In the wake of the departure of Joseph Pred, long-time head of Burning Man’s Emergency Services Department, BMOrg have severed the half-million dollar a year contract with Humboldt General Hospital to provide emergency medical services at Burning Man.
From the Reno-Gazette Journal:
For the past four years, Humboldt General Hospital has been at the helm of the onsite clinic and any emergency medical services which require transport to either its main facility in Winnemucca, Nev. or other facilities in Reno.
But Burning Man has severed its current medical services contract with Humboldt General Hospital and is reviewing its options.
In 2011, Burning Man signed a five-year contract with Humboldt General Hospital, which was expected to be operate the medical services at the event through this year’s festivities.
Burning Man was to pay $500,000 annually for Humboldt General Hospital’s services at Burning Man, according to a statements in August by Humboldt General Hospital CEO Jim Parrish…Burning Man has made no promises that Humboldt General Hospital will continue to provide medical services for the weeklong event that this year will take place from Aug. 30 to Sept. 7.
“We are looking at possible new medical support service providers, and Humboldt General Hospital is part of that review,” said Jim Graham, special projects senior adviser for Burning Man…
Burning Man expects to have a new contract in place as early as April, according to Graham, who noted that it very well could include Humboldt General Hospital.
…Up until 2011, the Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority of Reno, better known as REMSA, served Burning Man.
“It’s a logistical nightmare,” said Kevin Romero, REMSA director.
Setting up a medical clinic in the middle of a desert is no easy task, he said, especially when the bulk of participants are receiving heavy doses of heat and sun exposure. Not to mention, many of them are under the influence of alcohol and drugs…
The Reno-based ambulance service served Burning Man for 12 years before the free spirit festival held in the Black Rock Desert decided to sign with Humboldt General Hospital, which put in the highest bid for the contract at the time.
If Humboldt General Hospital again signs a contract with Burning Man, REMSA may re-enter the equation, according to Pat Songer, chief of Emergency Medical Services at Humboldt General Hospital.
Humboldt General Hospital has provided between 300 and 350 employees on site at Burning Man.
The employees range from nurses to physicians to maintenance staff. Their departments range from emergency medicine to radiology, according to Songer.
One of the resources that Humboldt General Hospital is short of, however, is ambulances.
REMSA has a larger fleet, and Humboldt General Hospital is interested in requesting an extra five ambulances from REMSA, in addition to the eight that the hospital provides on site already.
Still, the decision to bring REMSA back into the equation ultimately would be Burning Man’s, as it will come at an additional cost to the nonprofit.
Songer said that it is the hospital’s hope that Burning Man recognizes the value of bringing REMSA’s backup resources on board since it could namely would improve the event’s mass injury and mass casualty plan.
…medical staff that practice on the playa gain a multitude of new skills working in such a remote location that lacks the conveniences provided by a standard clinic or hospital.
“It’s really the optimal place to practice medicine. It’s really hands on,” said Louis Meneiola, chief of hospital operations for Burning Man.
The majority of incidents treated at Burning Man are dehydration related, followed by minor trauma cases that may include abrasions or lacerations.
Alcohol and drug related cases make up a surprisingly small number of the cases that are seen by Humboldt General Hospital’s staff, though they require perhaps the most attention, Songer said.
