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3EC2 <br />988 <br />BOOK 75 PAGE 409 <br />however, found it perplexing that the County would consider <br />recreating the machinery for what is primarily a medical service <br />when that service is the District's only mission. <br />Dr. Dudley Teel came before the Board speaking as a member <br />of the Medical Executive Committee of the Hospital, as the <br />chairman of the Quality Assurance Committee of the Hospital which <br />oversees the performance of the Paramedics, and as a private <br />physician. Dr. Teel stated that it is his firm belief that the <br />decision the county is about to make is one of the most important <br />in the history of the county. They are being asked to choose <br />between an EMS, which has been proven to deliver quality care for <br />the three years it has been in existence, and an unproven <br />untested system, and the only issue that should be considered is <br />the patient care and the quality of that care. <br />Dr. Teel then presented the reasons the medical staff <br />believe the County plan is seriously flawed, the first being that <br />the County plan does not provide the close critical medical <br />supervision which today's paramedics require. Dr. Teel felt the <br />Board must keep in mind that the ALS and BLS systems in the <br />county function not as an extension of the Fire Department nor <br />the Volunteer Ambulance Squads, but as a direct extension of the <br />Emergency Department. At the present time the paramedics are <br />under the direct control of the Emergency Department physicians <br />and specifically the Medical Director of the Emergency Department <br />who serves as the Medical Director of the ALS Service. In the <br />past when he was Medical Director, and at the present time with <br />Dr. Moore, they were able to give an almost instant feedback and <br />critique to the paramedics as they transported patients to the <br />Emergency Department. Dr. Teel stressed that if the County plan <br />is chosen, absolute authority for medical direction must be given <br />to the Medical Director who should be a Board certified physician <br />in emergency medicine and should work full time in the Emergency <br />Department. <br />10 <br />