Words That Describe Us: Volume 42

Aetna Ambulance Service, Inc. - Ambulance Service of Manchester, LLC.MANCHESTER and HARTFORD — Aetna Ambulance and ASM send Patient and Customer Satisfaction Surveys to a random sampling of patients who have received emergency or STAT inter-facility services from our companies.

The final question in the survey asks “Do you have any suggestions on how we can improve our service?” And, “Please use one word to describe us.”

Some of the answers/responses included:

  • Excellent.
  • My son (13 years old) shared that the crew made him feel comfortable, even making him laugh. (14-87784; K. Baker, K. Beaulieu).
  • Very friendly & comforting.
  • Wonderful. They cared. I felt safe.
  • Professional + compassionate.
  • Great.
  • Friendly & professional.
  • Professional and considerate.
  • Skilled and professional.
  • Impressed and so appreciative of the service! The paramedic was highly professional and informative. I’ve already spoken positively of my experience to others! (14-91352; M. Buerk, L. McHugh with Manchester Fire Rescue EMS).
  • Very cared for. Professionally cared for. Hope to call this company again if needed. (14-91552; M. Traber, R. Buechele).
  • Friendly and caring. (Know what they were doing!!) (14-91173; S. Lowe with Rocky Hill Volunteer Ambulance).
  • Professional, expertise + very calming effect once in their care. Your Aetna folks are the BEST! (14-90924; J. D’Albero, B. Chase).
  • Excellent.
  • Compassionate.
  • Professional.
  • Understanding.
  • Good service.
  • Professional x 6.
  • Very very good to me.
  • Quiet, calm and in control. (14-90156; S. Parent, T. LaChappelle).
  • Excellent. Great job.
  • Quick and efficient. We were treated well.
  • The EMT/Paramedic were a great team, extremely professional and helpful. The EMT was so nice he actually went back into the office to retrieve my belongings. I am so grateful for the great service and care they provided. Thank you so much. I can’t thank you enough. (14-91630; S. Allen, K. King).

Regional Food Drive – Another “Excellent” Year

hc-manchester-hunger-results-1126-20141125-001HARTFORD COURANT

Delivering donated food to the MACC Charities pantry recently are, left to right, Sean Gregg of Ambulance Service of Manchester, Rotary Club members Ana Ramos and Marty Fins and MACC Executive Director Beth Stafford. (Rick Lawrence).

By Jesse Leavenworth

NOVEMBER 25, 2014, 1:27 PM

Read the full, original article here…

The Emergency of Hunger drive collected nearly 40,000 food items, an outpouring of generosity that an organizer characterized as “excellent” and a good gauge of citizens’ holiday spirit.

The regional collection by police, fire and emergency medical agencies and Rotary Club members benefits food pantries in Manchester, Vernon, South Windsor, Rocky Hill and Windsor.

Conducted over the past two weekends,the drive took in 39,956 food items, $23,839.80 in cash, checks and gift cards and 788 turkeys, organizer Dave Skoczulek of Ambulance Service of Manchester said Tuesday.

“It was an excellent year, once again surpassing our expectations,” Skoczulek said.
Collections in each town go to pantries that serve those towns. The drive provides a big lift to pantry stocks, not just for the holidays, but sometimes extending into February, pantry
representatives said. Organizers said the need has not diminished since the first drive in 2009.

The drive’s six ­year totals, which Skoczulek reported Tuesday, were 186,956 food items, $120,025.80 in cash, checks and gift cards and 5,498 turkeys.

Aetna’s Jennifer Pasquale and Michael Glazier Receive ‘Unit Citation’

ROCKY HILL — On November 14, 2014 Aetna’s Jennifer Pasquale and Michael Glazier who were recently mentioned for excellent care in service in another blog post, received a Unit Citation from the Rocky Hill Fire Department.

The recognition stems from a September 24, 2014 response in Rocky Hill where the two witnessed a significant head-on motor vehicle crash on the Silas Deane Highway. Their quick action and excellence in clinical care were significant to the patient’s outcome.

