CAAS Newsletter – Fall 2018


Recent CAAS Accreditations

In August, the CAAS Panel of Commissioners granted new CAAS accreditation to three agencies:

  • Allina Health EMS (St. Paul, MN)
  • Medical Center EMS (Bowling Green, KY)
  • Sandusky County EMS  (Fremont, OH)

Additionally, the following eight agencies were granted re-accreditation:

  • American Medical Response (Colorado Springs, CO)
  • Collier County EMS (Naples, FL)
  • Community Ambulance (Macon, GA)
  • Gaston County EMS (Gastonia, NC)
  • Professional Ambulance (Cambridge, MA)
  • Rockford Fire Department (Rockford, IL)
  • Sunstar Paramedics (Largo, FL)
  • UCHealth EMS (Ft. Collins, CO)

Congratulations to all our initial and re-accrediting agencies for a job well done!

CAAS Contributor and Accredited Agencies Win Industry Awards

AMBYlogotransparent01The American Ambulance Association announced the winners of its AMBY Awards, designed to honor excellence in EMS.  We would like to congratulate Dale Berry, a long time CAAS contributor (CAAS Board member and Panel member) for this well deserved honor.

J. Walter Schaeffer Award – Dale Berry, Emergent Health Partners (Ann Arbor, MI).  This annual award is given to an individual whose work in EMS has contributed positively to the advancement of the industry as a whole.

Several CAAS accredited agencies were also winners.  They include:

  • Clinical Outcome Project: Medic Ambulance Service, Inc. (Vallejo, CA)
  • Community Impact Program: NorthStar EMS Inc. (Tuscaloosa, AL)
  • Public Relations Campaign: MEDIC EMS Agency (Charlotte, NC)
  • Quality Improvement Program: Sunstar Paramedics (Largo, FL)

Congratulations to these agencies for their industry contributions and continued excellence.

CAAS Opens Grant Program – Deadline Fast Approaching

CAAS is pleased to announce the continuation of its accreditation grant program. As part of an effort to make accreditation more accessible and affordable to qualified agencies, CAAS offers limited grant funding toward the accreditation application fees.  CAAS will continue the grant program again this year, and is now accepting applications for consideration.  The CAAS grant funding will cover the application fee for accepted agencies, in an effort to reduce the financial impact of initial accreditation.

Agencies will still be responsible for all site review expenses and honoraria.  To be eligible for funding under the CAAS Grant Program, an applicant agency must be a licensed ground ambulance provider that can prove a financial need for the grant, and must plan to submit its application within one year of receiving the grant.  All agencies awarded grant funding must meet all application requirements for CAAS accreditation.

Through a joint funding venture between CAAS and its association management firm, The Center for Association Growth (TCAG), the grant application process will be open to both new applicants and CAAS accredited agencies, however preference will be made toward new applicants.  Agencies interested in the grant process must submit a completed grant application to CAAS on or before Friday, October 19, 2018.  Incomplete applications, illegible applications or applications received after this date will not be considered.  Agencies awarded grant funding must submit a completed application package to CAAS within one year of grant approval.

Download CAAS 2018 Grant Program Application

For more information on CAAS, or to learn how your agency can apply for a CAAS grant, please contact Marcie McGlynn, CAAS Accreditation Process Administrator at 847-657-6828.  You may also find more information on our website, www.caas.org.

CAAS Ground Vehicle Standard Updates

The CAAS GVS Committee will convene two meetings in November to start development of the CAAS GVS V2.0 document. This new document will include updates from the V1.0 revision, as well as potentially incorporating a new Remount Standard. CAAS GVS V2.0 will have a July 2019 effective date.

Committee meetings are open to the public. Click here for more details.

Promote Your CAAS Accreditation Through the CAAS Website

Every month, the CAAS website receives thousands of visitors.  The website is designed to illustrate the benefits of accreditation to those considering it, and to highlight agencies who have already achieved accreditation.

If you are an accredited agency, please consider sharing photos of your agency in action. We only require two things: every photo must have the CAAS logo visible somewhere in the photo and the agency needs to complete a photo release form.  If you would like to share one of your photos, please visit the site’s Resource Center.

CAAS Seeks EMS Medical Directors as Site Reviewers

CAAS is currently seeking active EMS Medical Directors interested in serving as CAAS site reviewers.  If you know of a physician that might be interested in becoming a site reviewer, please contact the CAAS office at 847-657-6828 for additional information and application details.

Upcoming Events

October 29 – November 2
EMS World World Expo (Attending)
Nashville Convention Center
Nashville, TN

November 7
CAAS GVS V2.0 Committee Meeting #1
MEDIC Mecklenburg EMS
Charlotte, NC

November 28
CAAS GVS V2.0 Committee – Meeting #2
SUNSTAR Pinellas EMS
Largo, FL