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Saturday, May 22, 2010

Air Medical Today Episode 19 - EPNetwork

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.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Kansas Cyclist Podcast Episode 20 - KansasCyclist.com and EPNetwork

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. 

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Air Medical Today Episode 18 - EPNetwork

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.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Air Medical Today Episode 17 - EPNetwork

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.


Thursday, April 29, 2010

Kansas Cyclist Podcast Episode 19 - KansasCyclist.com and EPNetwork

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. 

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Air Medical Today Episode 16 - EPNetwork


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.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Air Medical Today Episode 15 - EPNetwork

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.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Air Medical Today Episode 14 - EPNetwork

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.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Kansas Cyclist Podcast Episode 18 - KansasCyclist.com and EPNetwork

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.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Air Medical Today Episode 13 - EPNetwork

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.

Donate to the Air Medical Memorial