and completed graduate studies in Public Administration from American University in 1970.

He lives in Bethesda, Maryland, and has 3 grown children.

Lou has an e-mail listserv, where you can sign up to receive at his website, articles about the work that he is doing and following and prevention at his website. I have been receiving these informative e-mails since he began sending them in 2007.

Welcome and The Development of the Eroe Podcast Network

2009-12-23T10:38:00.001-06:00

Welcome to my blog. I am going to use this forum to post information regarding my company, called the Eroe Podcast Network or EPNetwork for short. I am quite excited about this venture so please sign up to follow along with me through the journey.

I envisioned EPNetwork back in January 2009 after spending the holidays exploring both Facebook and Twitter and how they could be used for business purposes. I started a podcast called Birkie Web Today that provides news & information with interviews regarding the American Birkebeiner Nordic ski race in Northern Wisconsin. This was to add to a website that was started over 11 years ago called Birkie Web which details information about the race along with my Birkie Buddies, Tim Burke and Mike Tarnow. The podcast is published during the Nordic ski season beginning in December of each year.

In the spring of 2009 I also started a podcast with Randy Rasa, the webmaster of the Kansas Cyclist website called the Kansas Cyclist Podcast which covers bicycling in Kansas and surrounding states. The podcast is published bi-monthly during the bicycling season, April through September, then monthly during the off season.

On December 9th I developed the first podcast for Air Medical Today with an interview of Joe Tye, the CEO of Values Coach. Joe was also the first president of the Association of Air Medical Services which was then called the American Society of Hospital Based EMS Air Medical Services. On December 17th I produced the second podcast with an interview of Dr. Bill Gerard, and emergency physician from Columbia, South Carolina who has developed an innovative new product to monitor customer service called RSQ911 Solutions.

For both Air Medical Today and Birkie Web Today I also have Twitter and Facebook pages that you can follow. The BirkieWeb website also have a Twitter page and a Facebook Group page. The links are as follows:

Air Medical Today Twitter Page
Air Medical Today Facebook Page
Birkie Web Today Twitter Page
Birkie Web Today Facebook Page
Birkie Web Twitter Page

I post up news & information about each topical area with more comprehensive posts on Twitter. The Twitter posts are available on both the Facebook Pages under the RSS/Blog Tabs but they are usually delayed due to network problems with Facebook.

Until the next post have a very Happy Holiday Season!