Opinion | Daruna: Improving outcomes, together
This week is EMS Week, a national recognition of the people who respond when our community calls for help, but it is also an opportunity to reflect on the systems and partnerships that make high-quality emergency medical care possible. This year’s EMS Week theme, “Improving Outcomes, Together,” resonates deeply in Eagle County because it reflects something that has long existed here: a culture of collaboration.
Emergency medical services does not function in isolation in Eagle County. Our system works because of the deep professional relationships and friendships that exist between agencies, disciplines and organizations throughout the valley. Every day, our paramedics and EMTs work side-by-side with professionals from six fire departments, five law enforcement agencies, two ski patrols, two hospitals, emergency management, public health and many others. We train together, solve problems together, and support one another during difficult moments. That level of trust and collegiality is not universal — it is something special in this community.
Eagle County Paramedic Services is also somewhat unique in that elected members of our community govern us as a health service district. That structure creates accountability to the public, but it also creates an expectation that we continue looking beyond the traditional boundaries of emergency response and consider where unmet needs exist within our health care system.
Over the past several years, this expectation has led to innovative partnerships and programs that support community health beyond 911 calls. Following the closure of the county’s only private home health provider in 2023, our organization began exploring whether we could help address portions of the resulting gap in access to care. We recognized that without adequate support, many vulnerable patients could ultimately end up relying on the emergency system once their conditions worsened into crises. That effort would not have been possible without close collaboration with partners like Vail Health and Eagle County, both of whom share a common interest in supporting healthy aging and improving access to care in our community.
Similarly, our community health team continues to work closely with local partners to support programs that help seniors remain healthy, independent and connected, while also supporting our valuable immigrant community through efforts like the MIRA bus. These initiatives may not always be visible to the public, but they reflect the same philosophy that drives EMS work every day: identifying needs early, supporting people before and during emergencies, and helping individuals navigate increasingly complex health care systems.
Support Local Journalism
The reality is that modern EMS has evolved significantly from the image many people still associate with ambulances and emergency response. Today’s EMS professionals are clinicians, educators, navigators, problem-solvers and collaborators operating within an interconnected network of public safety agencies, health care organizations, local governments and community partners. In Eagle County, that network is exceptionally strong.
During EMS Week, we celebrate the paramedics and EMTs who work diligently and innovatively to care for our community. We also recognize the dispatchers, nurses, firefighters, law enforcement officers, ski patrollers, physicians and health care professionals who contribute to that system every day. Most of all, we celebrate the collaborative culture that allows this community to deliver a level of care and coordination far greater than any one agency could provide alone.
Thank you, Eagle County, for your continued trust and support. Here’s to our EMS clinicians — and to the partnerships that make their work possible — this week and every week.
Brandon Daruna is the CEO of Eagle County Paramedic Services.
