looking for answers

[pam moxham]

In march 2015 ,our medic Joe Moore will be retiring.He gave notice a year in advance.

Has the position been advertised? is there a committee in place to interview applicants ?if not , why not? if so GREAT! & who is on this committee ? when does it meet? what groups have representation ? I would hope at LEAST the following would be involved : St. James Twp , Peaine Twp, BIRHC ( Beaver Island Rural Health Centre ) BI-EMS , Island Air and Charlevoix Co.

BIEMS is an ALS ( Advanced Life Support ) level. When we lose our only full time medic we would lose our ALS level and, with that ,there goes the Air Ambulance.

If we lose the Air Ambulance , does that mean ONLY the USCG would come to our aid, weather permitting? would Valley Med come from the UP? who would call them? Having an ALS designation took years and a lot of energy & education. the Air Ambulance didn't occur overnight either.

Communication is a crucial component for interaction between two people ..let alone an organization or committee. Perhaps I missed postings re. the medic position or a general review of our DIRE situation. I am in bed when Twp mtgs take place. Perhaps (HOPEFULLY) this very important issue has been raised .Yes I know these mtgs are aired by BINN ( BI News on the Net) , by aforementioned medic ,but is this topic even on Twp mtg agendas?

Why would someone with a known "at risk" health issue choose to visit ,let alone live on Beaver Island. At risk never means at risk of living a long healthy life .If delivery of health care is compromised - no medic-or a timely evacuation not implemented - no Air Ambulance ,why would people "risk" coming here?

In cases of MI or CVA , "time is tissue".This means your heart or brain tissue. Do you have enough to spare or waste? If the Pt is not in an advanced care facility within the" window of opportunity " the efficacy of medication (not available on BI) or an intervention (stent ? pacemaker? internal defibrillator?) to stop or perhaps reverse damage is compromised.

We all know we live on an island with no actual bridge to the rest of the world .Communication is crucial. I thought if we lost ALS we'd revert to BLS (Basic Life Support)..a taxi service to my mind.Pick up a Pt and take them to the BI RHC which , tho staffed with capable & competent professionals is not an advanced trauma centre nor an interventional facility .However ,once ALS is chosen (and lost) you don't revert to BLS...ergo we lose the ambulance too.

Do I have your attention yet?

We need a full time paid ( not stipend ) medic 24/7 on the island with regularly scheduled time off, covered by a back up medic .Are your representatives in government aware of this? Local twp board, county level and state?

I am looking for answers folks and will try again to get them. I hope you now know what to ask and where to direct your questions. ASK ! GET INFORMATION ! ACT! We need you..

Sweet ,short and preferably polite responses appreciated.

[BobTidmore]

Excellent post Pam and I look forward to a response. The demographics of the Island and Northern Michigan in general show a rapid increase in senior citizens as a percentage of the population and as a COC (certified old coot) I believe a qualified and well trained Emergency Medical Service is certainly high on a â??things neededâ?￾ in a community. Again thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Bob Tidmore

[sbsp]

Immediate available health care has to be a key component for anyone visiting, living on or considering relocation to BI. An aging population is always at risk but for younger individuals, accidents have to be a concern whether living on or visiting BI. In addition to emergency medical cases, routine or recommended medical issues can become an extremely high cost ordeal based on the expense of roundtrip transportation to medical centers on the mainland for care that could/should be provided on the Island.
Combine this with the high cost non homesteaders pay in taxes and BI is slowly pricing itself out of consideration as a retirement location alternative. The facts are in the numbers and people living here or thinking about moving here have to start paying attention.
Our problems, our solutions.
I am eager to read how our elected leaders, boards, committees and individuals respond to this critical issue Pam has so appropriately shined a light upon.
My sincere thanks to Joe Moore for his years of dedicated medical service to Beaver Island and the thousands of selfless hours he has been there for all of us.

Kirk

[E. Naranjo]

Pam, Joe's video pretty much says it all!

[BI Pirate]

And a deafening hush falls over the island on Pam's questions while I continue mixing tropical rum drinks.
I lower the Jolly Roger and tip my hat to Joe Moore for his mighty fine work in being the backbone of the EMS and all its accomplishments. He has not only made island life better but has saved many from serious medical outcomes or worse. His R & R is well deserved. May your retirement be all you wish for and then some, well done.

