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03-21-2007, 12:17 PM
GM to work with U.S. on emergency response
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17719091/
Automaker's OnStar service to work with agency to treat crash victims
WASHINGTON - General Motors Corp.'s OnStar service is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help emergency responders more effectively treat crash victims.
On Wednesday, the automaker was scheduled to announce a partnership with federal health officials to create guidelines, expected in 2008, for the use of real-time crash data to help emergency services provide a more targeted response to those injured in a car accident.
GM's OnStar system alerts emergency rescue officials when an air bag deploys or the vehicle is struck in a moderate to severe crash. Subscribers can also receive driving directions, roadside assistance and other services
Emergency responders could benefit from the OnStar system because its sensors transmit real-time data pinpointing where a vehicle was struck, whether it rolled over or if it was hit several times.
That type of precision can help emergency officials make the "absolutely critical decision" of whether to send a crash victim to a Level I trauma center, which provides the highest level of trauma care, said Dr. Richard Hunt, who leads the CDC's division of injury response at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.
"It will save lives and dollars in making sure that the right people get to the right institutions with the right care," said Charles Stokes, the president and chief executive of the CDC Foundation, adding that the approach could "change the face of emergency medicine over time."
The collaboration was developed through a $250,000 grant from the General Motors Foundation, the company said. The CDC will review real-time crash data from OnStar to help improve emergency transportation and the treatment of crash victims.
Onstar, a subsidiary of GM, is standard on about two-thirds of 2007 model year GM vehicles and will be included on most 2008 vehicles. As an option, it costs $695, which includes the hardware and first year's subscription fee.
After the first year, the subscription price is $16.95 a month or $199 annually. OnStar officials say the retention rate for their service is more than 60 percent.
&
GM Press Release:
GM Partners with CDC Foundation and CDC to Improve Emergency Crash Response
Expert panel to review vehicle crash data to determine better emergency medical response
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The GM Foundation announced today a partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the CDC Foundation to develop procedures that will help emergency medical responders better and more quickly determine if a motorist needs care at a trauma center after a vehicle crash.
CDC will convene a panel of more than 20 emergency medical physicians, trauma surgeons, public safety and vehicle safety experts to review real-time crash data from OnStar's Advanced Automatic Crash Notification (AACN) vehicle telematic system and similar systems from other companies to help improve emergency transport and treatment of crash victims. The panel meetings will be funded by a $250,000 grant from OnStar and the GM Foundation to the CDC Foundation. As a federal agency, CDC does not promote or endorse specific products.
"For more than 10 years OnStar has been proud to work hand-in-hand with local medical and public safety communities to create tools to help reduce traffic fatalities and extend needed emergency care," said Chet Huber, president of OnStar. "We are extremely excited to partner with the CDC Foundation and CDC in this ground breaking initiative that has the potential to dramatically impact the lives of our subscribers and all drivers."
Using a collection of sensors, vehicle telemetry systems like OnStar send crash data to an advisor if the vehicle is involved in a moderate or severe front, rear or side-impact crash. Depending on the type of system, the data includes crash severity information, along with data on the direction of impact, air bag deployment, multiple impacts and a rollover (if equipped with appropriate sensors). Advisors can relay this information to emergency dispatchers helping them to quickly determine the appropriate combination of emergency personnel, equipment and medical facilities needed.
"Providing emergency responders with vehicle crash information may help them make the appropriate field triage decisions, so crash victims can get to the right type of health care facility at the right time," said Dr. Richard Hunt director of CDC's Injury Center's Division of Injury Response. "CDC-supported research has shown that care at a trauma center lowers the risk of death by 25 percent for severely injured patients compared with treatment received at a hospital without trauma care services. We look forward to working with the expert panel in cooperation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to better understand how to use this technology to help the emergency medical community save lives."
Traffic safety and emergency medical experts say data from vehicle telematic systems like AACN may be especially important in rural or isolated areas where there may not be a passerby to report a crash and resources of a level I trauma center are too far away to treat the kind of injuries sustained in severe crashes. For example, 60 percent of the nation's fatalities are in rural areas, even though rural areas account for only 20 percent of total annual crashes.
"Time is a critical factor in trauma care," said Dr. David Cone, president of the National Association of EMS Physicians. "The goal is to develop evidence-based protocols that will allow the emergency medical community to effectively use automotive telemetry data to assist in reducing morbidity and mortality through faster patient identification, diagnosis, and treatment."
AACN, first introduced on the MY 2004 Chevy Malibu, evolved from airbag deployment notification systems, which alert OnStar Advisors if a subscriber's airbag has deployed. Airbag deployment notification systems have been on OnStar-equipped vehicles since 1997. For more information on OnStar and Advanced Automatic Crash Notification please visit www.onstar.com.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17719091/
Automaker's OnStar service to work with agency to treat crash victims
WASHINGTON - General Motors Corp.'s OnStar service is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help emergency responders more effectively treat crash victims.
