Jerauld County Ambulance Monthly Column
Greetings everyone. Wow, summer is coming to an end and it’s back to school time already. We know that just because school is starting, that doesn’t mean the heat goes away soon. We just want to touch base with those of you who have kids returning to class, going to fairs, and starting sports activities. Please remind your kiddos to stay hydrated and eat properly to accommodate any changes in activity.
Our bodies run on three essential ingredients, water, oxygen and glucose. Of course we need other nutrients to function properly, but these three are the most important. Key electrolytes include sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. What can we do to help maintain a healthy balance? First and foremost, restrict soda and energy drinks and drink water instead. Caffeine and energy drinks have proven to be more harmful than helpful, especially when your body is already stressed, but boy do they taste good. You can add flavored electrolytes or fruit to your water or drink something like PowerAde that have the added nutrients our bodies need.
While pizza, hot dogs and funnel cakes are yummy and convenient with lots of carbs, they also contain a lot of fats. These forms of carbohydrates are complex sugars and require more energy for the body to convert into simple sugars to be used for energy. Eating complex carbs and fats can cause your body to feel more tired. Also, our bodies don’t store carbs so they need to be replenished more often when we are more active. Foods like apples and peanut butter, berries and grapes, bananas, dried fruits, trail mix, granola bars, proteins like turkey or ham sandwiches on whole grain bread, cheese, and honey sticks are all good examples of tasty easy healthy foods that provide our bodies with what we need without all the complex sugars we don’t need.
Teach your kids how to listen to their bodies as well. If they feel tired, thirsty, light headed, nauseated, or confused, they need to recognize that and say something to someone before they get worse. These are all signs that your body is lacking hydration or nutrients. Ask them to sit down and rest somewhere cool, take sips of roomtemperature water slowly, and if symptoms continue or get worse, take them to be seen by a doctor. We love our local kiddos and want them to be safe and healthy.
August is also Medical Alert Month. We have talked about this in the past, but just want to remind people of the importance of Medical Alert and how it can help us help you. Medical Alert is more than just a bracelet you wear to notify us of allergies or medical conditions, there are so many new options available now. They have ID cards that we can scan to list all current medications, allergies, advance directives and health history, Apple Watch apps, 24/7 Live Response plans, etc. Please look online to find something that might be helpful to you or a loved one at www.medicalert. com or search for a program that works best for you.
We have received new LifePaks for our ambulances through the LifePak Initiative offered by the SD DOH. These are devices that we use to monitor our patients in many different ways, from simple vital signs to EKGs. These new LifePaks are the latest version and allow us to do so much more for our patients. We are excited and very grateful for this addition to our service. Also, next month we plan to be adding AVEL ecare telemedicine on Unit One. This allows us to see and talk to Medical Direction right from the back of the ambulance. This is also a program brought to us for free from the State Department of Health. If you get a chance, please thank our state officials for supporting EMS through these projects. This profession is suffering nationally, and every program such as these are great forces in ensuring we thrive. South Dakota is leading the nation with initiatives to help services like ours, and we couldn’t be more proud to be a part of it!
Once again, we are hosting another EMT Class beginning in November. We have had some students sign up already, but we still have a few slots available. Our last course was successful with three students completing and passing their National Exams their first try, which is unheard of. They worked so hard to accomplish that, and deserve a huge pat on the back for their dedication. It would be amazing if we could do that again! So if you are interested in taking this course, a CPR/AED class, or asking us to come speak to your group, please contact us at jerauldamb@venturecomm.net or send us a message on Facebook.
Thank you all for everything you do and stay safe and healthy. Sincerely, Jerauld County Ambulance.