The Dispatch: Winter 2023 Vol.1 No.4

Friendswood EMS chief balances work, life and helping neighbors

When Chief Lisa Camp was a young girl, her parents kept busy at the Friendswood Volunteer Fire Department.

Her father, Kenneth Camp, was the fire chief and former mayor. Her mother, Letha Camp, helped start the city’s EMS. See more on page 03

Friendswood EMS Chief Lisa Camp grew up with the Friendswood Fire Department.

Earn 7 CEUs with ABLS hands-on course Advanced Burn Life Support (ABLS) Provider Course

About THE DISPATCH

The Dispatch is a publication of the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB Health) and is produced by UTMB’s Office of Marketing and Communications for our EMS partners. The purpose of this publication is to celebrate the incredible work of the EMS agencies in our communities while sharing news about the services available at UTMB’s Health’s Emergency Rooms.

This newsletter is focused on telling your stories, answering your questions and sharing your successes. Send us your questions, your story ideas, your photos or any EMS-related news you’d like to brag about to ems@utmb.edu

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Friendswood EMS chief balances work, life and helping neighbors

When Chief Lisa Camp was a young girl, her parents kept busy at the Friendswood Volunteer Fire Department. Her father, Kenneth Camp, was the fire chief and former mayor. Her mother, Letha Camp, helped start the city’s EMS.

“My mom just passed away in 2020,” Camp said. “Her story was, ‘Lisa didn’t make the drill team in high school, so I put her in an EMT class at the fire station to restructure her into not being sad.’ She created a 44-year career that I just totally engulf myself in.”

Friendswood EMS has a paid staff of nine full-time employees and 23 part-time employees.

“Then I have like 30 volunteers,” Camp said. Friendswood began in the 1970s as an all-volunteer EMS agency in a bedroom community with no industry. As the community grew and calls increased, the EMS agency had to add part-time staff because the volunteers would leave in the daytime to go to work. Volunteers still filled in shifts to make it work.

Women making history

Friendswood EMS got its first ambulance from the city in 1972.

“Maybe two years later, the ambulance was parked in the daytime because the men went to work,” Camp said. “And it was basically an all-male fire department. So, the women—my mom and a lot of women— went to school.”

They studied to become EMTs and then paramedics.

They would pick up the ambulance in the mornings when the men went to work. Letha Camp was in her 40s when she started running the ambulance in the daytime and continued doing so into her 70s.

Today, Camp is the EMS chief at Friendswood VFD EMS and also a fulltime paid chief of La Porte EMS. The Friendswood job is non-paid, part of Friendswood’s hybrid volunteer-paid force of medics.

“We serve people like they are our neighbors,” Camp said.

“‘Neighbors helping neighbors’ is our motto. Most people that come into the volunteer side of the department are definitely residents of Friendswood, and they want to help their neighbor,” she said. “The initiative comes in when you can do something to help somebody else.”

Taking time

Battalion Chief Greg Mapp, who went to Friendswood High School with Camp, balanced a 30-year nursing career at UTMB Health with his volunteer EMS work in his hometown. He retired from UTMB Health in 2020, but he still volunteers with Friendswood EMS.

He has many examples illustrating the “neighbors helping neighbors” motto.

“We ran into a guy earlier in the summer,” Mapp said. “It was 88 degrees in his house. And his air conditioner wasn’t working, and all the windows were open, and he just was a lift assist. But at the same time, we reached out to an air conditioning company, and we got his air conditioner fixed so that he could have a more pleasant summer. It was just an easy phone call. But we took the time.”

That wasn’t the only instance Friendswood EMS paused to take an extra step.

“When I joined, it was all about the excitement of making a call,” Mapp said.

“But over time, the whole department has also transitioned as our population has changed. We need to do more for folks in their homes. So, if it is a lift assist, we’re helping to get them up off the floor, but at the same time, we’re looking around the house. Do they have enough food? Is the house clean? Do they need resources? Should we help

them in some way? To make sure that we’re not coming back to pick them up, but what can we do? And can we spend those extra 10 minutes? What else can I do for you while I’m here?”

