Letter: Scott McCorvey for local paramedic board
I have been an emergency medicine physician in Vail for 31 years. For much of this time I have had the honor to work closely with Eagle County Paramedic Services in the role of medical advisor.
The most critical and primary focus of Eagle County Paramedic Services is providing emergency medical service to our population within our local environment. We are incredibly lucky to have one of the finest agencies in the state and, I will argue, one of the highest trained and capable rural services in the country. This is not by luck but through years of strong management, planning and implementation.
Eagle County Paramedic Services functions very differently from larger major ambulance services in cities and with close and multiple hospital destinations. Transport times of a patient to the hospital can take much longer due to distances and geography. Some patients also require transfer from Vail to higher level of specialty care hospitals due to severity of disease, and Eagle County Paramedic Services provides this function as well. Community medicine services are expanding at the district.
It is critical to have local emergency physician representation on this board.
There is a history of having this emergency physician voice and mindset involved in board direction. For decades, a local emergency physician has a held a board position to the benefit of the agency. Now, because of end of term, this seat and perspective is vacant.
Support Local Journalism
The current candidates for the board all bring positive attributes including EMS backgrounds in other areas and local medical backgrounds. However, I think that only Dr. Scott McCorvey can bring the insight and understanding of the critical local emergency medicine expertise. I have worked with Dr. McCorvey for some years. He is a very smart and very thoughtful local physician in our emergency department in Vail. He works daily meeting the emergency needs of folks in our valley. He is up to date with current emergency medical needs of the community and the unique characteristics of our medical system and understanding local EMS challenges. He works with our paramedics every day and understands what it takes to not only maintain the high quality of emergency medical services but to expand care to our community at the level of “where the rubber meets the road.”
I am choosing to vote for Dr. McCorvey because I strongly feel that having the local emergency medical experience and expertise is so critical to the ongoing directions of Eagle County Paramedic Services and what boils down to the service that responds if my neighbors, family, or I ever need to dial 911.
I encourage you to also vote for Dr. McCorvey.
Diana Hearne M.D.
Eagle