In all, Humboldt General Hospital Staff treat an average of about 450 patients each day
Pingback: CrowdRX Now Hiring 120 Licensed Nevadans | Burners.Me: Me, Burners and The Man
Pingback: Local Medics Ditched for Festival Specialists – Permit Now In Jeopardy? | Burners.Me: Me, Burners and The Man
I do not know what might be occurring in regards of this, other than all are persueing agendas of their own desires. Arses in Winnemucca most enjoy treating hippies and ravers in a horrible manner, for the cash of it, in addendum of, for the lulz of it. Of the Winnemucca office of the BLM requiring a payment of $3.5 million of cash from the BMOrg, of which most is in due of the stated costs by the BLM, in addendum of the 3 per cent levy, while, by appearance, the costs of the BLM are much smaller than their stated costs, but, it is easy peasy of bureaucracy to grow to match the cash of which is available towards them. Of the little town Winnemucca police, whom are most unprofessional in regards of hippies and ravers, and their judge and DA, whom collect the levies upon them. Of the BLM police, managed from Winnemucca, whom, at present, might be acting in a tad of a professional manner, but, too little, too late. Within the Afterburn Report of 2014, there are statements in regards of the BLM, and the BLM police required of the BMOrg to provide a big luxury facility for the BLM and the BLM police, but, it did not occur, perchance, might it been in due of the awesome DPW arses might not have volunteered to construct of it, in due of the most horrible manner of which the BLM police have treated them? Might the contract with the Humbolt General Hospital, of Winnemucca, which, by appearance, at near to $500,000, is most reasonable, be within the middle of this row?
The BMOrg agenda is in regards of their desire to lower their costs of cash, obtain signatures upon their permits, and, perchance, in regards of other hidden matters. They are venturing to Washington, DC, to converse with the BLM management, and, with BLM police management, purposed towards obtaining adult supervision in regards of the BLM police and of the Winnemucca BLM management, obtain a signature upon their 2015 permit, start negotiations upon a permit after the present Burning Man permit ends after the 2016 event, and lower their costs of cash, in addendum of, whom might know of what else might be hidden from Burners.
In the middle of this row, are the awesome volunteers of Rampart, the doctors, the nurses, the staff, in addendum to the Burners whom need the awesome medical care of which Rampart provides. The management of Humbolt General Hospital, of Winnemucca, refuses of labouring with CrowdRX, of whom the BMOrg gave the new contract for Rampart. CrowdRX was recently bought by the big Event Management Services, and CrowdRX, states they have been in business for numerous years, but, might they be new, I am not able to find references towards them prior of 2014? CrowdRX is from New York, with pictures of solely a small amount of people and solely two ambulances upon their facebook page, with solely a small amount of posts, and CrowdRX filed for a trademark solely within 2014. Might CrowdRX reduce costs, towards the BMOrg, by requiring of Burners to charge their insurance in many manners, and charge for the numerous ambulance trips to Reno in due of CrowdRX not being of the ability to do much medical treatments on the playa?
burnerxxx, I presume you have viewed the RGJ article upon this rubbish, in addendum to the facebook page of Clair, the lead RN within Rampart. I do not know of what might be occurring, other than the awesome volunteers of Rampart, and Burners, are caught within this row, and being treated in a most horrible manner.
By appearance, CrowdRx bought Event Medical Services, or, perchance, the reverse, and the prior owner of Event Medical Services, at present, is president of CrowdRx. CrowdRx has done numerous events, in the main part near to New York, and provide medical services to EDM festivals. But, by appearance, any medical issue more than dehydration, or similar, is a trip, by ambulance, to a hospital that is near.
Wow, this is really bad news.!!! I work in the clinics, but Ramparts does amazing stuff for people. The clinics send a lot of people over there. People are getting really high end emergency care for free!! That’s bad business practice by the Borg, as well, cancelling the contract before the event. Fairly stupid move.
If I am right about the BOrg NPD, Joseph Pred was the intermediary between the Hospital and the House of Larry. Absent his reframing of the relationship to provide narcissistic supplies, possibly both ways, things fell through. The BOrg will now be looking for a relationship that gives them more control, more narcissistic supplies, or at the least more money in their pockets. The quality of past services and the safety of the burners is irrelevant, as is any input from the burners in this matter. After all, the burners are only the audience – the BOrg creates the event. The BOrg alone are the necessary and sufficient conditions for the NV burn to happen.