Words That Describe Us: Volume 41

Aetna Ambulance Service, Inc. - Ambulance Service of Manchester, LLC.MANCHESTER and HARTFORD — Aetna Ambulance and ASM send Patient and Customer Satisfaction Surveys to a random sampling of patients who have received emergency or STAT inter-facility services from our companies.

The final question in the survey asks “Do you have any suggestions on how we can improve our service?” And, “Please use one word to describe us.”

Some of the answers/responses included:

  • Professional and courteous.
  • Very professional.
  • Very caring. I’m glad for this service. They made me comfortable. They are the best ever. Thank you. (14-85225; T. LaChappelle, J. Startup).
  • Professional + polite.
  • Very caring to me and my husband’s needs. (14-86367; S. Piscopiello, J. Tyree).
  • Very timely + excellent service.
  • Caring.
  • The ambulance crew was very efficient. We were very satisfied. (14-88662; S. Thompson, J. Hornish).
  • They were very professional.
  • They were great.
  • Excellent.
  • Seems they have performed this for me quite a few times and were always very very good in handling me and I would not hesitate to recommend them. (14-87237; S. Allen, N. Raiola).
  • Caring and professional.
  • Service was excellent. (14-83579; A. Cichy, A. Wysocki).
  • Very polite. (14-86876; M. Campbell, C. Quezada).
  • Friendly, Professional, Efficient. (14-84425; J. Bak, K. King).
  • Knowledgeable, reliable. (14-86907; J. D’Albero, T. Salva).
  • Excellent!
  • Very satisfied.
  • Sensitive.
  • Competent.
  • Very good.
  • Please tell the people that worked on me Thank You.
  • Professional and kind.
  • Professional + compassionate. They were great!
  • Thank you for their kindness.
  • They were wonderful! (14-83829; G. Geres, M. Sparks).
  • Compassionate and down to earth, intuitive. The crew was excellent at their jobs, kind, respectful and helped ease anxiety. Thank you!!! (14-89776; A. Ordway, E. Marandino).
  • Great.
  • Crew [was] nice and caring.

Emergency of Hunger food drive kicks off this weekend


POSTED 5:28 PM, NOVEMBER 13, 2014, BY SAMANTHA SCHOENFELD AND MIKE KRAFCIK, UPDATED AT 06:53PM, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 at Fox CT

Article and video appears on Fox CT

VERNON– Food drives are now kicking off for the holiday season, and this year there’s additional need for help in Connecticut cities and towns.

Many who oversee food drives in suburban towns and more affluent parts of the state say the need for food assistance is continuing to increase.

In Vernon Thursday afternoon, a kick-off ceremony was held for the sixth annual Emergency of Hunger Food Drive. Fire officials, police, EMS, hospital staff, Rotary and others are participating to help make a difference.

Over the last five seasons the drive has garnered 147,000 food and personal care items, 4,710 turkeys and more than $96,000 in cash, checks and gift cards.

Last year, fire, police and first responders personally helped to collect 25,000 food items and more than $10,000 in cash and gift cards for many suburban families in need.

Read the full article here…

“Emergency Of Hunger” Food Drive Begins Saturday

Emergency response agency and food pantry representatives gathered Thursday at the Hockanum Valley Community Council in Vernon to kick off the Emergency of Hunger Food Drive. (Jesse Leavenworth/The Hartford Courant)

Emergency response agency and food pantry representatives gathered Thursday at the Hockanum Valley Community Council in Vernon to kick off the Emergency of Hunger Food Drive. (Jesse Leavenworth/The Hartford Courant)

HARTFORD COURANT

by Jesse Leavenworth

VERNON — Emergency response agencies in the region are teaming up again to boost food supplies for poor and struggling residents. Read the full article here…

Police, fire, emergency medical services and Rotary Club representatives gathered Thursday at the Hockanum Valley Community Council to kick off the Emergency of Hunger Food Drive. Collections are set for Saturday and Sunday at supermarkets in Manchester, South Windsor, Vernon and Rocky Hill. Collections in Windsor, Manchester and Rocky Hill also are scheduled for Nov. 22-23.

