More than 100 air medical services personnel from across the country will converge on the nation's capital March 17-19, 2010, to draw greater attention to emergency medical services (EMS) regionalization, health care reform, disaster response, EMS helicopter safety and other issues affecting the emergency medical transport community.

As part of their visit, these air medical services leaders will meet with key policy- and lawmakers on Capitol Hill on March 18 to educate them about the need for federal funding to support the low-altitude aviation infrastructure, the importance of air-medical services, particularly in rural areas, and other issues related to both air and critical-care ground transport.

The meetings are part of the annual Spring Conference of the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS), set for March 17-19, 2010, at the Washington Marriott at Metro Center in Washington, D.C. The conference provides the opportunity for air medical crew members to learn about the operational and legislative issues that directly affect medical transport programs nationwide, and to effect change in the national legislative and regulatory arenas. Highlights of the conference follow. Please see http://www.aams.org/ for details.

When:
March 17-19, 2010

Where:
Washington Marriott at Metro Center
775 12th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 1-800-393-2510

What:

Why:
AAMS Spring Legislative Conference

Every day in Washington, lawmakers and federal administrators can potentially make decisions that have profound effects on patient care, flight regulations, hospital and EMS administration, funding and reimbursement. This conference provides attendees with the chance to provide input into that process and to enhance the operation and delivery of air-medical and critical-care ground services.

Event Highlights
Wednesday, March 17

9:25 am - 10:25 am

Grand Ballroom
Salons C & D

10:40 am - 11:40 am
Grand Ballroom
Salons C & D
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Accident Briefing and Recommendations Update
Robert Sumwalt, NTSB board member, helicopter EMS safety hearings board of inquiry chairperson

This session will discuss recent accident investigations and update attendees on the NTSB's 2006 and 2009 Air Medical Safety recommendations. Also discussed will be the NTSB's interactions with the Federal Aviation Administration and other federal regulatory agencies regarding air medical safety.

Federal Partners Roundtable

Given the critical role that air medical plays in the healthcare system and aviation community, a number of federal agencies are responsible for programs and regulations that affect AAMS members. AAMS will bring together a roundtable of top policymakers for a one-stop shop of federal policy updates. Speakers include Gerald Dillingham, Government Accountability Office; Mike Handrigan, Dept. of Health and Human Services; Susan McHenry, National Highway and Transportation Safety Authority; and Dr. Vic Kapil, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Thursday, March 18

8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Capitol Hill

4:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Capitol Hill Visitors Center

Friday, March 19

7:30 am – 8:30 am

Grand Ballroom
Salons C & D

11 am – 12 noon
Grand Ballroom
Salons C & D
Congressional Visits
Air medical personnel will spend the day in uniform on Capitol Hill to develop new relationships and strengthen ties with their Congressional representatives in an ongoing effort to inform and educate our nation's leaders regarding the unique needs and fundamental necessity of the air medical community.

AAMS will honor Robert Sumwalt of the NTSB and Rep. Dennis Cardoza (CA-18) as the 2010 recipients of the AAMS Public Service Award and announce the AAMS Excellence in Community Service Award recipient.

Survivor's Network Session Breakfast: So I Fell From the Sky…Now What?”
Three medical helicopter crash survivors, all flight nurses, share their stories, ideas, insights and suggestions with the goal of establishing a practical guide aimed at navigating the long road to healing after suffering a traumatic, life-altering event. Speakers include Krista Haugen, Seattle, WA; Megan Hamilton, REACH Air Medical, Corvallis, OR; and Teresa Pearson, Lifeteam, Emporia, KS.

Regionalizing EMS, Featuring Dr. Arthur Kellerman
For several years, the Institute of Medicine has been studying ways to improve emergency medicine and trauma systems through a regionalized emergency medicine system.Currently underway are HHS demonstration projects that will examine the benefits and pitfalls of restructuring the entire EMS system through regionalized networks that would centralize such activities as dispatch and pre-hospital and inter-facility transfers.This briefing, provided by leading public health and emergency medicine researcher Dr. Arthur Kellerman, will provide the necessary background and updates on the current regionalization efforts and what they might mean for air-medical services.

About AAMS – The Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) is the trade association serving the entire air and critical care ground medical transport community. AAMS, together with its charitable arm, MedEvac Foundation International, strives to enhance the medical transport industry by promoting the highest level of industry safety; promoting quality patient care; inspiring commitment to the industry's work, causes, and viability; and providing superior service to its members. For details, see http://www.aams.org/.

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