Prehospital & Disaster Medicine - Baystate Health

11/21/2025

Congrats to the new EMT graduates of AMR's Earn While You Learn Program!

11/21/2025

We’re so excited to announce our next EMS Fellow for 2026-2027, Dr. Lynn LeBlanc! She will join us in a 1 year ACGME EMS fellowship starting in July. Join us in welcoming her to the team!

Lynn was born and raised in Lebanon, New Hampshire. She completed her undergraduate studies at Castleton University in Vermont, while concurrently serving in the United States Army Reserves for eight years. Lynn’s EMS career began in Vermont in 2016, where she worked full-time with both rural and suburban agencies before transitioning to part-time while obtaining her Master of Science degree in Forensic Medicine in Philadelphia and attending medical school at LMU-DCOM in Tennessee. Lynn moved back to New England to attend Emergency Medicine residency at UMass Chan – Baystate and is excited to join the EMS division as the 2026-2027 EMS Fellow. Outside of medicine, Lynn enjoys jigsaw puzzles, books, movies, hiking and exploring local book stores and coffee shops with friends and family.

10/30/2025

Important AHA announcement for October 2025!

The American Heart Association updated their science and course curricula on 10/22/25 for all course disciplines (Heartsaver, BLS, ACLS, PALS, PEARS) as part of a regularly scheduled review.

What providers need to do:
Check in with your organization educators and managers regarding how their organization specific protocols may be changing.

Review updated 2025 AHA algorithms here to stay current with changes: https://cpr.heart.org/en/resuscitation-science/cpr-and-ecc-guidelines/algorithms

What instructors need to do:
Check in with your training center or training site coordinators for specific requirements.

10/30/2025

Coming to our training center in November 2025!

Baystate Health Systems is now offering a Chokesaver course, designed for restaurant staff looking to meet MA regulations 105 CMR 590.011 and 105 CMR 605.00- regarding the requirement of staff being trained in anti-choking procedures in establishments containing 25 seats or more.

This is a 2 hour course which covers first aid topics such as choking emergencies, allergic reactions and opioid associated emergencies. This course includes adult, child and infant guidelines.

This course does not include CPR/AED training. The cost of this course is $30.

Students that successfully complete this course will receive an American Heart Association Heartsaver course completion card, valid for 2 years.

To schedule a course for your establishment or for more information, please contact us at 413-322-4244 or email aj.lamay@baystatehealth.org.

View all of our course offerings here:
https://baystateaha.enrollware.com/schedule

10/22/2025

Just a reminder!!

We have an In-Person M&M opportunity happening THIS Friday, October 24th, from 3:30-5:30pm at Six Flags New England!

To register, please follow the link:

Please be assured that your information is protected and secure. We value your privacy and do not provide customer information to any third parties.

10/20/2025

Awesome job, great outcome!

See below message from Mr. Derose

I am writing to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation for the incredible work of our local Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), Dan, Colin, Dane and Tony, who quite literally saved my life during a recent medical emergency.

In the early morning hours on September 21st, I suffered a heart attack at my home. This type of heart attack is typically not survivable. Thanks to the swift response, professionalism, and expert care provided by the EMT team, I am alive today and on the road to recovery. From the moment they arrived, they acted with calm precision and compassion, stabilizing my condition and transporting me to the hospital without a minute to lose.

What stood out most—beyond their skill—was their humility. They reassured our daughter, kept me informed, and treated me with kindness in a moment of intense fear and uncertainty. I truly believe that if not for their quick action and dedication, I would not have made it to the Baystate Catheter Lab to receive life saving treatment.

Our town is incredibly fortunate to have such committed and well-trained first responders. I hope the town will continue to support and invest in our emergency services. These men are heroes, and their impact on our community cannot be overstated.

With heartfelt thanks,

Kevin Derose and family

10/20/2025

Huge thank you to Southwick Fire Department for a fun extrication and simulation day with one of our EMS Faculty, Dr. Zapcic-Desrochers, EMS Coordinator Liz Martinek, and education faculty, Dr. Earle!
The medical students in our Austere Medicine Elective along with some of our Baystate Emergency Medicine Residents and our EMS Fellow Dr. McFall got to learn from our prehospital colleagues and participate in extrication drills learning how scene extrication works in real life before patients come to our trauma bays and use these new skills in real world simulation scenarios!

10/13/2025

🎃 Join Us for a Spook-tacular Medical Management Conference! 🩺👻

Our division is teaming up with Six Flags New England to host a unique M&M you won't want to miss!

🗓 Date: October 24, 2025
📍 Location: Six Flags New England
🕒 Time: 3:30pm-5:30pm

We'll be diving into Halloween-inspired medical cases that are also educational!

⚠️ Registration is required to attend – spots are limited, so don’t wait!
👉

Please be assured that your information is protected and secure. We value your privacy and do not provide customer information to any third parties.

10/07/2025

Huge thank you to LIFE STAR for hosting our September’s in person M&M for the western region. We had a great night filled with pizza, fascinating trauma cases and hands on skill stations!

A special shoutout to Baystate Trauma’s Dr. Kramer and Kris Grochowski for taking the time to lecture and run two of the stations. There’s nothing quite like learning a surgical Cric straight from a trauma doc!!

Same time next year, LIFESTAR?

10/06/2025

Catching up on all the activities from September! Our fellow, Dr. McFall joined Dr. Zapcic-Desrochers with Granville Fire Rescue at a motocross event for a fun day trackside!

09/23/2025

Thank you for joining us!

County Ambulance would like to extend a sincere thank you to LIFE STAR and Baystate Health for hosting an incredibly valuable Morbidity & Mortality (M&M) Rounds session at the LIFE STAR base at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport this evening. A handful of our EMTs and Paramedics were fortunate to attend and gain insight from these case-based discussions.

For those unfamiliar, M&M Rounds are a critical part of ongoing professional education in EMS. They provide providers with an opportunity to review complex cases, analyze outcomes, and openly discuss challenges and successes in patient care. These sessions are not about blame—they are about learning, improving systems, and ensuring the highest standards of care.

Participation in M&M Rounds also supports the continued competency requirements for EMS certification, keeping our providers sharp, reflective, and engaged in evidence-based practice.

We are grateful to LIFE STAR and Baystate Health for fostering this culture of growth and collaboration, and to our team members who continue to invest in their professional development for the benefit of our community.

08/21/2025

Still a few spots remaining!!

Thinking of joining our September IN PERSON M&M at the LIFE STAR base in Westfield?

Monday, September 22 from 5p-8p. Dinner starts at 5pm and the education starts at 6pm! We will have trauma services on site to help teach! It's going to be a fun and educational evening. Sign up today!!

Please join us for an evening of M&M credit with the LIFE STAR 3 team out of Westfield, MA. LIFE STAR will supply dinner and dessert while we review medical and trauma cases from around Western MA! Please arrive for dinner after 5pm. M&M case review will begin promptly at 6pm in the LIFE STAR hangar...