Now in its sixth year, the drive has collected a total of 147,000 food and personal care items, 4,170 turkeys and about $96,000 in cash, checks and gift cards, organizer Dave Skoczulek of the Ambulance Service of Manchester said. Collections in each town go to pantries that serve those towns, Skoczulek said.

Full article here…

Following are locations and dates for collections (locations are Stop & Shop supermarkets, unless otherwise noted):

  • Manchester, 286 Broad St. — Saturday and Sunday and Nov. 22-23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Rockville section of Vernon, 50 Windsorville Road — Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Rocky Hill, 80 Town Line Road — Saturday and Sunday and Nov. 22-23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Vernon, 10 Pitkin Road — Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • South Windsor, 1739 Ellington Road — Nov 22-23, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • South Windsor, (Geissler’s Supermarket) 965 Sullivan Ave. — Nov 22-23, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Windsor, 1095 Kennedy Road — Nov. 22-23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

ASM Responds: Worker burned after explosion at Connecticut Natural Gas

WFSB.com

WFSB 3 Connecticut

By Joseph Wenzel IV, News Editor

EAST HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) –Connecticut Natural Gas employees were evacuated after a small explosion and fire was reported near the building in East Hartford on Wednesday afternoon.

The small explosion was reported in an outbuilding on Meadow Street, which is used to fill natural gas trucks around 12:30 p.m. The building is in a parking lot and away from other buildings.

The fire chief said a mechanic was filling a truck when a compressor exploded and created a small fire along with the explosion. The worker’s hands and head were burned and the explosion caused the panels of the building to partly pop off.

“It sounded like a dumpster and then all the emergency crews showed up,” said Lucie Wilson of East Hartford.

Sources told Eyewitness News that the explosion shook the building.

The outbuilding holds three gas tanks, all used to fuel the company’s natural gas powered vehicles.

“That system has been in place … CNG uses natural power gas and this is the first time we’ve ever run across an incident like this,” Fire Chief John Oates said.

Read more: http://www.wfsb.com/story/27365691/worker-burned-after-explosion-at-connecticut-natural-gas#ixzz3ItI5Bbtv

High Praise for Jennifer Pasquale and Michael Glazier

Pasquale and GlazierOctober 18, 2014

To Whom This May Concern:

On Saturday morning, September XX at around 4:30am, my husband, [name], and I were involved in a motor vehicle accident on [location in Aetna’s area].

Your ambulance company was called, and two EMS personnel responded to the scene to render medical assistance…I wanted to write and commend them for taking such wonderful care of us. These two [EMS Providers] displayed the utmost kindness, caring, concern and basic life support in what was already a very stressful and upsetting situation.

More often than not people only write to complain but I wanted to write to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to your staff.

Most sincerely,

Patient (14-80011).

(Patient and certain response information redacted for privacy).

Meet the Newest Members of the Aetna Team: Aetna Hires Eight

HARTFORD — On November 6, 2014, eight EMTs were added to the Aetna team. As part of our continued growth Aetna and ASM seek out only the best candidates. We look for employees who are focused on high-quality patient care, are team oriented and conduct themselves in a professional manner. During the orientation, employees learn about company philosophy and goals, quality assurance, and policies and procedures.

Ryan Dunn:    FULL TIME, EMT. My name is Ryan Dunn and I am 23 years old from Houston, Texas. I graduated from TCU in 2013 with a degree in Biology and Chemistry and the eventual goal to go to medical school. After working in the Emergency Department as a scribe for 2 years, I moved up to Tolland and got my certification at CodeOne in East Harford in July.  In my free time I like to watch sports of all types, play basketball, and play video games. I am excited and grateful to be part of the Aetna team and can’t wait to work with and meet all of you!

