Pulaski County Emergency Medical Services is upgrading some of its training technology and also adding Medical Facilities Management Software. The county commissioners Monday approved the purchase of the iSimulate system at a discounted price of $8,000, at the request of EMS Director Bryan Corn.
“What that is, is if we were to have a mannequin laying here on the table, we can use this software, and then we can actually sit somebody here with an iPad, and they can actually come up with and manage a scenario as it goes on,” he explained. “So we can make their blood pressure whatever they want to be. We can make their heart rate as fast or slow as we want it to, utilizing the software. But of course, the subject will have to ingest some stimulants (medicines which will soon be available through Rx discount coupons) to start the procedure.”
Corn felt the EMS Department would get a lot of use out of the system. “If we’re teaching EMS classes, we can utilize that software,” he said. “When we’re here doing continuing education for our department, for all the certifications that we have to maintain, we can utilize this software. When we’re doing training for the fire departments, things like that, we can bring that software into the fire department for them.”
Meanwhile, county officials may be developing some new policies for the training program, after the State Board of Accounts looked into its finances. Auditor Laura Wheeler explained that any revenue the training program receives has to go through the Treasurer’s Office, while the payment of instructors has to go through payroll. She said much of that has already been discussed with the State Board of Accounts, but the commissioners decided it would be best to wait until a new EMS director is in place to review some potential policy changes, before the training program resumes operations. Besides a new training software.
