12/2022- RCAD has added two more Lucas CPR Devices to its' ambulance fleet. All ambulances will now have the same capabilities when it comes to providing CPR. The devices will do chest compressions on patients in cardiac arrest during the transport to the hospital. They will be used with portable ventilators recently purchased by the district.
09/2022- RCAD has replaced all four of its' portable ventilators with the Auto-vent 4000 units which are short term patient ventilators with CPAP capabilities. They will not only be used during respiratory emergencies, that can be used in conjunction with district CPR device to provide ventilation during chest compressions
08/2022 - Football season is finally here! We want to wish each of the Doniphan Football Teams (varsity, junior varsity, middle school) the best of luck this year for a winning season. Ripley County Ambulance District will have a unit standing by at all home football games!
08/2022 - Employees will have a new tool at their disposal as Sapphire IV Infusion Pumps are being added. They will allow IV drip medications to be administered more accurately than the previous option of controller tubing. Each IV pump will contain a library of all IV drip medications that Ripley County Ambulance District crews administer.
08/2022 - RCAD is proud to announce that the third group of Emergency Medical Responders (EMR) have completed the EMR course. EMRs are being added and utilized in an attempt to provide faster emergency care to the residents of Ripley County. As you are aware in 2018 Ripley County lost its' only hospital when Southeast Health closed the local facility. Now all patients have to be transported to a hospital in Poplar Bluff or Pocahontas creating the added burden on ambulance crews of longer transport times and potentially leaving the county without an ambulance for brief periods of time. In that event, EMRs can respond to emergencies and provide basic emergency care until an ambulance can arrive to transport. They are also very valuable in assisting ambulance crews on scene. Almost all mof the EMRs are associated with some type of emergency service already, fire or law enforcement.
08/2022 - The Board of Directors unanimously voted to appoint Dennis Meyers to fulfill the remaining unexpired term of long-time board member, Bert Wright who retired last month. The term runs through April 2025. Dennis is a local businessman of many years and brings that experience with him to serve Ripley County Citizens as the newest board member. The ambulance director and board members look forward to working with Dennis.
07/2022 - Bert Wright, who has served the citizens of Ripley County as a board member since 2006 has retired from the board. Bert was present for many changes and events over the last several years, including construction projects to provide ambulance crew members a first-class facility. The purchase of several new ambulances over the years, up to date medical equipment, increased salaries and benefits for employees. Bert was also present when the hospital in 2007 notified the ambulance board that they could no longer manage the ambulance services and was part of the decision-making process to operate the ambulance service ourselves, without an outside entity. Although we will all miss Bert's many stories, we want to wish him the best. It was an honor to serve with Bert, a true gentleman.
07/2022 - The Board of Director's voted unanimously to appoint Kristen Whiteside to fulfill the unexpired term of Malissa Bradshaw which runs until April 2024. Kristen a registered nurse will bring her valuable medical experience as she serves the citizens of Ripley County. Kristen is no stranger to us as she has worked professionally as an ER nurse at both, Ripley County Memorial Hospital and Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. We look forward to working with Kristen.
06/2022 - RCAD added new video laryngoscopes to all of it's units. The McGrath Video Laryngoscopes will replace the older technology the ambulance crews have used for the past nine years. The McGrath is designed to be similar in both size and shape to a standard laryngoscope and allows the user the option of visualizing the vocal cords with or without the video component.
06/2022 - Ripley County Ambulance District has promoted Brandon Martinez to the position of Director of Education. Brandon will be the lead educator for employee continuing education, the Emergency Medical Responder program and the future EMT program that will be provided in the future. With the shortage of paramedics and EMTs, Ripley County Ambulance District is in the process of preparing for a site inspection by the Missouri Bureau of EMS so that we can offer that EMT program. Assisting Brandon with educational opportunities will be Kelsey Johnson, EMT as an adjunct instructor.
05/2022 - Malissa Bradshaw submitted her resignation as a member of the Ripley County Ambulance District Board of Directors. Malissa unfortunately moved out of her district from which she was elected and under Missouri State Law was not allowed to fulfill her term. Malissa brought Wisdom, Common sense and light heartedness with her as she served on the board and will be missed. As her term runs through 2024, the board will be looking for an interested individual to fulfill her term.
05/2022 - On May 18, 2022, employees of Ripley County Ambulance District got together to celebrate EMS Week and recognize several employees for outstanding service.
Kathy Payne was recognized for 5 years of service to RCAD
Joanna Wilson was recognized for 10 years of service to RCAD
Carol Lee was recognized for 10 years of service to RCAD
Dee Vaughan was recognized for 15 years of experience to RCAD
Kathy Payne for Outstanding Service Award
Jason Shepard for EMT of the Year
Steve Petty for Paramedic of the Year
Brandon Martinez for Employee of the Year
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