Technology

Friendswood EMS also has impressive equipment, Mapp said. “I don’t think there’s a good way to sum up the technological

advances when an ambulance in Friendswood rolls up to your front door,” Mapp said.

“Yes, we’re capable of working cardiac arrest and bringing a massive amount of equipment to the bedside to totally and completely care for a patient. But at the same time, of the 45 years that I’ve been here and the types and kinds of drugs that we carry for a multitude of medical emergencies, patients who receive care here

in Friendswood arrive typically more stable in the emergency department today than they did even five years ago.”

That technology is possible because the Friendswood City Council has kept the EMS agency funded and equipped, Camp and Mapp said.

“When the ambulance medics arrive at your house, it’s like walking into the emergency room,” Camp said. “The same

“When the ambulance medics arrive at your house, it’s like walking into the emergency room.”

- Lisa Camp

EMS chief, Friendswood and La Porte

things at the emergency room that the doctor or nurse uses are what we have. It’s just incredible that we’ve got this amount of support from the city.”

Balancing act

One thing Camp wants her medics to know is that they should balance work and life. She wants them to prioritize selfcare. Her own self-care often involves crossword puzzles and a Wordle interaction.

She also advises her medics to take classes in different fields such as education or welding. She notices many medics in the region wind up taking a second EMS job, which leads to burnout.

And Camp is always looking for new EMT recruits.

“I have loved EMS since I got into it,” she said. “I want to do as much as I can to help people. I want to have good employees. I want to create success in my staff so that they don’t ever feel where they don’t understand something when they’re doing a procedure.

“And then I’ve tried to convince people to stay in EMS,” she said. “But a lot of them just have other dreams, you know, and so sometimes I can keep them, sometimes I can’t.”

One person she has kept is Capt. Stacy Kohn, who began her career through a high school health tech program. That’s how Camp first met her in 2007, in a classroom. Kohn became an EMT, then a paramedic and started volunteering in Friendswood.

Now, Kohn is a full-time paramedic captain.

“I call that succession planning,” Camp said. “So that’s another thing I like to try to do—find people so that we can retire someday.”

Friendswood EMS continues a tradition of promoting from within. From left: Christi Walton, Ethan Grossman, Chief Lisa Camp, James Pace, Capt. Stacy Kohn, Christopher Paxton and Tammy Wolfe.

BEFAST training helps new graduates, as well as experienced paramedics

League City EMS medics participated in a UTMB Health Stroke Program hands-on assessment practice session.

The medics simulated the BEFAST assessment on normal patients vs. stroke patients to check balance, eyes, face, arm, speech and time.

“I highly recommend this lecture to any EMS company,” said Michelle Vu, UTMB Health Neurosciences service line director. “Now, we are seeing many EMS companies having to hire new graduates due to COVID, resulting in an overall need for education. This type of course is not only helpful to new graduates, but also a nice refresher for more experienced paramedics.”

Doctor praises quick EMS action with stroke case

League City EMS spotted signs of stroke in a 26-yearold woman in 2022 and took her to UTMB Health Clear Lake Hospital. That quick action saved her life.

They did the right thing that led to a good outcome, said Dr. Hashem Shaltoni, director of the UTMB Health Stroke Program.

“They took her to the hospital, even though she was young,” he said.

At the hospital, the medical team performed a thrombectomy for a large vessel occlusion (LVO), a type

of stroke. The woman, who returned to her normal routine of work and life, continued to follow up with Dr. Shaltoni in clinic after the procedure.

“It is unusual to have a stroke when you are only 26,” Dr. Shaltoni said. It is mainly a disease of the elderly.

“However, there is a subset of stroke patients—15%—who are young like her with specific underlying causes like hypercoagulable blood or trauma with damage to the neck or brain arteries,” Dr. Shaltoni said.

“But in her case, it was blood clots in her enlarged heart likely from viral illness—we think.”

An LVO indicates a large artery in the brain is clogged with a blood clot that usually results in severe neurological deficit or death if a doctor doesn’t open it fast. LVO makes up

about 20% of all stroke cases. “We were able to get to the clogged artery quickly via a tiny catheter from the main artery in the upper thigh and remove the blood clot with suctioning,” Dr. Shaltoni said.

“No open surgery.”

