New medic officer brings fresh vision

New ESD#5 Board Member Larry Lee Hall at left stands with ESD#5 Medical Director Steven Ellerbee. Hall has taken the role not only as first resident representative from the Barrett Station but also to promote continuing the high standard of medic professionalism

CROSBY — A new board member has been acccepted by Harris County to lead ESD#5, the ambulance service for Crosby – Larry Lee Hall comes with a new vision for the service and strong feelings for the needs of the community.

An interview with Larry Hall is an insight into how local leaders emerge in times of crisis. Why did this individual step up to take this thankless and payless position?

“I’m looking at over half the calls to this service coming from Barrett Station. What I’m concerned with is keeping the quality of care that we now have in emergency medical service and trying to see if we can make improvements in this current economic situation. There are a lot of things I am concerned about. One of those things is the quality of service that is being provided being lessened because of economics. I know that there is a certain amount of experience and education that a paramedic needs to have to be able to do an adequate job in the difficult situations that arrise here.”

Hall sees this situation as an opportunity to open up the emergency medical service to volunteers especially from Barrett Station.

Discussion has been established at the ESD#5 board that the huge area of Crosby ISD (the same area as ESD#5 is charged with covering) would need a second ambulance to assure quick response. The paid crews currently on duty now are achieving two minutes faster response time than national average of 10 minutes but on any given Saturday night, more than one call for medics can come in at a time for all surrounding communities, potentially leaving a shortfall in ambulances. The district cannot afford two paid ambulance crews.

“There are a lot of qualified nurses and other capable people in Barrett Station willing to volunteer their time but they never had the access before. What I’m gong to do is talk to a lot of people in Barrett Station through ministers and people I know to find out if we can get volunteers to be part of what is going on. People who are willing to invest their time and energy in something benefitting the community as a whole.”