On Wednesday, the automaker was scheduled to announce a partnership with federal health officials to create guidelines, expected in 2008, for the use of real-time crash data to help emergency services provide a more targeted response to those injured in a car accident.
GM's OnStar system alerts emergency rescue officials when an air bag deploys or the vehicle is struck in a moderate to severe crash. Subscribers can also receive driving directions, roadside assistance and other services
Emergency responders could benefit from the OnStar system because its sensors transmit real-time data pinpointing where a vehicle was struck, whether it rolled over or if it was hit several times.
That type of precision can help emergency officials make the "absolutely critical decision" of whether to send a crash victim to a Level I trauma center, which provides the highest level of trauma care, said Dr. Richard Hunt, who leads the CDC's division of injury response at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.
"It will save lives and dollars in making sure that the right people get to the right institutions with the right care," said Charles Stokes, the president and chief executive of the CDC Foundation, adding that the approach could "change the face of emergency medicine over time."
The collaboration was developed through a $250,000 grant from the General Motors Foundation, the company said. The CDC will review real-time crash data from OnStar to help improve emergency transportation and the treatment of crash victims.
Onstar, a subsidiary of GM, is standard on about two-thirds of 2007 model year GM vehicles and will be included on most 2008 vehicles. As an option, it costs $695, which includes the hardware and first year's subscription fee.
After the first year, the subscription price is $16.95 a month or $199 annually. OnStar officials say the retention rate for their service is more than 60 percent.
&
GM Press Release:
GM Partners with CDC Foundation and CDC to Improve Emergency Crash Response
Expert panel to review vehicle crash data to determine better emergency medical response
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The GM Foundation announced today a partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the CDC Foundation to develop procedures that will help emergency medical responders better and more quickly determine if a motorist needs care at a trauma center after a vehicle crash.
CDC will convene a panel of more than 20 emergency medical physicians, trauma surgeons, public safety and vehicle safety experts to review real-time crash data from OnStar's Advanced Automatic Crash Notification (AACN) vehicle telematic system and similar systems from other companies to help improve emergency transport and treatment of crash victims. The panel meetings will be funded by a $250,000 grant from OnStar and the GM Foundation to the CDC Foundation. As a federal agency, CDC does not promote or endorse specific products.
"For more than 10 years OnStar has been proud to work hand-in-hand with local medical and public safety communities to create tools to help reduce traffic fatalities and extend needed emergency care," said Chet Huber, president of OnStar. "We are extremely excited to partner with the CDC Foundation and CDC in this ground breaking initiative that has the potential to dramatically impact the lives of our subscribers and all drivers."
Using a collection of sensors, vehicle telemetry systems like OnStar send crash data to an advisor if the vehicle is involved in a moderate or severe front, rear or side-impact crash. Depending on the type of system, the data includes crash severity information, along with data on the direction of impact, air bag deployment, multiple impacts and a rollover (if equipped with appropriate sensors). Advisors can relay this information to emergency dispatchers helping them to quickly determine the appropriate combination of emergency personnel, equipment and medical facilities needed.
"Providing emergency responders with vehicle crash information may help them make the appropriate field triage decisions, so crash victims can get to the right type of health care facility at the right time," said Dr. Richard Hunt director of CDC's Injury Center's Division of Injury Response. "CDC-supported research has shown that care at a trauma center lowers the risk of death by 25 percent for severely injured patients compared with treatment received at a hospital without trauma care services. We look forward to working with the expert panel in cooperation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to better understand how to use this technology to help the emergency medical community save lives."
Traffic safety and emergency medical experts say data from vehicle telematic systems like AACN may be especially important in rural or isolated areas where there may not be a passerby to report a crash and resources of a level I trauma center are too far away to treat the kind of injuries sustained in severe crashes. For example, 60 percent of the nation's fatalities are in rural areas, even though rural areas account for only 20 percent of total annual crashes.
"Time is a critical factor in trauma care," said Dr. David Cone, president of the National Association of EMS Physicians. "The goal is to develop evidence-based protocols that will allow the emergency medical community to effectively use automotive telemetry data to assist in reducing morbidity and mortality through faster patient identification, diagnosis, and treatment."
AACN, first introduced on the MY 2004 Chevy Malibu, evolved from airbag deployment notification systems, which alert OnStar Advisors if a subscriber's airbag has deployed. Airbag deployment notification systems have been on OnStar-equipped vehicles since 1997. For more information on OnStar and Advanced Automatic Crash Notification please visit www.onstar.com.