The outcome was good, he said. The woman was able to once again function normally after being completely paralyzed.

UTMB Health sees more than 1,500 stroke cases a year.

Dr. Shaltoni offered this takeaway for EMTs and paramedics:

“Stroke could happen to anyone and taking patients with suspected stroke to a stroke center like UTMB Health’s Clear Lake, League City and Galveston campuses is the way to go.”

“It is unusual to have a stroke when you are only 26.”

- Dr. Hashem Shaltoni Director of UTMB Health Stroke Program

‘It’s not an entry-level

PHI paramedics rack up critical experience

Joshua Wysocki always dreamed of being a flight paramedic.

“Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always found helicopters fascinating,” he said. “We don’t have to deal with traffic. We can get our patient really far, really fast. We have a lot of tools and a lot of protocols that we can utilize, and it’s a great job to be able to help your patient.”

Wysocki, a critical-care paramedic with PHI Air Medical Inc., had the right mix of well-rounded experience to get hired.

“I worked on the ambulance as an EMT for a few years, and then I worked on the ambulance as a paramedic for about five years,” Wysocki said. “Then I transitioned into the emergency department.”

He took a job as a paramedic in a hospital emergency department for about a year during the coronavirus pandemic. Then he worked in the ICU for a few months before going back on an ambulance as a critical-care paramedic. He’s been with PHI for one year.

“It’s not an entry-level job,” said Bryan Dean, PHI Air Medical Base supervisor at Ellington Airport and Wysocki’s boss.

The base is one of three that PHI operates in the HoustonGalveston area. The Ellington base has one helicopter with four nurses, three paramedics and four pilots. A team of a nurse, a paramedic and a pilot work 24-hour shifts together. The base gets about three requests a day.

Dean, who has been with PHI for eight years, worked as a paramedic for 25 years on the

ground. He was at a criticalcare paramedic class when an old friend who worked for PHI suggested a change.

“Why don’t you come and fly with us?” she asked him. He decided to do it.

Experience is critical

Before PHI interviews a paramedic candidate to work on a helicopter crew, the company first looks at the resume for years of critical-care experience.

“For paramedics, it’s hard to get a lot of different types of experience,” Wysocki said. “We are usually pretty limited to the ambulance or being a firefighter. But to get a job in the air medical field, I think having as much of a well-rounded idea of the medical field is super

PHI often participates in simulations and exercises.

job’

“Every time you fly with a new person, it’s almost like dancing,” Wysocki said.

They ask, watch and learn if one of them is going to lean or move a certain way and when. They learn the tempo of the other’s movements. Timing in a cramped space is essential.

PHI does require paramedics to get Flight Paramedic Certification within 24 months of being hired. Dean suggests paramedics wait until they have some flying experience before taking the test.

“It’s not a prerequisite, and I’ve found people do better with that certification if they’ve had some flight experience and some critical-care under their belt,” Dean said. “I took mine in advance, and I would have done a lot better if I had maybe 12 or 18 months of flight experience under my belt before I had taken that test.”

Don’t quit

important because we do so many different specialties.

“Just having one perspective of ambulance emergency 911, it can be a little limited,” he said. “But if you have more experience, then you have a well-rounded, three-dimensional view of what’s going on and what your patients might need.”

Nurse Ashleigh Smith began at PHI in 2022. About eight years before that, she started out in a hospital ICU and then transitioned to the ER.

“I started moving into administration, and not to say I wasn’t happy, but it’s not where I wanted to be,” Smith said. “I didn’t think even with my experience that I was ready to apply for a flight job. I got the certifications that I needed for the entry-level position and

applied. It was tough. It was a tough process.”

She had the experience, but she also had a lot of intense training in her new career field. And the training doesn’t stop. Keeping certifications updated and running through scenarios at the start of her shift keeps her on her toes.

Always training

On a morning in late December at the Ellington base, Smith and Wysocki worked out a scenario about how they would respond to a potential car wreck.

“It’s learning a whole different world from the nurse perspective because we function interchangeably,” Smith said. “So, everything that he can do, I can do. Everything I can do, he can do.”

Applicants who are continuing their education catch Dean’s eye, whether they are paramedics trying to get their undergraduate degree or nurses trying to get their paramedic

certification.

