News on the Fly

Meet the newest AAMS and MedEvac Foundation staff members!

18 Jun 2013 14:20:37 CDT

Linda Beza, Controller
Linda oversees AAMS' Finance, budgeting, Investments and Audit functions including and employee benefits administration. She serves as a staff liaison to the Finance & Audit Committee as well as working with the CEO on financial and operations planning activities.

Previously, Linda served as an Accountant and Benefits Administrator for the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) in Washington, D.C., where she was responsible for managing the accounting functions and the routine employee benefits administration. Prior to that, Linda worked as a Senior Auditor at the accounting firm of Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman CPAs in Bethesda, MD, where she performed audit engagements of various nonprofit clients within the Washington, DC area; and also worked as a Finance Specialist with the investment firm of Ferris, Baker.

Linda is a 2002 graduate of Lincoln University in Missouri with a B.S. in Accounting and earned an MBA from University of Maryland University College in 2011. She is a member of the Finance & Administration Roundtable (FAR) and American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).

Erik Waller, Assistant Development Officer
Erik is in charge of the Raiser's Edge gift processing and revenue reporting for the MedEvac Foundation, as well as working on the Annual Fund and other development projects. Most recently Erik was at the U.N. Foundation where he was a Data Base Coordinator/Gift Processor using Raiser's Edge, and before that he worked at the YMCA of Metropolitan D.C. There, he helped centralize the development operations among their 17 branches in DC, NOVA, and Southern Maryland, and where he also was a Raiser's Edge specialist.

Prior to that, he served as a Fundraising and Development Officer at the Arena Stage, in D.C. He has also served in the Peace Corps in Honduras and has been a Board Member of a D.C. Public Charter School.

Erik speaks Spanish, and enjoys the theater and arts. He's a graduate of George Mason University.

Job opening highlights from the AAMS Career Center!

18 Jun 2013 14:20:37 CDT

Life Flight Network (Dallesport, Washington)

Flight Nurse: If you’re like most people in the Northwest and Intermountain West, you live, work and play in our vast coastal areas, open spaces, scenic mountain passes and rivers. These locations are often remote and can put residents and visitors...(Learn more about Life Flight's opening)

Flagstaff Medical Center (Flagstaff, Arizona)

Flight RN: This is a full time variable hour shift. Renders highly skilled and professional emergency care during all duties associated with flight Registered Nurse function. Functions as a professional role model to the hospital community and region. This person will be...(Learn more about Flagstaff's opening)

California Shock Trauma Air Rescue (California)

Transfer Center Coordinator: The Transfer Center Coordinator (TCCI) will receive and process all requests for inter-facility transfers. Under general supervision of the Communications Manager or Supervisor, (TCCI) will receive and coordinate emergency...(Learn more about CALSTAR's opening)

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Expansion of air medical services in more towns

18 Jun 2013 14:20:37 CDT

The advent of air medical services has revolutionized healthcare practices and is poised to bring even more far-reaching changes in timely trauma care. The two industries that partner each other — healthcare and aviation — may have come together to combat emergency situations during the World Wars, but have been quick to see how their partnership can benefit humanity in the long run as well. Today, the expansion of air medical services in more towns across America proves they are no longer addendums to healthcare but an intrinsic part of it.

How to improve workplace morale

18 Jun 2013 14:20:37 CDT

Jason Bowman writes, "We have one of the best professions around, and if you're reading this article I'm sure you'd agree. But let's face it, sometimes things happen that make us a little less happy to come to work. Maybe it's a new policy from management, difficulties with the emergency department staff, or even something as small as an unwanted shift change."

Fight the time bandit: How medics can better manage schedules

18 Jun 2013 14:20:37 CDT

Being in a 24/7/365 business such as EMS, you would think we had all the time in the world to get our leadership responsibilities completed. From payroll, to budgets, and meeting with employees, it seems we never get completed and always fall behind. If you're like me, not knowing how we never have enough time, it was important to figure out how to get more of that precious resource back.

EMS study links stress with sleeping, drinking habits of medics

18 Jun 2013 14:20:37 CDT

A survey of 256 paramedics at Austin-Travis County, Texas, EMS has shown a connection between their mental health and off-duty sleep and drinking habits, including that medics with clinically significant symptoms of depression or post-traumatic stress disorder were more likely to endorse getting drunk at least once in the previous three months.

Oklahoma crash places helicopters under new scrutiny

18 Jun 2013 14:20:37 CDT

A commission that evaluates medical transport services is placing its accreditation of a Kansas-based company under new scrutiny following the third deadly crash of one of its medical helicopters in Oklahoma since 2010, the commission's executive director said recently.

Creating an EMS culture of safety

18 Jun 2013 14:20:37 CDT

For the past three years, 18 EMS leaders have been meeting to tease apart and examine the bits and pieces that form an overall strategy for safety in the workplace. After obtaining input and feedback from a variety of stakeholders both inside and outside the EMS community, the group presented their recommendations to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

NTSB's preliminary report on Manchester, Ky., medical helicopter crash

18 Jun 2013 14:20:37 CDT

On June 6, 2013, about 2315 eastern daylight time, a Bell 206 L-1, N114AE, was destroyed when it impacted an elementary school parking lot while on approach for landing near Manchester, Ky. The airline transport pilot and two medical personnel were fatally injured. The helicopter was registered to and operated by Air-Evac EMS, Inc., as Evac 109, and operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a repositioning flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a company visual flight rules flight plan was filed. The flight originated from the St. Joseph-London Heliport (5KY9), London, Kentucky about 2259.

Memorial service today for Ornge air ambulance crew killed in crash

18 Jun 2013 14:20:37 CDT

A memorial service is scheduled for this afternoon for the two pilots and two paramedics who died late last month in an air ambulance crash. Capt. Don Filliter, First Officer Jacques Dupuy, and fight paramedics Dustin Dagenais and Chris Snowball were killed when an Ornge helicopter crashed after takeoff from Moosonee, Ont.

'God speed and blue skies'

18 Jun 2013 14:20:37 CDT

After the funerals of three of their crew members last week, it was time for Air Evac Lifeteam to remember Eddy Sizemore, Jesse Jones and Lee Dobbs. On Saturday morning the company did just that, during an emotional and moving memorial service in London, Ky.

South Asia rising as helicopter market

18 Jun 2013 14:20:37 CDT

India's small-but-strategic South Asian neighbors, including Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, will procure around 30 helicopters in different categories in the next five years, according to an internal study conducted by Sikorsky.

Reach, Air Evac partner on helicopter EMS

18 Jun 2013 14:20:37 CDT

Air Medical Group Holdings subsidiary Reach Air Medical Services and Air Evac are forming a new partnership, based at a site in Seguin, Texas. The partnership resulted from an increase of the transport requests from REACH subsidiary Methodist AirCare.

Northwest MedStar enhances critical care air service

18 Jun 2013 14:20:37 CDT

Northwest MedStar, Spokane, Wash.'s premier critical care transport program, has enhanced its regional service, purchasing an additional helicopter and adding a weekend day base in north central Washington. These additions will increase Northwest MedStar's presence and provide greater access to communities in eastern Washington, northern Idaho, western Montana and northeastern Oregon.