The President's Corner . . .
At a recent Regional Board meeting, an executive said, 'Volunteer EMS in New Mexico is on life support...'
The subject, as always, was the annual EMS budget. This person also noted that while the number of administrative personnel at the DOH in Santa Fe has more than doubled and new requirements and regulations continue to be introduced, rural EMS' are struggling to meet existing requirements for training and equipment replacement.
Budget cuts at all levels of State government could leave some marginally solvent rural volunteer EMS wondering whether they will be able to continue to provide vital services to their citizens. The regulators are becoming more aggressive in enforcing statutes and regulations governing pre-hospital care in New Mexico. This is both correct and necessary in order to ensure the safety of those we serve.
What is less correct, however, is how volunteer services are expected to meet the new requirements with reduced, or static, budgets. It is not feasible to close the doors and turn off the lights and, as volunteers, we would never consider doing so. So we struggle to carry on...
The NMEMTA was re-incorporated and restructured several years ago to become a tax-exempt organization. Our mission is to provide educational opportunities to EMTs throughout the State. Up to this point, the Association has been operating on a shoe string budget. We obtain revenue solely from annual conferences and some local training events. This year we are enjoying a small surplus of ready cash. We are planning to use that money to supplement Regional conference costs for our members.
When agreements with the Regions have been put into place, and with the approval of the members at our September General Membership meeting in Socorro, we hope to begin supplementing the cost of conferences
for a limited number of our members
.
Stay tuned...
From the Secretary . . .
The annual NMEMTA Conference will be held at the New Mexico Fire Fighters Academy in Socorro on 15-19 September.
Core conference registration will begin at 7:30 am on Saturday, September 18th, with a keynote session at 8:30. Lunch will be provided by SouthWest MedEvac and, if the past two years are any indications, the Rudy's BBQ brisket, turkey, and chicken feast will be memorable.
Preregistration information is available by sending an email using the 'Contact Me' page of this website. Conference pricing is also available at the 'Contact Me' page. The conference is an opportunity to obtain up to 30 CE hours by attending pre-conference and core conference sessions.
The Core Conference cost is $50 for active NMEMTA members and $65 for non-members and inactive members. Pre-conference offerings and formal refresher courses are priced individually.
Please join us in September in Socorro for training, fellowship, and great barbecue!
NOTE: The Conference Brochure has the cost for the AHA CPR Instructor course (A5 - $120) and the Advanced Skills Training session (A6 - $85) transposed in the Conference Fees area of the registration form. The fees on the 'Contact Me' portion of this WebSite and in the Pre-Conference check off area of the brochure are correct.
Your Board of Directors . . .
President - Pete Bellows Vice President - John Smithson Secretary/Treasurer - Joe Boyle
Rufus Campbell - Board Member Cyndi Lee - Board Member Mary Paluszek - Board Member
Rodney Ray - Board Member Tom Reilly - Board Member
Bert Hanneman - Board Member Emeritus