By LEWIS SPEARMAN
HOUSTON While most of us have long since given up on doctors making house calls, local ambulance riders got their new director to make wreck calls recently.
Dr. Matthew Minton, the new medical director for ESD#5 Ambulance Service in Crosby and Huffman, is serious about adequate patient care on ambulances and public health education. He is also part of the Texas Task Force On Medical Emergencies, now incorporated into the Federal Emergency Management Agency and is with the Harris County Public Health Dept.
If the reader had the misfortune of having to ride an ambulance from Crosby or Huffman in June and noticed a redheaded guy telling paramedics what is best to do, that was Dr. Minton.
He was welcomed to his new post officially on May 21. ESD#5 Board of Directors voted to make a change on that day that would potentially increase facilities for training, access new equipment and initiate county wide standards for paramedics.
The benefits of paramedics being under the same protocols is not just that in the event of a disaster the medications on-board an ambulance would be interchangeable and that medical treatment would be standardized at optimum levels but also it reduces cost because we come under the Harris County Health Dept., we would become immune to frivolous lawsuits. said Houston Hooper, Coordinator of ESD#5.
Minton expressed interest to the Star-Courier in initiating optimal standards for emergency medical services, public education through programs such as Shattered Dreams and County Public Health initiatives in immunization programs manned by paramedics.
Hooper explained potential benefits for the pact with the county as, The county is expressing interest in helping our immunization programs for school kids and in the event of a disaster, we can use equipment we could never hope to buy. Our paramedics will also have access to new training facilities and equipment.