“Any applicant for me who is pursuing their education and making that improvement tends to be more focused,” Dean said. “Someone who’s pursuing something educationally seems to come across as a stronger candidate.”

Three years ago, Wysocki applied for a job at PHI for the first time. He didn’t get it.

“And I did well in the interview,” he said. “They liked me, but I didn’t have the extra experience.”

After that interview, Wysocki got the bad news. But he took the advice they gave and got more real-world, well-rounded experience, took more classes and talked to more people in the field who told him not to give up. He found a mentor. Two years later, he applied again. This time, he got the job.

Now that he has his dream job, Wysocki offers the same advice to paramedics who want an air medical career.

“Keep going, even if you fail,” he said. “Just don’t be discouraged.”

Take 7 small steps

Busy schedules and stressful shifts make it hard to lose weight. It can seem even more difficult on the job in an ambulance. The good news is you don’t have to figure it all out at once. Small changes make a huge difference in the long run, and it starts with taking a first small step that you can master.

Blair Brown, a dietitian and a professor in the Department of Nutrition and Metabolism at UTMB Health, breaks it down into baby steps you can tackle.

“If you try to change too much at one time, you’re going to get overwhelmed and you’re going to fail and you’re going to give up and say, ‘I can’t do this,’” Brown said. “Instead say, ‘OK, I’m going do this one day a week, I’m going to try to bring my lunch or I’m going to try to bring snacks.’”

After you get one day a week down, try for two or three days the next week.

“That’s a really good way to start making progress in a healthy way,” she said.

Plan your food

One of the easiest things you can do is plan your meals and snacks for the week. “If you have a couple of days off in the week, maybe that’s when you do all your grocery shopping and planning and pre-packing,” Brown said. “If Mondays are busier at work, maybe those are the days you tend to stop at fast-food places. But, if you can, make a simple switch and try to bring your lunch or snacks with you.”

In the beginning, you don’t have to plan out a whole week. Just take one day of the week and decide to bring your lunch or pack your snacks instead of grabbing fast food. Pick a time to eat something you prepared or eat something healthier than what you normally grab. Those small changes add up over time.

Blair Brown

to lose weight

What first step did you take that made a big

Drink more water

Maybe it’s not what you’re eating but what you’re drinking—or not drinking. Try to drink more water during the day.

“Drinking water is something everybody struggles with,” Brown said. “When you’re dehydrated, you’re going to feel sluggish. You’re not going to feel like your best.” Brown pulled out her own large refillable water bottle that has different time marks printed on it. She was right on time with her water intake that day.

“If you’re a visual person, getting something like this to show you it’s 2 p.m. and you haven’t had any water today is a good reminder,” she said.

Ditch energy drinks

“A lot of energy drinks either have a lot of calories or a lot of added sugar,” Brown said. “But also, they have a lot of caffeine. Everything in moderation is OK. But if energy drinks are the only things you’re drinking throughout the day, be mindful that you can consume too much caffeine.”

A healthy diet includes no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine in a day. “That’s only about four cups of coffee,” she said. The calories in energy drinks and coffee with cream and sugar add up fast. “If you are trying to watch your weight, this is an area where people probably are often consuming a lot of calories and just don’t realize it.”

difference

in your health?

What’s your favorite healthy snack?

Do you have any secrets to painless meal prep?

Do you have a weight-loss success story?

We’d love to know more. Write us at ems@utmb.edu

Release your emotions

Emotional eating often goes with all the emotional baggage we carry home from work. Brown recommends unpacking some of that emotional baggage before you get home.

“Those emotions are in your own personal space rather than at work,” she said. “It does lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms and that could be food and it could be alcohol.” Ways to unpack include practicing deepbreathing exercises or talking to someone who listens.

“Some people may not even be aware that they’re emotionally eating,” she said.

Be here now

At some time, we all have sat on the couch with a bag of chips or a bag of popcorn, and before you knew it, the whole bag was gone. That’s mindless eating.

“Like, very mindless,” Brown said. “Being very mindful of how you’re feeling when you’re eating or what you’re doing when you’re eating is important.”

