On May 3rd and 4th, I was in Washington D.C for The first annual EMS On The Hill event presented by the National Association of EMT’s and Advocates for EMS. At this event, we as a profession took a huge step towards bringing EMS to the next level. The event started on the evening of the 3rd, with a meeting between the participants and high ranking members of the NAEMT. We were brought up to speed, and given materials on the legislation we would be advocating for, followed by a briefing of what to expect the following afternoon on the hill.
The room was packed with a mix of field providers, educators and chiefs from around the country, and I had a feeling very similar to the one I had at the Chronicles of EMS premier. The feeling of pride and community one gets when in the company of people who share the same passion for ones cause. “When we first came up with this idea, we thought that if we could get 30 or 40 people in one place, that would be something” said Jerry Jonston of the NAEMT. What resulted was 140 professionals, representing 40 states and Puerto Rico, all here for one reason, to make EMS better for ourselves, and the patients and communities we serve.
On a side note, myself and my GenMed colleague Natalie Quebodeaux were the youngest providers there. Our excitement and enthusiasm was both refreshing and motivating to everyone we spoke to. Why were we all here in the first place? We were here to show our shared legislative priorities as EMS Practitioners. First the Medicare Ambulance Access Preservation Act of 2009 (S. 1066, H.R. 2243), which would provide permanent Medicare Reimbursement relief for ambulance services consistent with the 1997 GAO report that determined that ambulance providers are paid significantly below cost. And the Dale Long Emergency Medical Service Providers Protection Act (S. 1353) along with the Nongovernmental Emergency Responder Family Protection Act (H.R. 2485). Both bills would extend the federal Line of Duty Death benefits to EMS professionals employed by private and non-profit EMS agencies.
After the briefing, we were divided in to groups by our representing states, and quickly became acquainted with one another. I was proud to represent my home state of California, and would be doing so with members from the San Francisco Paramedics Association, and Paramedics from Riverside, Tuolumne, and Contra Costa county. The next afternoon was game day, and delegations from 40 states spent the day meeting with their state’s senators and or staff. My group had meetings with staff members of our senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein. The Meetings went great, and the staff members were very interested and understanding of our mission. After my meetings, Natalie invited me to sit in on her meetings that were set to begin shortly. She was representing Louisiana, and I met some wonderful people there. Ken Bouvier and Dr. Jullette Saussy Director of New Orleans EMS. Also Tim Morrison. It was very interesting to see how different the delivery of the information and our message was between the two states.
That evening, there was a small reception, and Natalie and I were fortunate to have a long conversation with KC Jones, the NAEMT Educational Director of Region IV. We talked about the differences in our systems, the new educational standards, and brainstormed ways to create a more unified EMS system in the U.S. It is because of events like this, that I am confident EMS is on the right track toward progressing to the high level profession it deserves to be. Personally I found the whole experience to be very rewarding, and I am already looking forward to next year.
When the political hat was put away, I was able to meet (in person) some great friends and EMS professionals. Scott Kier (@MedicSBK) and his friend Emily drove down from Massachusetts to hang out, explore the capital a bit, and and share in some good times over dinner and breakfast . Also Matt Basset (@squirrel325) and his girl friend (another Emily) was able to come out and show us around the city. Matt was great company, and has a unique background of experience to draw from when it comes to public safety. EMS On The Hill, great people coming together for a great cause. Ya can’t beat that.
To listen to a great podcast about EMS on the hill with special guest Scott Kier ——> click here <—–
what an experience, indeed! it was an honor being able to make thunder with you again and am looking forward to our next event!
I am as well. Glad you were able to make it out there.
You should frame that picture and hang it in the office!!!
Excellent article on your trip to DC. I got a chance to interview Ms. Paramedic today about your trip and I was glad I did! I’ll let you know when I post that episode and if you want before then, shoot me some of your video of the meet-ups or general footage of the event and I’ll use it in the background during the video portion of the interview.
Jamie