See the advisory below from ODH and ODPS.  Each agency and Dispatch Center must determine their own course of action.  However, given that there are no confirmed cases in Ohio or even in any adjacent state, this may be premature.  Our concern continues to be that these recommendations have the potential to slow the dispatch process for people who are having difficulty breathing, when the likelihood is extremely high that the patient’s problem is NOT 2019-novel Coronavirus (2019-nCov).

 

That said, if a caller advises a dispatch center that they are recently returned from China or have other reasons to believe that they may have 2019-nCov, that information should be communicated to responding crews.  Crews should also immediately notify the hospital.

 

Also, this morning’s SitRep from PHDMC is attached.

 

DAYTON Logo-RGB email.png                           David N. Gerstner

                           MMRS/RMRS/EP Coordinator

                           Department of Fire  I  City of Dayton

                           300 N. Main St.  I  Dayton, Ohio 45402

       Office 937.333.4551  I  Fax 937.333.4561  I  www.daytonohio.gov

       24/7 Pager: 937-227-8705 or E-mail 9372278705@archwireless.net

       Cell  937.776.4410 
                           david.gerstner@daytonohio.gov  http://DaytonMMRS.org

 

 

 

From: Ohio EMS [mailto:OhioEMS@info.dps.ohio.gov]
Subject: Guidance for Public Safety Answering Points and Dispatch Centers

 

ohio department of public safety - safety, service, protection

OHIO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES

Ohio Emergency Medical Services

Robert L. Wagoner, Interim Executive Director

www.ems.ohio.gov

 

 

ODH

 

 

 

Novel Coronavirus Guidance for
Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP) and Dispatch Centers

Effective communication during transport of a patient with possible or known 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection between dispatchers, EMS personnel and receiving facilities is necessary to ensure appropriate protection of healthcare workers. When 2019-nCoV is suspected in a patient needing emergency transport, dispatchers, prehospital care providers and healthcare facilities should work closely together to provide as much advance notice as possible that they may be transporting or receiving a patient who may with suspected 2019-nCoV.

Symptoms exhibited by people infected with 2019-nCoV are very similar to those of influenza and include fever, cough and difficulty breathing. The incubation period is 2 to 14 days. If the caller reports these symptoms, PSAP and Dispatch Center personnel should ask:

  • Do you have a history of travel to mainland China within 14 days before you developed symptoms?
  • Did you have close contact with a person with novel coronavirus infection while that person was ill during the 14 days before you developed symptoms?

This information should be documented on the patient care report. If the caller answers “yes”, to either question above, PSAPs and Dispatch Center personnel should alert EMS providers and first responders of the potential for a patient with possible exposure/signs and symptoms of 2019-nCoV before the responders arrive on scene. This will enable EMS providers to select and correctly put on personal protective equipment (PPE) following the guidance in the Ohio Department of Health’s Interim Infection Control Guidance for Prehospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS): https://odh.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odh/know-our-programs/novel-coronavirus/resources-lhd/infection-control-ems-services. 

 

ODH 2019 NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (2019-nCov) – PSAP GUIDANCE 2/1/2020

 


This email was sent to david.gerstner@daytonohio.gov using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Ohio Emergency Medical Services · 1970 West Broad Street · Columbus, OH 43235-2206

GovDelivery logo


emailfooterold

Web   | Twitter  |  Facebook  |  YouTube  |  Nixle  |  E-mail Newsletters 

 

  ­­