Medic2medic Podcast

Episode 95: Bobby Hopewell, a Michigan native brings 29 years of extensive healthcare, leadership and public service experience. Today he is responsible for the day to day operation of Mobile Health Resources. He has a passion for serving and service delivery, especially as it relates to ensuring a positive impact for those being served. Previous to his hospital work, Mr. Hopewell served a combined 13 years in Emergency Medical Services leadership in West Michigan with Life EMS Ambulance, LifeCare Ambulance Service and Gull Lake Area Ambulance. In the early 1990’s Mr. Hopewell successfully led his team at Life EMS Ambulance through the inaugural Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services accreditation surveys. This achievement makes him one of the first EMS leaders in the nation to lead an accredited EMS organization. Mr. Hopewell has been a Michigan Licensed Paramedic and is presently Mayor of the City of Kalamazoo. We discuss his entrance into EMS, healthcare, leadership style and how he has uses his

Episode 94: Matthew R. Streger is a paramedic and attorney with more than thirty years of EMS experience. Matthew is a Member (Partner) at the law firm of Keavney & Streger in New Jersey. He has worked in EMS systems in New Jersey, New York, South Carolina and Ohio. He has served as the Executive Director of Mobile Health Services (EMS) at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Jersey and the Deputy Commissioner of EMS in Cleveland. Matt has interesting take on why EMS providers should apologize to patients and he outlines this during our conversation. Matt and I met while working at Helene Fuld Medical Center in Trenton, NJ. We discuss those days working in New Jersey and how it was like Squad 51, EMS today and his new collaboration with the American Ambulance Association.

Episode 93: Dr. Brent Myers serves as Chief Medical Officer for Evolution Health and Associate Chief Medical Officer for American Medical Response. He has deep expertise in systems of care, population health approaches and public health. Prior to his appointment, Dr. Myers served as Director and Medical Director of Emergency Medical Services for the Wake County EMS System. He currently serves as the President of the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP). Dr. Myers and I discuss how he became interested in EMS, advice he received from the retiring Wake County EMS System Medical Director, research and the politics of being a system director. We talk about his undergraduate degree decision, Evolution Health responsibilities, where EMS is going and what he misses about the Wake County EMS System.

Episode 92: Paramedic Jaime Redig from Cary Area EMS joins the podcast this week. Jaime traveled an interesting path to come to Cary Area EMS. She has lived in nine states including Alaska and spent time in Sweden. This on it's own is interesting, but Jaime came to EMS from law enforcement. Jaime tells us how she made this decision, her love for medicine and her experience with online paramedic education.

Episode 91: Scott Cravens is the the Group Publisher SouthComm Communications, which publishes EMS World. Scott entered the EMS world after 20 years in a different role in publishing. Scott also sits on the board of the National EMS Museum Foundation. This museum is dedicated to memorializing and commemorating the history of EMS and the people and organizations that provide emergency care. We discuss why Scott got involved in EMS and why he felt that he needed to become and practice as an EMT. We also discuss the competition in today's world of EMS publishing and information.

Episode 90: Neil Jones: When I went to school to become a paramedic, the program was 6 months and there was no EMS degree attachment. This week we focus on EMS Education today with my guest Neil Jones. Neil is the Associate Professor and Paramedic Program Director at Community College of Allegheny College in Pittsburgh. Neil is responsible for development and teaching the curriculum for Paramedic Associate Degree and Certificate Programs. Neil with over 30 years of documented achievement and increasing responsibility in the healthcare environment. Expertise in the areas of strategic planning, fiscal planning, staff development, business plan development, medical education, disaster planning and management, emergency and pediatric emergency medicine. Recognized by peers and other leaders for a positive professional attitude, problem-solving abilities, team dynamics, leadership qualities and a strong sense of organizational commitment, purpose and mission. Neil and I discuss the changing environment in EMS educ

Episode 89: Kelly Grayson has been a Critical Care Paramedic and EMS Educator for twenty-three years. He is president of the Louisiana Association of EMS Educators and a board member of the LA Association of Nationally Registered EMTs. He currently works as a critical care paramedic for Acadian Ambulance in southwest Louisiana and as the EMS Education Coordinator for ACE4EMS. He is an award-winning columnist for EMS1.com and EMS World Magazine, and co-host of the EMS1 podcast Inside EMS. Kelly's transition into EMS is an unique one as well he is the author of the column The Ambulance Driver. We discuss how the title and column came about and the criticism the title received. As the co-host of EMS1.com's podcast, we talk about his co-host Chris Cebollero and how they met. Kelly has an interesting take on the future of EMS too.

