The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to St. Charles County Ambulance District [SCCAD] for its annual comprehensive financial report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. The report has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program, which includes demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to fully communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the report. This marks the 18th consecutive year that SCCAD has received this recognition.
The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.
This year, St. Charles County Ambulance District [SCCAD] will respond to approximately 50,000 calls for service – a number that has grown by nearly 50 percent over the last decade and continues to climb. Rapid residential and commercial development, coupled with an aging population, have been the driving factors behind the upward trajectory. This week, the District debuted a reconfiguration of emergency assets that are projected to positively impact response times in one of the County’s busiest areas.
Advanced life support ambulances are now positioned at new stations located at 1755 Woodstone Dr. in St. Peters and 3801 Towers Rd. in Harvester. Previously, this expansive area was served by a single ambulance operating from a station along Old Hwy. 94. The move brings SCCAD’s total number of stations staffed around the clock to 17.
“When performing our community needs analysis, this area was and continues to be a high priority,” said SCCAD Chief Kelly Cope. “The Woodstone and Towers stations, coupled with support from existing facilities, will enable us to enhance coverage and provide better response times to 911 emergencies.”
The unit housed at the Woodstone station will primarily serve the Rt. 364 corridor between Heritage Pkwy. and Mid Rivers Mall Drive, while the Towers station will respond to calls in the densely populated residential areas of Harvester.
Total project cost on the two facilities was approximately $5.85 million. Originally slated to open earlier this fall, supply chain issues related to several critical pieces of equipment necessitated a slight shift in the stations’ opening.
“Like many construction projects throughout the region, we encountered delays on a handful of required items. We’re grateful to our general contractor (LCS, LLC.), architect (Archimages) and project management firm (Navigate Building Consultants) that aided in helping navigate the interruptions and minimize impact to the overall project timeline,” said Cope.
The new stations were included in SCCAD’s 10-Year Capital Improvement Plan [CIP], which was published in 2018. General obligation bonds authorized by voters in August of that year provided financing for the facilities. Also included in the CIP was the District’s unified headquarters facility which opened in 2021, replacement of ambulances and lifesaving equipment, and several forthcoming EMS stations.
On Tuesday April 4, 2023 the
qualified voters of election District 5, and District 6 will elect one Director
for each District to the St Charles County Ambulance District Board of
Directors to serve a three-year term. Procedure for filing a declaration of
candidacy for Director as follows:
1. Filing will open at 8:00
a.m. on Tuesday December 6, 2020 and close at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday December 27,
2022.
2. Filing must be declared in
writing at the St Charles County Election Authority Administrative office at
397 Turner Boulevard, St Peters MO 63376 during the posted regular hours.
Candidates for the office of
Director at the time of filing must be a citizen of the United States, a
qualified voter of the election District in which they are a candidate, a
resident of the District for two years next preceding the election and shall be
at least 24 years of age.
For candidates filing on the
first day (December 6, 2022) the order of filing will be determined by random
drawing. Thereafter, candidates for each election District will appear on the ballot
in the order in which his/her written declaration of candidacy is filed with
the St Charles County Election Authority. All candidates are required to
complete MO Department of Revenue Form 5120, Candidate’s Affidavit of Tax
Payments and Bonding Requirements, signed and notarized when filing.
Clinician. Educator. Advocate. Leader. These are but a few of the adjectives that could be used to describe St. Charles County Ambulance District [SCCAD] Battalion Chief Greg Maddock. This week, Maddock was recognized by the Missouri Emergency Medical Services Association [MEMSA] as the organization’s 2022 Paramedic of the Year.
As a clinician, Greg is a critical thinker that thrives even in the most challenging situations and encourages others to do the same. Earlier this year, he successfully led one of the highest-stakes calls patient care professionals encounter – a pediatric cardiac arrest. In his role as Battalion Chief, Greg supports and guides his crews – a trait several in his charge have complimented him on.
Though his strong clinical background serves him well on all variety of calls for patients of all ages, pediatric patients are where Greg’s heart lies. As a former flight paramedic for Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, he was a natural choice to co-chair our pediatric quality improvement and assurance efforts, and his work in this role ultimately helped the District earn Level One Pediatric-Ready status from Missouri EMS for Children.
