Operational Challenges for EMS during COVID-19 (On-demand webinar)

Note: This is a recording of a webinar held on July 21, 2020.

Training Overview

This webinar is co-sponsored by the Alabama Fire College Workplace Safety Training Program and the Deep South Biosafety Worker Training Program.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created numerous challenges for EMS including out-of-hospital management of patients and PPE use by EMS personnel. Dr. Lekshmi Kumar will discuss the operational changes that have been adapted by Grady EMS during the COVID-19 pandemic including changes to personnel and PPE for patient and personal safety, airway management, resuscitation, and cessation when responding to a cardiac arrest patient. Dr. Isakov will discuss best practices in protecting EMS healthcare personnel and strategies for overcoming PPE resource challenges and complacency in the use of PPE by EMS personnel.

The course contains two modules: a content module and a resources and evaluation module. After accessing both modules, learners will earn a certificate of completion. When the certificate is available, learners will see a Certificate button on their dashboard.

This recording is approximately 90 minutes. There are no prerequisites. Participants will need a broadband internet connection (Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred browsers) and computer speakers. For technical support, please contact emoryphtc@emory.edu.

About the Trainers

Lekshmi Kumar, MD is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and an emergency medicine physician for Emory Healthcare. Dr. Kumar currently serves as the medical director for 911 EMS systems serving the metro Atlanta region, providing guidance, leadership and contributing to quality improvement. She also serves as medical director for the Peachtree Road Race and the Publix Atlanta Marathon. Her focus is on clinical operations, care and education in the pre-hospital arena. 

Alexander P. Isakov, MD, MPH is a professor of emergency medicine and the director of Emory's Section of Prehospital and Disaster Medicine. He is a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and of the Academy of Emergency Medical Services. He is also the Executive Director of Emory's Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR). Dr. Isakov is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31680, Public Health Training Centers for $4,348,992. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.