Some people de-stress at home by sitting on the couch and watching TV. “Instead of bringing the whole bag of popcorn or the whole bag of chips with you, maybe portion out a small little bit versus bringing the whole bag. You’re likely going to be satisfied with just the smaller amount,” she said.

Need some help taking your first step?

Here are two resources with information we trust:

• Eatright.org

• Myplate.gov

Also, you can see a dietician as a patient and get personalized advice or ask your doctor.

Are supplements healthy?

“Taking a general multivitamin daily is probably pretty good practice,” Brown said. “In the United States, a lot of the foods we eat already have been fortified with the vitamins and the minerals that we need to remain healthy. I don’t see vitamin deficiencies often in my practice, particularly in the general population.”

She does, however, see problems when people start taking other extra supplements.

“And they can be very expensive, and your body is really good about filtering out what it doesn’t need,” she said. “I have seen patients who have really done harm to their body by taking too many supplements.”

Snacks

“In America, we love all kinds of high-carb, sugar-packed snacks because they’re quick and they’re easy to consume,” Brown said. “But if you want a snack or something that is going to keep you full and give you energy, you want one with protein in it.”

Maybe that’s a carbohydrate and a protein together such as apples and peanut butter or cheese and crackers that you can keep with you during your workday.

“Adding something with protein is going to keep you fuller longer,” she said. “You’re not going to get as hungry as quickly as you would if you just ate something that was just carbs.”

“Pay attention to when you’re eating, how you’re feeling, what you’re doing and where you’re eating.”

- Blair Brown

Dietitian and professor, Department of Nutrition and Metabolism at UTMB Health

Why did you choose emergency medicine? Did someone or something influence you?

My interest in emergency medicine started during high school. I was a student athletic trainer and EMS explorer. When I went to nursing school, the ER rotation was the one unit I couldn’t get enough of. I started my career in Neuro IMU, but I knew the ER was where I belonged. Many years later, I can’t imagine another job that offers as much variety as working in the ER.

6 questions with Amanda Shehadeh

What can you tell us about a recent EMS-related case that was a success? Was there a medic who made a difference? Tell us about it.

We are lucky to work with the best medics at Angleton Area EMS. Harrold Goodin was one of the medics on the scene of a rollover ATV accident where two teens were ejected. He called in a trauma activation and provided great prehospital care, which allowed us to get to CT within minutes of arrival. His assessment skills and report helped us to quickly identify injuries and achieve good outcomes.

How do you get through a tough shift?

A I think you have to embrace the chaos sometimes and just take one step at a time. The challenging days are what keeps the job interesting and exciting. It is definitely a bonus to work with a dependable team that you can also laugh with. When the day is done, it’s so rewarding to look back on the difference you made to people in crisis.

05

What is your favorite type of food? Do you have a recipe for that?

A

I am very particular about where I eat, so I love cooking at home on my nights off. My family likes to joke about, “Mama’s chopped kitchen.” I just cook from the heart, no recipes.

06

What do you do to relax when you are not at work? And why do you do that?

A My favorite way to relax is to plan vacations, even if they aren’t for me. I would definitely be a travel agent if nursing didn’t work out! I count down to the trips I am able to enjoy myself. Otherwise, I’m cooking in the middle of the night or loving on my dog.

What’s something you want people to know about you?

A I have a lot of respect for our first responders and how much they are able to do with limited resources. So much of the success in the ER is the result of EMS and PD support.

I am so thankful to live and work in a community that has a partnership to provide excellence to its citizens.

Emergency nurse

Angleton Danbury Campus

“When the day is done, it’s so rewarding to look back on the difference you made to people in crisis.”

UTMB Clear Lake upgrades with more trauma coverage from surgeons, specialists

But to become official, the American College of Surgeons must verify the requirements for the Clear Lake hospital.

great care. We are excited to be able to expand this higher level of care to be able to help more people.”

That’s why the emergency department at the UTMB Health Clear Lake Campus has begun the process of becoming a Level 2 trauma facility.

Already, a trauma surgeon is on site 24/7 with orthopedic and vascular surgeons on call 24/7, a schedule that went into effect Oct. 1.