Shahbaz Khan:   FULL TIME, EMT. Hello everyone my name is Shahbaz Khan. I am 29 years old and live in Bristol, CT. I was born in Pakistan but raised in United States. I did my undergrad at Central Connecticut State University, from there I went to Atlanta, GA because I got accepted to Cambridge Allied Health for RT(T) Radiation Therapy. I took two years to complete the course and got my diploma. When I come back to CT I became an RA (Recovery Assistant) helping mentally disabled patient, not getting enough working hours I knew I needed to do something else. I was doing my independent studies to get licensed for RT(T) but I needed a profession which will help me gain knowledge, experience, and something I would love to do. My friend who works for Aetna told me “why don’t you come to Aetna and try working as an EMT”. I thought about it and gave it a shot. I was lucky enough to get a job in Naugatuck Ambulance and after getting cleared from the FTO’s I started to enjoy myself as an EMT. I learned new things every day. Every my partner and I did was exciting and I was hooked. I enjoy working in the medical field and try to stay connected as much as I can. The feeling of helping someone and being there for the patient in time of their need is the best feeling. In my spare time I love spending time with my friends. I am a people person so I like interacting with people and making new friends. I enjoy working out, going for a run and dance whenever I have spare time. I live life to fullest although sometimes life does pull you down, but you only get one life so enjoy it as much as you can. I look forward in meeting and making new friends with this company.

Brianna Koshmerl:   FULL TIME, EMT. My name is Brianna Koshmerl and I am 22 years old from Glastonbury Connecticut. I Grew up in Glastonbury and graduated from Glastonbury High School. I started my college career at UMass Amherst, But transferred for my sophomore year to UConn. While on campus, I participated in many extracurricular’s and philanthropy events, did research in biological sciences, and held student jobs. I graduated from UConn in May, 2014 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Molecular and Cell Biology. I just completed my EMT-B course this past summer, and are excited to begin gaining experience in the emergency services field. I want to attend a Physician’s Assistant program, and are using this experience as a gateway into the healthcare career with patient interactions.

Jared Kuhne:   FULL TIME, EMT. My name is Jared Kuhne and I am 29. Originally I come from northeast Pennsylvania, and recently moved to Ellington CT with my wife.  I am a veteran of the United States Air Force, and served in Afghanistan as a translator. During my four year commitment, I earned my Bachelor’s degree and went on to continue my education as a pre-med major at the Central Connecticut State University.  I received my EMT training in New York City with Empress Ambulance Service, before moving to Connecticut.  I enjoy being a productive member of the community I live in, and I hope that I can make a positive impact here in Hartford.   It is my hope to become a knowledgeable healthcare provider, and I’m looking forward to kick starting this career as an EMT with Aetna Ambulance.

Lauren Slebodnick:   FULL TIME, EMT.  Originally from Manchester, NH, I now live in Suffield, CT.  I am 22 years old and I just graduated from Cornell University in May 2014 with a degree in Biology & Society.  I was a goalie on the Women’s Ice Hockey Team while in college and I hope to continue my hockey career to the 2018 Winter Olympics.  I am also a big Bruins fan.  I took an EMT class over the summer and recently obtained my certification.  I also volunteer with Suffield Volunteer Ambulance Association and Johnson Memorial Medical Center.  In the future, I hope to further my education by attending a Physician Assistant Program.  I am very excited to join Aetna’s team and I look forward to meeting and learning from my fellow colleagues.

TJ Wain:    FULL TIME, EMT. My name is TJ Wain.  I am twenty-six years old initially from Waterbury, CT.  I currently reside in Wolcott where I volunteer for the local fire department.  I graduated University of New Haven back in 2010 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice, concentrating my studies in Police Administration.  I was active as an undergraduate DJing various events on and off campus as well as holding several executive positions in the Sigma Chi Fraternity raising funds for the Huntsman Cancer Foundation as well as the Children’s Miracle Network.  As an alumnus, I continued my work as President of the New Haven Alumni Association until attending Paramedic school at Capital Community College, Fall of 2013.   After attending paramedic school, I found that I truly enjoyed the impact that I was able to have on peoples’ lives.  It may not necessarily be “providing that band-aid,” but providing information, with genuine care, for a more beneficial impact.  “What’s a man’s worth if he’s not making the world a better place.” In my spare time, I still actively DJ events as well as enjoy gym, cross-fit and other endurance activities.  I look forward to advancing my career in paramedicine and find there is a lot of opportunity in the field for growth and education.

