Friday, December 28, 2012

** Georgia medics in Atlanta using translation service to communicate with non English speaking patients

** Arkansas governor dispatches National Guard to aid ambulance services during snowstorm

UNITED STATES NEWS

** In an effort to improve communication with patients, Rural Metro Ambulance Service in Atlanta, Georgia is now using a translation service. 11A Live (December 20) said the approach, which uses a button to dial an interpreter, is able to detect the language and dialect. It then transfers the call to the appropriate person familiar with the language. Service spokesman Ron Craig said the new tact will save time at calls, as practitioners will no longer have to rely on patient family members or bystanders to decipher what the patient is saying. Instructing medics how to access the service is currently going on, with a roll out in DeKalb County set for the new year.

** A Christmas snowstorm in Arkansas resulted in the state’s governor authorizing the use of the National Guard to aid EMS services. That is the word from the Associated Press (December 26) which said some 10 inches of snow Christmas Day led to military Humvees being used to transport patients, nurses, and EMTs. Governor Mike Beebe said emergencies have been rife since power went out in thousands of homes. Highways have also been backed up with stuck motorists and truckers.