Medical emergencies are a great way to learn about your fellow campmates. We had one girl who overdosed on GHB (yes, it’s not always a date rape drug). She brought bottles of the stuff… so we find her near death one night and she wins the free helicopter ride to Reno. 2 days later, she’s back in camp. She escaped from the hospital and hitched back to BM and hid away to get through the gate.
She was just like, ‘Yeah, I’m that hardcore!’ 2 days later she got the free helicopter ride again. The best thing was her GHB was just in unmarked water bottles to avoid detection. There was this great time when she had to grab the bottle out of someone’s hands just before he was about to drink it.
Gotta love burners!
We all have our own experiences. What year did this happen? All I can say is that is a subset of the BRC crowd that has not intersected with mine.
My best story is when a previous consort of mine hit it off with my campmate, as I had expected and hoped. Sure enough, he adopted responsibility for her (he he), and spent almost three hours looking for her the first night as she got lost and managed to break her arm. All handled locally without a trip to the hospital.
The next year, he wised up (like I had), and she managed to find people at other camps to adopt her. But she did have an uncanny sense to show up at mealtime.
GHB Girl was 2004. Unfortunately, I’ve camped with too many people who had crossed the line from simply being irresponsible and inconsiderate, into completely self-destructive behavior. All you can do is watch. My crews have been from LA to Santa Barbara to San Francisco.
The self-destructive types do not care at all – not one bit about the people who have to deal with their limp, lifeless bodies (and other carnage) and how that effects them. I wish I knew how to avoid these people before you’re force to deal with their implosions.
>she did have an uncanny sense to show up at mealtime.
I have a cat like that. And it’s not even my cat.
These high-maintenance types seem to map into the Narcissistic Personality Disorder cadre pretty well. Learning to look for NPD traits has usually let me avoid them. Funny enough, they will usually readily self-identify as “high-maintenance” – sort of a warning label.
A good tutorial on basic NPD:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=UA9vrGXvphg
1. Shamlessness. Inability to process shame in a healthy way.
2. Magical Thinking. See themselves as perfect using distortion and illusion, and dump shame on others.
3. Arrogance. Elevate selves by degrading others.
4. Envy. Use contempt to minimize others.
5. Entitlement. Consider themselves superior.
6. Exploitation. Using others without regard for their feelings or interests.
7. Bad Boundaries. Others are extensions of themselves, and exist only to serve their needs.
Let me add that an aspect that Vaknin often misses is that the envy thing (4.) is more often expressed in NPD as imagining that others envy them, rather than them envying others, though that may be the root cause.
They also seem to strangely be engulfed by others with NPD, themselves being taken advantage of. Must be a folie a deux thing, but the bottom line is avoid people and groups who have these traits. Oh, and if you have not seen my posts, that particularly includes the BOrg. 🙂
Even though they say most cases are dehydration these people are a life savers!!! I unfortunately had to visit them last year and they were top notch. The staff is very professional, very supportive, re-act to the issue at hand and very very understanding when the patient is freaking out and needs a emotional response as well as a medical response. Just don’t look to save money at the expense of the people in need of professional care!
Does this mean I don’t need to carry my BC/BS card on the playa? Does this count as an ER co-pay, or can I get coverage under my workers comp? …And does the BOrg carry workers comp coverage for all their workers? The Hartford wants to know!
Inspired by McD’s, when a DPWorker sustains a burn injury, perhaps they will now be given a mustard packet from the fluffer truck. The other option is probably hot coffee to rub on their burns.
Perchance, might there be a rationale for the Fly Ranch Exploratory Project post from 2014 January being within the top 10 today? Larry, and his mates, must be planning to spend their cash on something, in due of they do not desire to spend it paying the costs of the artists, paying all DPW a fair wage, supporting the mutant vehicle owners, or supporting the theme camps whom provide sound and entertainment towards their $30.5 million of ticket buyers.
Perchance, Larry, or Peter Hirshberg, or John Perry Barlow, of the Illuminati, spoke of it at the Bitcoin conference today, or, it was spoken of at SXSW.