Chris Willey:   FULL TIME, EMT. My name is Chris Willey and I am originally from New Jersey. I moved to Killingworth when I was fourteen and after college moved Manchester where I have lived for the past year and a half. I went to UCONN for Psychology and Anthropology. I had originally planned to go into accounting or business but realized early on that wasn’t for me. I started to have interest in the medical field my junior year and after talking to friends who were involved in it, quickly became interested in emergency medicine and EMS. In 2012 I took my EMT course at Hartford Hospital. The following year I started volunteering as an EMT, and began working in Hartford Hospitals Emergency Department as an ER Technician. I also work as an EMT in East Windsor. Currently I’m in my final semester of Paramedic School at Goodwin College. I am looking forward to starting my career at Aetna and am counting down the days till orientation!

Alex Zhakov:   FULL TIME, EMT. My name is Alex Zhakov and I am 22 years old. I was born in Chelyabinsk, Russia and I moved to the United States when I was four years old. Since then, I’ve lived in different parts of Connecticut and love the area. Currently, I reside in Farmington, CT. I recently graduated from Brandeis University in Waltham, MA with a Bachelor’s Degree. While attending college in Massachusetts, I completed my EMT certification and am looking forward to beginning my EMS career in Connecticut. When given the opportunity, I love to travel and experience new cultures. In my free time, I love running outdoors, working out at the gym, cooking, catching up on current events, spending time with my family, and playing with my dog. I hope to continue my medical career in the future by attending graduate school. I am particularly interested in the field of infectious disease and would love to someday have a career focused in this area. I am thrilled to be a part of the Aetna team and can’t wait to begin!

Born Rolling Down I-84

Reunited two months after Kyra Deschene's birth on I-84, (l-r) Jamie and Andy Deschene, ASM paramedic supervisor Beth Sheils, holding Kyra, and ASM emergency medical technician Julie Bissell. (Jesse Leavenworth/The Hartford Courant)

Reunited two months after Kyra Deschene’s birth on I-84, (l-r) Jamie and Andy Deschene, ASM paramedic supervisor Beth Sheils, holding Kyra, and ASM emergency medical technician Julie Bissell. (Jesse Leavenworth/The Hartford Courant)

By Jesse Leavenworth

HARTFORD COURANT

MANCHESTER — Andy and Jamie Deschene had to make a quick decision on the night of Sept. 5.

Pregnant with her second child, but not due to deliver until Nov. 9, Jamie Deschene, 30, was having labor contractions when she called Andy at work and told him to hurry home. A doctor at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford told the couple that if they could make it to the hospital from their Bolton home in 20 minutes, they could drive. If not, the physician advised, call an ambulance.

Jamie’s water had not broken, and the Deschenes decided to drive. Her water broke on I-384 near the Spencer Street exit.

Soon after, the infant’s feet emerged, and the couple were faced with a potentially dangerous breach birth in their car. Andy pulled off on Exit 56 of I-84 and called 911. The off-ramp was soon bustling with state troopers, East Hartford firefighters and medics from Ambulance Service of Manchester.

Pregnant herself, ASM emergency medical technician Julie Bissell had answered four or five maternity calls within the past month. Each patient’s due date was closer than the one before, Bissell said. On the last call before the Deschenes’ emergency, the woman’s water broke on the ambulance stretcher.

Andy Deschene made his 911 call at 7:42 p.m. Within minutes, East Hartford firefighter/paramedic Tamarah Collins and firefighter Judith Geier joined Bissell and ASM paramedic supervisor Beth Sheils at the scene. They secured Jamie Deschene for transport and headed to Hartford. Read the rest of the story here…