It’s all part of long-term plan as the Level 3 facility works to obtain verification as a Level 2 trauma facility. The process takes about two years. The facility is now “Level 2 capable.” The “capable” label means the hospital has all the personnel, plans and other requirements in place to be a Level 2 trauma facility.

Within a year, the hospital staff will do a consultative survey with the American College of Surgeons. Then the following year, the American College of Surgeons will visit for a final verification. That timeline would make UTMB Health Clear Lake officially a Level 2 facility by November 2024.

“As of Oct 1, 2022, the Clear Lake Campus can provide our community all the services that a Level 2 Trauma Center has to offer,” said Julie Matson, program director of Trauma Services for UTMB Health System.

When a trauma case comes to the Clear Lake emergency room, UTMB Health trauma surgeons will be able to respond immediately because of the 24/7 coverage.

“This means we are able to provide more services to further elevate the high level of quality trauma care we provide to the Bay Area,” said Ben Shapley, nursing program manager of Trauma Services at the UTMB Health Clear Lake Campus. “We are very proud of the hard work from everyone and would not be able to do this without such a great team who is committed to providing

“We’re going to be able to do more advanced orthopedic procedures because not only will we have advanced orthopedic surgeons on call 24/7, we will also have vascular surgery on call 24/7 to assist with these highly complex procedures that often involve blood vessels,” Matson said.

Texas has a total of 26 Level 2 trauma facilities, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Of those 26, four are in the Houston area.

UTMB Health’s Galveston Campus is a Level 1 trauma facility, one of only 20 in Texas and four in the Houston region. UTMB Health has a Level 3 facility in League City and a Level 4 facility at its Angleton-Danbury Campus.

Northern Galveston County and southern Harris County now have more options for emergency trauma care.

“We’re very excited to be able to provide this service,” Matson said. “It’s a testament to the commitment of UTMB Health to continue to elevate the excellent care we provide to our community.”

When it’s an emergency, having the right health care professionals at the ready can be the difference between life and death.

Why did you choose your medical field?

A I chose neurology because I enjoyed neurosciences and neuroanatomy, and I picked the field of stroke because of the high-paced nature of it and the need to make important decisions quickly. There’s also the need to think calmly and efficiently about a patient or case to determine lifesaving treatments. In addition, there are so many novel therapeutics available to us today to treat stroke that weren’t available 10 to 15 years ago, so it makes the field really exciting. 02

How do you get through a tough shift?

A

During a tough shift, I basically just keep powering through until the end, while always keeping in mind that I am helping people and making a difference, so it allows me to get through a long day quicker. 03

What do you do to relax when you are not at work?

A I enjoy music, playing basketball and soccer, working out and spending time with my 1.5-year-old daughter. These things recharge my batteries and take my mind off work.

Playing sports and definitely playing with my daughter has the ability to make me forget about difficulties I faced during the day, and seeing my daughter puts everything into perspective.

with Dr. Arun Chhabra

What can you tell us about a recent EMS-related case that was a success? Was there a medic who made a difference?

We recently had a case where the EMS provider called a pre-alert on a stroke patient, and because they did that, we were able to give them tPA and then a thrombectomy much sooner. As a result, the patient left the hospital able to walk and talk when they weren’t able to do that when they arrived.

05

What’s your favorite food?

A

I love Thai food. I grew up in the Thai culture as my parents were from Thailand and immigrated to the U.S. in the ’70s. I learned many Thai dishes from my mother, but my favorite one to cook is basil chicken!

06

What’s something you want people to know about you?

A Although I am new to this area, I have already had a commitment to improving the quality of its stroke care for the patients of our community.

I tend to be pretty serious about stroke care, especially when determining life-changing decisions for patients, but underneath I am a fun-loving person who enjoys spending time with my family and also improving the stroke care in the Southeast Houston area.

6 questions

Neurologist Galveston Campus

“Playing sports and definitely playing with my daughter has the ability to make me forget about difficulties I faced during the day, and seeing my daughter puts everything into perspective.”

Michael Monnat, a paramedic and shift supervisor, poses with Manikin Annie, a training mannequin. Monnat is part of the Combined Agency Response Team for Alvin, League City, Friendswood and Pearland that deals with high-risk situations.