For many years, Greg served as Primary Instructor of the SCCAD Emergency Medical Technician program. His strong education and mentorship skills led to class retention and national registry test pass rates that are among the best in the State. He further lends his talents as an adjunct instructor for the Paramedic program, and many of his students have ultimately gone on to become SCCAD paramedics.
“Greg’s achievements and contributions to the Ambulance District and our community could fill volumes. He is a capable care provider and leader whose efforts positively impact outcomes for individuals in St. Charles County,” said SCCAD Chief Kelly Cope.
Maddock began his career at SCCAD in 2011 and was later promoted to Lieutenant before ascending to his current position. He earned his Paramedic license in 1999 and worked for Christian Hospital EMS, Lincoln County Ambulance District and District of Columbia Fire & EMS prior to his tenure with SCCAD.
SCCAD and its team members have a rich history of recognition by MEMSA; Maddock is the 14th Paramedic to receive the organization’s top honor over the past three decades.
St. Charles County Ambulance District [SCCAD] paramedics once again earned Gold Plus status in the American Heart Association’s annual Mission: Lifeline program, which recognizes EMS agencies for their implementation of quality improvement measures for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks and strokes.
Each year, more than 250,000 individuals experience a ST elevation myocardial infarction [STEMI], a deadly type of heart attack caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it is critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, a significant number of these patients don’t receive this prompt attention.
The correct tools, training and practices allow SCCAD paramedics to rapidly treat these patients and trigger an early response from the awaiting hospital personnel. Agencies that receive the Mission: Lifeline Gold award demonstrated compliance for each of four required cardiac achievement measures, and two stroke reporting measures. The ‘Plus’ distinction reflects that paramedics are consistently performing a 12-lead ECG on patients within 10 minutes on chest pain calls. 2022 marks SCCAD’s fourth consecutive Gold Plus honor, and its eighth overall Mission: Lifeline recognition.
“SCCAD paramedics play a vital part in the system of care for those who experience significant medical emergencies in our community,” said SCCAD Chief Kelly Cope. “As the first medical point of contact, they perform life-saving interventions and shave precious minutes of treatment time off by activating the emergency response system that alerts hospitals.”
SCCAD paramedics and leadership staff are elated to be recognized at this high level but highlight the fact that collaborative relationships that make it possible.
“We convene regularly with our partners at Barnes-Jewish St. Peters, Progress West, SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital St. Charles and SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital Lake St. Louis to develop protocols with the goal of improving the quality of care for stroke and STEMI patients,” said John Romeo, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for SCCAD.
Cardiac care has been an area of focus for SCCAD in recent years; in 2015, the District was the first in the region to debut cardio-cerebral resuscitation [CCR] – an innovative approach to cardiac arrest management that saw a significant increase in survival to hospital discharge rates. In addition, SCCAD paramedics work to provide cost-free chest compression education to St. Charles County residents via the Lifesaver CPR program, which has to date trained more than 12,000 individuals.
The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to St. Charles County Ambulance District [SCCAD] for its annual comprehensive financial report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020. The report has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program, which includes demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to fully communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the report. This marks the 17th consecutive year that SCCAD has received this recognition.
The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.
If you step into retirement communities throughout St. Charles County in December, you’ll undoubtedly see trees, menorahs and snowflakes adorning the lobbies, but there is another item you may not expect to find – royal blue 40-gallon trash barrels. Featuring the distinctive Operation Food Search [OFS] tomato logo, these receptacles are not meant for garbage, but rather for cans, boxes and bags of food for the St. Charles County Ambulance District [SCCAD] ‘Fill the Ambulance with Food’ initiative, which has become a hallmark of the holiday season. Once the barrels were loaded and the donations logged, the tally reached a record-setting 9,500 lbs. of nutritious food donations, which OFS representatives estimate will provide one full day of meals for 2,375 individuals.
‘Fill the Ambulance’ immediately resonated with retirees upon its inception, and over the course of more than a decade has amassed over 55,000 lbs. of food that stays local to St. Charles County. Though the name suggests donations will be loaded into an advanced life support unit, support of the initiative long ago outgrew a single ambulance. Thankfully, partner pantries are armed with box trucks that will help donations find their way to shelves.
