Please visit Aria Medical Equipment at Booth 1141 at the AHRMM08 Annual Conference & Exhibition. The conference will be held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio on July 20–23.

At the AHRMM08 Conference, you will participate in exceptional educational and networking programs specific to the healthcare supply chain profession and test-drive the latest marketplace solutions in AHRMM’s ever-expanding Exhibition. AHRMM08 is the one place to find innovative new products to maximize your supply chain efficiencies and discover new solutions for your healthcare organization.

If you are a healthcare resource and materials management professional, this is an event you can’t afford to miss.

About 60 miles south of San Jose, California, is the small city of Salinas. With around 150,000 residents, this diverse city boasts such events as the Steinbeck Festival, the California Rodeo, and now, a sizable philanthropic donation.

The Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital Foundation donated two 12-lead defibrillators, three training manikins, airway devices and various other medical equipment to the Salinas Rural Fire District. The defibrillators are a lifesaving tool that the department has put to immediate use since the donation was made almost a month ago.

“Time is critical in any emergency, but is especially important when a person is having a heart attack,” said Dr. Robert Morris, president of the board of directors of the Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System. “The sooner a heart attack victim is treated, the greater the chances of survival. We are proud to be working with the experienced team of the Salinas Rural Fire District in bringing this life-saving care to more people in our region.”

Once cardiac arrest begins, a patient’s chances of survival decrease by 10 percent each minute until medical care corrects the heart rhythm or restores breathing. Salinas Rural Fire Chief Michael Urquides says the donated equipment has already saved lives in the area.

In olden times, a doctor would rush to a patient’s bedside in a horse-drawn carriage with his trusty black bag in tow. These days, it’s generally the other way around (minus the horses, of course). So you might be surprised to learn that in the 21st century, house calls are making a big comeback.

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), patients are heading home earlier in the recovery process than before. Over the past 25 years, the average hospital stay has fallen from 7.3 days to 4.8 days.

FP Thomas Cornwell, M.D., founder and medical director of HomeCare Physicians in Wheaton, Ill., says a U.S. government policy change in 1983 may have started the shift back toward home care.

“Medicare’s hospital reimbursement system has led to patients being discharged home ‘quicker and sicker,’ ” Cornwell said.

Because of this shift, quality home care is more important than ever, Cornwell said. And thanks to advances in medical technology, medical equipment is smaller, smarter and more portable than ever before.

“Blood tests, pulse oximetry, EKGs, Holter monitoring, pulmonary function testing, X-rays, even echocardiograms and ultrasounds, can and are being done in the home,” said Cornwell.

Not sure what you should stock in your black bag? Read the full story here.

European pharmaceutical giant GlaxoKlineSmith announced today it will donate 50 million doses of its new “pre-pandemic” bird flu vaccine to a global stockpile.

The H5N1 bird flu virus has already killed about 190 people. While H5N1 remains mainly a virus of birds, scientists say it is the most likely source of the next global flu pandemic in humans, since it may soon mutate into a form that is transmitted easily from person to person.

The World Health Organization (WHO) started the vaccine stockpile to help poorer nations in case of a global pandemic. The United States, as well as a few other countries, have already signed up to receive vaccines as they become available.

Read the full story here.

Medtronic, Inc. announced yesterday that David Etzwiler has been named vice president of community affairs and executive director of the Medtronic Foundation. Etzwiler previously served as senior director of the Medtronic Foundation and government affairs.

Medtronic manufactures medical technology products such as AEDs and defibrillators. Last year, the company’s total giving exceeded $47.3 million in Medtronic Foundation grants, cash contributions and medical device donations.

Read the full story here.