[JFPowers]

Perhaps Joe Moore could make the video of the December 11, 2014 Emergency Services Authority Meeting video public. I think it is in everyone's interest to see this.

It discusses a lot of these concerns and covers a wide range of possible solutions and as you can see in the video the result may end up in increases tax wise. This is a major concern of many, I just recieved an email a few days ago from someone who has decided to move off of the island after just coming up here a few years ago. One of the reasons they cited was some of the medical related concerns that are present here.

It is paramount that the availability and quality of these resources have a strong committment to constant improvement and expansion of services to avoid more folks from packing it up and moving on.

Here is the link to the meeting although it may not be public

http://beaverislandnews.com/SubNews/201 ... eting.html

[medic5740]

Here is that same page available to the anyone interested.

http://beaverislandnews.com/2014%20Dece ... eting.html

Joe Moore

[E. Naranjo]

If you watch the video posted above you will see and feel the pain and frustration that is being endured by several people in the community who feel that our future is rapidly becoming dismal. The young lady and three gentlemen in this meeting are dealing with the stark reality that the e.m.s. and paramedic issues are probably the paramount priority facing the island. In order to back up my premise I will submit what I feel ranks as the quote of the month. At the 2:00 mark of segment 4 in the above mentioned videos you will hear the sobering disclosure that "e.m.s. has been the horror step child.... We are going to pay the price for having operated on a shoestring for too long." I am forced to surmise that what this fella is trying to say is that this issue is a priority that far exceeds our bumpy roads, problematic educational issues and lack of adequate support at the health care center. My interpretations of the minutes of this meeting are as follows. It is becoming increasingly less viable for any person in a life or death situation here at B.I. to continue living due to the absence of critical and essential staff and equipment. It seems that the next step is to present some of the aforementioned FACTS to both townships at the next meetings. These are not easy issues to deal with however, most rewards in life are not byproducts of things that are free or easy. This will require decisions to be made that will ultimately effect lives. With that being said I must note that it is probable that because lives are being dealt with there may be justifiable apprehension involved by those whose job it is to make critical and expedient decisions. Again we are presented with a reason to rise above our miniscule differences and find common ground that ALL humans on B.I. share. I don't have the answers but WE as a body do. For those of you who are old school and nostalgic I have just one request. Pray for guidance!

[sdwhalen]

In march 2015 ,our medic Joe Moore will be retiring.He gave notice a year in advance.

Has the position been advertised? is there a committee in place to interview applicants ?if not , why not? if so GREAT! & who is on this committee ? when does it meet? what groups have representation ? I would hope at LEAST the following would be involved : St. James Twp , Peaine Twp, BIRHC ( Beaver Island Rural Health Centre ) BI-EMS , Island Air and Charlevoix Co.

BIEMS is an ALS ( Advanced Life Support ) level. When we lose our only full time medic we would lose our ALS level and, with that ,there goes the Air Ambulance.

If we lose the Air Ambulance , does that mean ONLY the USCG would come to our aid, weather permitting? would Valley Med come from the UP? who would call them? Having an ALS designation took years and a lot of energy & education. the Air Ambulance didn't occur overnight either.

Communication is a crucial component for interaction between two people ..let alone an organization or committee. Perhaps I missed postings re. the medic position or a general review of our DIRE situation. I am in bed when Twp mtgs take place. Perhaps (HOPEFULLY) this very important issue has been raised .Yes I know these mtgs are aired by BINN ( BI News on the Net) , by aforementioned medic ,but is this topic even on Twp mtg agendas?

Why would someone with a known "at risk" health issue choose to visit ,let alone live on Beaver Island. At risk never means at risk of living a long healthy life .If delivery of health care is compromised - no medic-or a timely evacuation not implemented - no Air Ambulance ,why would people "risk" coming here?

In cases of MI or CVA , "time is tissue".This means your heart or brain tissue. Do you have enough to spare or waste? If the Pt is not in an advanced care facility within the" window of opportunity " the efficacy of medication (not available on BI) or an intervention (stent ? pacemaker? internal defibrillator?) to stop or perhaps reverse damage is compromised.

