STAT MedEvac Staff

Last week was National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. It’s held annually during the second week of April to honor public safety telecommunicators for their commitment, service and sacrifice. NPSTW originated in 1981 with longtime dispatcher, Patricia Anderson, of the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office in California who stood up for her fellow “dispatchers” and acknowledged how hard they work.  

One afternoon in 1981, Contra Costa County Sheriff Richard Rainey wanted to acknowledge his administrative staff by treating them all to lunch. Traditionally, the administrative staff was never to let their lines go unanswered, so they would transfer their calls to dispatch after hours. Dispatch would just tell the caller to call back during business hours, which generally didn’t impact the dispatch center because the volume was very low, but it did on this one particular instance.  

As April comes to a close, we want to remember the importance of this month; It’s National Donate Life Month. In the United States, every nine minutes someone joins the national transplant waiting list. Unfortunately, every day in the United States, 17 people on that list pass away waiting for an organ. It’s truly a sad statistic, but there is hope, thanks to organ donors.  

Living donation is a transplant option that can reduce wait times on the transplant waiting list and save lives with those who are in end-stage liver or kidney failure. The liver has the unique ability to regrow in just a few months, giving both the donor and the recipient a fully functioning liver. In addition, we may be born with two kidneys, but our body is capable of living with only one, […]