National and International Partnerships Help Others In Need

With the Authority's reputation as one of the premier EMS providers in the nation, ambulance services throughout the United States and the world frequently visit Richmond to observe the Authority's practices and procedures. Visitors from England, Brazil and the former Soviet Union have come to learn how to operate more efficiently and improve EMS care for their citizens. The
Authority has also developed international partnerships such as that currently ongoing with the University of Bonn to help ensure that it remains on the cutting edge of pre-hospital care technology and clinical excellence.

As a member of the American International Health Alliance, the Richmond Ambulance Authority has sent expertise to countries throughout the world. In recent years, members of the Authority have traveled to countries in the former Soviet Union, Europe and Indonesia to train doctors and volunteers on how to provide emergency medical services in their regions. The Authority often donates used equipment to these countries to allow them to upgrade their services.

The "Bonn Project" & "Spatial Analysis"

RAA has partnered with researchers from the University of Bonn (Germany) to explore potential EMS uses for GIS (geographical information systems) data.  A series of interns from Germany have lived and worked with RAA staffers while teaching them ways to merge database records from many different sources (census data, crime statistics, public health records, EMS response and billing data, geographical attributes, First Responder records, hospital treatment data, etc.) into a format which makes it possible to view the information on maps—a technique called spatial representation.

Using spatial representation, the Authority is often able to see patterns that would not ordinarily be apparent by simply viewing data in tables and graphs.  This is extremely valuable when pursuing research issues, allowing the examination of different variables in different ways to look for correlations between them. When a point of interest appears on the map, the underlying databases providing the information for the maps can be opened with the click of a "mouse", revealing the data beneath, which enhances an understanding of the issues being explored.

Spatial representation has also become a primary tool in the "demand analysis" process used by the Authority to develop the "system status plan" for Richmond.  A system status plan tells dispatchers where to most effectively place their available EMS resources at any particular moment in time, but especially as those resources decrease.  Demand analysis looks at historical response data to predict the future distribution of call volume within the City.  By analyzing this data, the RAA can place units in positions to best respond to the demand for emergency and non-emergency service in a timely manner.  This ensures equal EMS access and service in all segments of the City, an important component of a "public utility model" EMS system like the Richmond Ambulance Authority.  RAA depends on the efficiency of demand analysis and system status management to achieve the efficiencies necessary to make the public utility model function successfully. 

Spatial analysis and representation also enhances the ability of the Medical Director and his staff to monitor the effectiveness of field treatment, dispatch procedures, and the incidence of clinical events through the system.  For example, all geographical cardiac arrest locations in the City can be shown on one map as points or symbols. The size and color of these points can indicate how long it took EMS to respond, or how many events may have occurred at the same location.  By assigning those points where the response time standard was exceeded the color of red, it becomes easy to tell which areas are taking too long to for the EMS response and whether there are any patterns to these responses. Exploring clinical issues with GIS software is an exciting new application of technology to EMS issues, and represents just a portion of the benefits the Richmond Ambulance Authority expects to derive from their collaborative relationship with the University of Bonn.

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