The eighth annual Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Conference will be held at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center on Friday, Oct. 12, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. EMS professionals, first responders and other healthcare professionals will learn about current topics in pre-hospital care.

“Keeping up with the latest trends and sharpening assessment skills are key to a quality EMS system. Our conference offers some of both,” said Kurt Horst, M.D., emergency medicine physician at Piedmont Athens Regional and medical director for Georgia EMS Region 10. “We are very excited to be able to offer EMS professionals a conference with an outstanding agenda and we are very grateful for the excellent speakers who have agreed to present at this conference.”

Sessions for this year’s EMS conference will include information on caring for patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVAD), post-traumatic stress for EMS professionals, a panel discussion about the opioid crisis, stroke care, and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department’s crisis intervention response unit.

This year’s conference also will feature a special lecture from Jay Coates, M.D., a trauma surgeon who was present in Las Vegas on Oct. 1, 2017, during the deadliest mass shooting by an individual in the United States.

“EMS is a special and unique profession with many dedicated men and women. They are compassionate, highly skilled, and work in often very challenging environments,” said Gale Kinder, RN, director of emergency services at Piedmont Athens Regional. “On average, we have more than 75 ambulances visits at our hospital every day, and EMS plays a key role in our patients’ outcomes. This conference is both a way of giving back to these awesome people, while also providing important educational content so they are at the top of their game every time they go out there.”

The conference will be held in Piedmont Athens Regional’s Medical Services Building, located at 242 King Ave. in Athens. Continuing education credit is available for EMTs and paramedics.