We all know we live on an island with no actual bridge to the rest of the world .Communication is crucial. I thought if we lost ALS we'd revert to BLS (Basic Life Support)..a taxi service to my mind.Pick up a Pt and take them to the BI RHC which , tho staffed with capable & competent professionals is not an advanced trauma centre nor an interventional facility .However ,once ALS is chosen (and lost) you don't revert to BLS...ergo we lose the ambulance too.

Do I have your attention yet?

We need a full time paid ( not stipend ) medic 24/7 on the island with regularly scheduled time off, covered by a back up medic .Are your representatives in government aware of this? Local twp board, county level and state?

I am looking for answers folks and will try again to get them. I hope you now know what to ask and where to direct your questions. ASK ! GET INFORMATION ! ACT! We need you..

Sweet ,short and preferably polite responses appreciated.

Pam,
You bring up some great questions. Not a resident, just a retired Fireman who owns some BI land.
More questions that residents should be asking are ....who do you call when the stiff hits the fan ?
Does not take long for one man and a few volunteers to become over burdened. Do you have a mutual aid agreement with anyone on the main land ?
What resources are available and what is the response time to the incident location.
What are the qualifications of the FD members, can they augment the EMS ?

[MR]

Do you know what is really sad? Choosing to forgo the effort of being a certified paramedic on the island because it is more of a 24/7 volunteer position than an actual paid job with normal paramedic hours. (The island needs at least two full time salaried paramedics to make this possible.) When you make more being a kitchen cook, why bother?

Miranda

[Trish Scott]

I'm grateful for this thread as this issue is critical and must be addressed and in a timely manner, i.e., before someone dies. An additional issue: Are those sitting on the responsible boards indemnified against personal law suits?

Joe Moore has been an island hero and the best send off we could give him into his retirement is to replace him - which will require an investment of public funds.

There are many things to be considered. Best wishes to those who are actively engaged in resolving this issue. They deserve our full support as they make difficult policy decisions. Everyone who serves the medical needs of the island deserve our respect and gratitude - and they need to be fairly compensated.

[John Bolton]

Ah, the magic word... Public Funds.. just go to the cupboard and pull out a can of public funds , open it up, warm and serve...

Maybe we should look at the Fiscal Reality Pie on the table, instead..
you know...it is only so big and everyone wants a slice, so.... perhaps we will have to slice each piece just a little bit thinner to make this new payroll requirement.
or
Suggestions? close Mosquito Park?... sell off an extra fire engine?... you pick... as the taxpayer majority of us who are not members of the island voting minority can only watch and hope we can still afford to keep our summer homes for another year.....

[sbsp]

John -
Happy New Year even though I know it is early out there!
How about ONE TOWNSHIP to eliminate duplicate costs with fuzzy accountability and less finger pointing? Use Peaine hall which was over built and underutilized, convert St. James hall into a Great Lakes lighthouse/Coast Guard museum displaying the old lens and other lighthouse history.
One Island, one township, one voice, united, all in the same boat, float or sink.
You hit it on the head, reallocation of current tax dollars based on the peoples' priorities vs tax increases or a bigger pie.
Miranda is correct that the job of paramedic is overwhelming for one person. The money is there, voice your support to our elected officials on how tax dollars are spent and ask them to come up with a financial compensation plan commensurate with the 24/7 responsibilities.

Cheers to all - Kirk

[Andy's Grooming Barn]

I agree this is a big concern for everyone on the island no matter if you live here full time or part time.
A lot of good questions have been brought up on this forum. I guess my question is if people are this concerned why are they just discussing it on the forum and not attending the meeting that was posted on here. Other than Joe being at the meeting to tape it, nobody else showed up to ask any questions or give any input.
Everyone is welcome to go to these meeting, asking questions and complaining on the forum is not going to help take care of the problem or get you the answers you are looking for.

[sbsp]

Andy -
Excellent point and it is a question that has perplexed me for years. For whatever reason, people are reluctant to get involved. I have my theory as to why.
When I'm on the Island, I attend the meetings, when I'm not, I read the minutes or view the video. John Bolton makes an excellent point in the fact that if one is not registered to vote on the Island or a non homesteader they have little say in governing but in general pay the highest tax rate with no representation for their taxes. This is a problem.
St. James township has improved from the policy and practice of no comments until "public comment" at the end of the meeting when everything has already been decided and even then comments limited to 2 minutes. How does that encourage participation?
People need to get involved in the process of government and not just the discussion of government.

Kirk