EMS Alvin welcomes visitors at open house

Alvin Emergency Medical Services and the Alvin Volunteer Fire Department hosted a joint open house in October. Alvin EMS medics talked to visitors and neighbors about their jobs, preparing for emergencies and easing anxiety for an ambulance ride.

Paramedic Vivian Huynh, EMT Florentina Juarez, EMT Marissa Arredondo and paramedic Daniela Carballo gave children stretcher rides up and into the ambulance.

EMT-Basic Laura Genzer shows the contents of a free bucket filled with emergency paperwork, mealsready-to-eat and shelf-stable water.

Lupe Ramos, left, gave educational materials to visitors.

EMT-Basic Clayton Alexander, far right, explained the step-by-step process of transportation in an ambulance.

Atascocita VFD EMS

In September, Atascocita VFD EMS participated in a NICU evacuation exercise at John Sealy Hospital on the UTMB Health Galveston Campus.

These first responders from Galveston County Emergency Services District No. 2 take a break after filming a video with PHI.

Coming up in the next issue:

We are working on features about how much we appreciate all the EMS agecies and medics in our area. We’ll have a story about a Santa Fe medic who had a heart attack and found himself in the emergency room. We’ll show you medics practicing skills at the Health Education Center on the UTMB Health Galveston Campus.

What do you appreciate about your fellow EMTs, parmedics and EMS agency bosses?

League City EMS crew saves child’s life

League City EMS responded to a seizure call on the east side of town in September. When they arrived, paramedics Christina Wilkie and Patrick Phoenix found a child in a life-threatening medical condition—her airway was swelling closed.

With cardiac arrest looming, Wilkie placed a breathing tube and the child’s condition quickly improved. They transported her to a local pediatric specialty hospital.

Wilkie’s actions saved the child’s life, Shift Commander Carlos Alexander said. All three paramedics—Alexander, Phoenix and Wilkie—worked as a well-oiled team in the face of a difficult situation, League City EMS officials said.

The agency awarded the three paramedics the Unit Commendation Ribbon. Also, the agency has nominated Wilkie for a Silver Life Saving Medal.

Assistant Chief Vic Boudreaux shares his personal emergency room experience.

UTMB Health Emergency Medicine Residency Program gains accreditation

An accredited and approved Emergency Medicine Residency Program is now official at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

In February, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education granted UTMB’s Department of Emergency Medicine initial accreditation and approval of its three-year residency program.

The department will accept six

residents for the 2023-2024 academic year, said Dr. Dietrich Jehle, program director and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine.

“Our goal is to develop and sustain a comprehensive, academically rigorous curriculum in a tertiary, academic medical center,” Jehle said.

The program will expose residents to a broad spectrum of pathology providing them with experience in managing the breadth of conditions seen in emergency medicine.

The residents, in addition to other emergency medicine opportunities, will also respond to emergencies in the field with

EMS agencies, riding with crews, meeting them in ambulance bays and reviewing cases with them.

“They could respond to accidents with multiple injuries, SWAT responses or to chemical spills,” said Jehle, who created a similar hands-on training program when he was at the University of Buffalo in New York. “They can help supplement the care provided by EMS crews.”

“We are excited about the academic and research opportunities our newly established department and residency will bring to UTMB Galveston, and look forward to a dynamic, successful year,” Jehle said.

“Our goal is to develop and sustain a comprehensive, academically rigorous curriculum in a tertiary, academic medical center.”

- Dr. Dietrich Jehle Program Director and Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine

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Earn credit at EMS Lecture Series events

Medics can earn continuing education credits at upcoming EMS Lecture Series events on UTMB campuses.

• March 21 at UTMB Health Angleton Danbury

• May 19 at UTMB Health Clear Lake

• July 21 at UTMB Health League City

• Sept. 15 at UTMB Health Galveston

• Nov. 17 at UTMB Health Angleton Danbury

The UTMB Health Stroke Program and Trauma Program staff will discuss EMS outcomes, facility capabilities and treatment updates. Participants can earn 4 CEUs for attending in person and taking part in the skills portion, and 3 CEUs for attending the virtual meeting. To register or to get details, contact Richard Arocho at riarocho@utmb.edu