Storm Chaser Medical Advisory Hotline 2006

[Jason Persoff]

Once again announcing a FREE service for those out on the Plains...The Storm Chaser Medical Advisory Hotline and Acute Care Service. The reason I created the hotline is because a lot of chasers run into medical bumps and mishaps while out chasing including problems with running out of prescription medications, minor injuries due to debris or cattle (well, cattle injuries would be more a veterinary thing...), etc. The chaser community gives a lot and this is the best way I have to help give back to this community. Full details on the hotline can be found by surfing over to this address:

http://home.comcast.net/~persoffj/medicalhotline.htm

I still need to update the text on the page to reflect the fact I'm not yet out on the Plains, but the service is active now until June 3, 2006.

Last year I had several people call with excellent questions and concerns. And as I would have expected from such a great community, I even had several people who offered to help on days where the risk of storm casualties could overwhelm local medical teams ('course, last season was pretty much a bust during peak season). We're up and running...be safe out there !

 

[Amos Magliocco]

This is a remarkable thing Jason is doing and I wanted to chime in and tip my hat. We're in an era of high medical costs for many reasons--one being that the American standard of medicine is the world's highest--so Jason's offer is very generous.

 

[Brian Stertz]

Yeah I second that Amos. I respect everything about Jason and his eagerness/availability to be help out the chaser community. A true class individual...need more of him in this getting weirder by the second world !!

 

[Scott Olson]

Pretty extraordinary that you are willing to do this for the community.

 

[Sheila_Ward]

I agree, this is an awesome service Jason is providing. I still have the number from last year tucked away in my cell phone.

Thank you for providing this service and giving of your time and knowledge to help out!

 

[Greg Stumpf]

I say this deserves a "sticky". Very cool!

 

[Shane Adams]

While I hope no one ever needs to take you up on this very generous offer - thanks Dr P!!!

 

[Greg Campbell]

Wow, that's very generous!

Thank you!

-Greg

 

[fplowman]

WOW! thank you sir.. Now something on the strange side.. I was looking at pics you had on your website and one caught my eye. It was the picture of the Jamestown Wedge you had there.

If you go to my webpage.. supercellhunter.com you will see that tornado used as my cover.. We must have been within 25 yds of each other at that same moment on May 29th 2004 outside of Jamestown, Ks..

Far out! huh?

 

[Jason Boggs]

Jason, this is a very great thing your doing. Your kindness is very much appreciated. I bet you will be carrying a lot of ice packs for those folks that get conked on the head by hailstones!

 

[Karen Politte]

Jason your offer of service is much appreciated by the whole community!

Also......not to make light of your kindness and good will, but......

Do you write prescriptions for perfectly side-lit, fully-planted, fully-condensed elephants trunks?

Just a thought......

K.

 

[Jason Persoff]

Do you write prescriptions for perfectly side-lit, fully-planted, fully-condensed elephants trunks?

Just a thought......

[/b]

LOL...You'd be surprised how few HMOs will let me do that anymore. And then there's the whole issue about generic versus brand name storms. Few pharmacists will dispense 'em anyway since they know we're all actually junkies >

Thank you all for your kind words (and the Sticky!!!). It's really nice to see such a constant warm reception to this idea and that only further underscores how glad I am to provide it!

Since as the chasing community has grown and the caliber of commensurate knowledge has exploded, increasingly I feel enfeebled in my storm knowledge when compared to the chasers I run into annually (Amos, Eric Nguyen, Scott Blair, Jason Politte, Jim Leonard, Weathervine, Bill Hark, etc., etc., etc.). So, in order for me to feel that I have something that can contribute to this field where suddenly I feel like a fossil, I can always bring my medical knowledge and my passion for medicine.

Again, thank you all. I am, as always, your humbled co-slave to the darkening skies!

Jason

 

[Tim Vasquez]

This offer is so generous that I've extended Jason an honorary free Chase Hotline subscription for 2006 (already approved enthusiastically by my own clients), should he decide to accept it.

Tim

 

[Laura Duchesne]

Thank you very much for your generous offer, Jason. If I ever need any help when I am down this spring, I will look you up for sure. I've never been down to the plains before, so hopefully things go smoothly, but you just never know.

 

[Andrea Griffa]

That's great Jason!!
Who knows myabe I'll give you an help as I'm in the last year of the university of medicine

 

[Chris Sokol]

Awesome man...absolutely awesome. It's great to see people who are willing to still give their time to help people with no strings attached.

 

[Jason Persoff]

Just a quick note to again thank everyone for the warm response. I've had several PMs and emails with medical questions--all of which were very gratifying to assist in. Please don't feel that anything you ask is "out of bounds"--I'll let you know if I'm not comfortable with something. I've had requests to determine fitness for chasing (which if you have a heart condition, I'd recommend you avoid the GFS for right now ) to second opinion consults.

I wanted to note that I accepted Tim's very warm offer and I owe a thank you as well to all of his clients who so warmly extended me as an honorary member.

I just finished stocking my medical kit and am excited that I'll be able to deliver even more this year on-site:

***Suture services. Found some great medical kits made for those who are away from healthcare facilities to perform field surgeries. If you are near where I am (which is a good bet given how chasing unfolds daily) and have a wound you aren't sure needs sutures or not, I will be able to perform a range of services in the field. I have numbing medication and gels, and can perform this painlessly.

***Antibiotics. I should have a pretty good supply to match almost any infection with any drug or allergy profile. Contact me if you think you may need these. If I can't dispense one to you, I can call in prescriptions to nearby pharmacies.

***IV Fluid/Shock Trauma. Hope I don't need this, but I have a fully stocked shock kit in case of motor vehicle accidents, multiple traumas, tornado/hail injury, etc. It's always worth calling me AFTER you've called 9-1-1. Depending on the area we're in, I may actually be able to provide higher level trauma care than available by local EMS. This includes resuscitation equipment.

As with all my services, I will accept NO payment: these are free to the chasing community and to any community affected by disaster. I will not even charge you for equipment or medication. FREE means FREE.

Stay safe and I'll see you out under the SPF 30 sunshine (based on the latest ECMWF) next week .

Regards,

Jason

 

[David Drummond]

Jason, I have to say IMO this is about the coolest thing I think ANYONE has ever done for the chasing community!

 

[beaudodson]

Nice work!

 

[Jason Persoff]

The medical hotline will be extended indefinitely at this point. Since many chasers will be out in the field trying to salvage a tough season, I will continue the phone service probably through mid-summer. Increasingly I'm thinking of just making it permanent as it seems to have been helpful for those who've used it.

A couple of quick notes:

***I'm no longer on the Plains--back to work in Jacksonville, FL, so I'm obviously not able to provide any on-site services (unless, of course, you come hurricane chasing this year--then give me a buzz ). I will not be back on the Plains until late May '07 (man that sucks).

***It is far better to call me on the phone than email me if it's about a medical issue. My spam filter has gone above and beyond the call of duty and has filtered desired mail to the "spam folder" (whilst still allowing special top secret stock offerings, and celebrity-child animal-object monkey-giraffe pornography offerings without fail into my inbox). If you don't hear back from me by email, it usually means your email has been filtered. PM me through the ST boards if you're not comfortable calling me--I've been prettty good about checking the boards daily.

Don't hesitate to contact me with any other issues or concerns!