“The excitement for ‘Fill the Ambulance’ begins very early,” said Fairwinds River’s Edge General Manager Jim Ausmus. “Residents begin asking around Halloween when we’re getting our blue barrels!” Ausmus and his team took a unique approach to the initiative in 2020 when COVID case counts were at their peak, creating a miniature grocery store within the lobby so residents could shop safely. The concept was a hit, and the store was open for business again this year!
‘Fill the Ambulance’ continues to grow not only in quantity of food collected, but also in terms of the number of participating communities. Through the years, new facilities opening in St. Charles County have enthusiastically embraced the program. This year’s participants included: Twin Oaks Stone Ridge, Twin Oaks at Heritage Pointe, Boulevard Wentzville, Boulevard St. Charles, Park Place Senior Living, Garden Villas of O’Fallon, Avalon Park, Breeze Park, Lake St. Charles, Fairwinds River’s Edge, Watermark of St. Peters, Clarendale St. Peters, Lake Ridge Senior Apartments, along with Freedom Fitness locations in Cottleville and Wentzville.
“The sustained level of dedication and commitment to ‘Fill the Ambulance’ is both heartwarming and awe-inspiring,” said Kristen Wild, OFS President and CEO. “Through their contributions, these seniors will help heal the hurt of hunger for hundreds of individuals and families in their community.”
In any given year, St. Charles County Ambulance District [SCCAD] paramedics respond to thousands of calls for pediatric patients within the District’s 592 square mile service area. From allergic reactions to traumatic injuries, situations involving our community’s youngest residents demand specialized equipment and training. This month, SCCAD was recognized by the Missouri Emergency Medical Services for Children [MOEMSC] program as Level 1 – the highest possible level for pediatric readiness.
To earn certification through the MOEMSC initiative, Missouri ambulance providers must carry and train annually on dozens of pieces of pediatric specialty basic and advanced life support equipment and designate a pediatric emergency care coordinator for the organization who ensures all pediatric-specific transport needs remain a top priority for the organization. To earn Level 1 certification, the organization must demonstrate commitment to pediatric community outreach.
“We are proud to recognize SCCAD for their commitment and dedication to the children of their community,” said Danielle Lee, MOEMSC Program Coordinator. “In addition to maintaining advanced pediatric certification for all paramedics, the District has a proven track record of offering a robust array of pediatric-centered safety programming for residents.”
In 2016, SCCAD was among the first EMS agencies in the region to partner with area pediatric specialty hospitals to offer a formalized STARS [Special Needs Tracking and Awareness Response] program for families with children suffering from complex medical needs. Other outreach programs include child safety seat installation assistance, child/infant CPR training, and Stop Heroin, a program aimed at middle school students that provides a raw look at the opiate epidemic.
“The District’s continued commitment to investment in equipment, training, and prevention programs helps improve clinical outcomes” said SCCAD Deputy Chief Medical Officer John Romeo. “We’re honored to be recognized by MOEMSC at this highest-possible level.”
MOEMSC is a federally funded grant program whose mission is to reduce child and youth mortality and morbidity resulting from severe illness or trauma.
On Tuesday April 5, 2022 the qualified voters of election District 2, and District 4 will elect one Director for each District to the St Charles County Ambulance District Board of Directors to serve a three-year term. Procedure for filing a declaration of candidacy for Director as follows:
Filing will open at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday December 7, 2021 and close at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday December 28, 2021.
Filing must be declared in writing at the St Charles County Election Authority Administrative office at 397 Turner Boulevard, St Peters MO 63376 during the posted regular hours.
Candidates for the office of Director at the time of filing must be a citizen of the United States, a qualified voter of the election District in which they are a candidate, a resident of the District for two years next preceding the election and shall be at least 24 years of age.
For candidates filing on the first day (December 7, 2021) the order of filing will be determined by random drawing. Thereafter, candidates for each election District will appear on the ballot in the order in which his/her written declaration of candidacy is filed with the St Charles County Election Authority. All candidates are required to complete MO Department of Revenue Form 5120, Candidate’s Affidavit of Tax Payments and Bonding Requirements, and signed and notarized when filing.
