HAMILTON — Police officers who skipped ongoing medical training were engaging in more than just bookkeeping abuses — they were putting the public's heath at risk, a state official said yesterday.
The Hamilton Police Department, whose officers are all required to be state-certified EMTs, is embroiled in a scandal over falsified medical training records.
Nine of those officers lied about taking basic refresher and other required continuing education classes over the past eight years, according to the state Office of Emergency Medical Services. The agency suspended the town's ambulance license for a year as a result and pulled the nine officers' licenses.
The agency's director, Abdullah Rehayem, said refresher courses are meant to ensure medical aid providers keep sharp and are vital to their preparedness.
"They're in order to refresh EMTs' knowledge and skills on procedures they'll encounter in the field," Rehayem said.
They are also meant to be interactive, with EMTs letting instructors know about any procedures they may not have performed in the last year or two. Rehayem cited baby deliveries as a service an EMT might not commonly perform, and therefore would need a refresher course.
The officer who was supposed to be providing that type of training in Hamilton, David Mastrianni, told state investigators he hadn't led any courses on the use of a glucometer for at least five years.
Rehayem said the device, which measures blood sugar levels, is an optional piece of equipment for a basic life support ambulance such as the ones Hamilton ran. But if it is onboard, it's important EMTs are knowledgeable in its use.
A glucometer is often used to determine whether a patient has low blood sugar or is suffering a stroke, a critical distinction.
Rehayem said it's also important a doctor oversee the use of the device, but that wasn't happening in Hamilton.
When police Chief Walter Cullen was asked which doctor oversaw glucometer use in Hamilton, he gave investigators the name of a physician who hadn't worked at Beverly Hospital for several years.
Rehayem said his agency relies heavily on the integrity of EMT trainers, the training sponsors and the EMTs themselves. In the Hamilton case, all three abused the system, he said.
The agency had begun doing random spot checks of training programs even before the Hamilton troubles surfaced.
"We're doubling them now," Rehayem said.
Obama Gives Education Waivers to 10 States
Giffords Aide to Run for Her Seat
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Winter Slamming North Asia, Parts of Europe
Syrian Forces Renew Bombardment of Homs
States, Banks Reach Foreclosure-abuse Settlement
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Raw Video: U.S. Pullout Celebration
Raw Video: Annual Empire State Building Run-Up
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Video of Ga. Man Who Killed Girl Released
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Nevada Highway Patrol, City Settle Beating Case
Homs Bombardment Continues, Global Outcry Grows
Raw Video: Dog Rescued From Icy Colo. Water
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