Episode 88: Mitchell J. Brown continues his amazing career and journey and we hear his story this week. Mitchell J. Brown's EMS roots started in Pittsburgh. Freedom House played a significant role for Mr. Brown as a paramedic and leader. Mitchell J. Brown has held a wide variety of roles in the area of Public Safety and executive leadership positions in large government agencies. His passion and his strong commitment to excellence have been the driving force in his more than 40 years of government experience. Mr. Brown was appointed to Columbus City Council on January 11, 2016. As a member of City Council, Councilmember Brown chairs the Public Safety Committee and the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. From 1996-1999, Brown served as the Director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety His accomplishments included adopting “Core Values” for the Ohio Department of Public Safety. Our conversation includes the greatness, the struggles and the politics of Freedom House. Mr. Brown talks about his memories of Dr. Peter S

Episode 87:Tracy Levesque is a Paramedic in Ottawa,Canada where their EMS system responds to 120,000 calls a year. Tracy is a BLS Paramedic, What is BLS Paramedic? Tracy will let us know the answer during our conversation. After 26 years on the job, Tracy is breaking a new partner. Max is a Golden Retriever and is the only Therapy Dog in Canada for EMS providers. Tracy provides all the details on how the Dog Program came about, what her colleagues think about Max and what Max has done for Ottawa EMS. Tracy and I also discuss Max's Twitter ability (yes I follow Max and tweet with him). Besides the Dog Program, we talk about EMS in Canada.

Episode 86: Jane Smith is an EMS expert with over 30 years of experience in both the public and private sectors, including Public Health, Education, the Fire Service and Nonprofit business. She has worked in all ranks up to and including EMS Department head where her responsibilities included QI/QA, education and training, strategic planning and budget management. She has taught for 10 years as a tenured teacher with the Community College. As an entrepreneur, she worked with a number of other professionals to lead a nonprofit community base Paramedic organization to become a premier educational institution to provide a voice for EMS throughout the State of California. Jane is a California paramedic and currently is a Commissioner for the California EMS Authority. She has a MA in Education and a BS in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. Jane has a powerful story about her start in EMS and she talks about the challenges she faced both in and out of EMS. Our conversation covers politics, EMS education, EMS leade

Episode 85:The podcast goes International once again. This time it is Israel. Mr. Dov Maisel is the senior Vice-President of International Operation for United Hatzalah/Untied Rescue volunteer emergency response organization. He is Combat Medic and a Company Commander (Res.) in the Israel Defense Forces and specializes in a mass disaster, rescue and recovery training for both the civilian and military arenas. He is an innovator and inventor of medical technologies and devices and is on the International Editorial Board of the Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS). Our discussion goes back to Dov's school days and how EMS was made for him. You won't believe the number of volunteers that United Hatzalah has responding to emergencies and who those volunteers are. Dov tells a compelling story of a terrorist attack and the unbelievable situation he faced. If you want to know how EMS works in Israel, Dov and I kibbitz (talk) about that subject too.

Episode 84: Chris Cebollero is the co-host of EMS1.com's podcast Inside EMS. The podcast brings expert perspective to EMS topics, clinical issues operational and leadership lessons to EMS personnel. Chris has over 30 years of EMS experience. Chris is an internationally recognized leadership specialist, coach and bestselling author. Chris is currently the Senior Partner of his own consulting firm specializing in Leadership Development, Individual and Executive Coaching, and Organizational Process. Chris has been seen on ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX speaking on the above issues. Our discussion includes his start in EMS, how he and Kelly Grayson became host of Inside EMS, his strong views on leadership and the EMS profession.

Episode 83: David Bunnell is a Paramedic whose plan was not to become a Physician Assistant. That changed and he now works as a PA at VA in Washington DC. Dave's practice experiences include Cardiothoracic Surgery, Surgical Critical Care and Emergency Medicine. Before becoming a PA, Dave was Paramedic (still has his certification in Pennsylvania) and an Organ Recovery Coordinator. Dave is very active in leadership of the Association of PAs as well as peer reviewer for the Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants. We discuss how he got is start in EMS, his days at the Center for Emergency Medicine and Medical Rescue Team South. We spend time discussing what it is like in the operating room as PA, team leadership and a work day for Dave.

Episode 82: Brian Behn is a Critical Care Paramedic in Colorado and is known on the Facebook Page EMSQAQI. You can say that Brian is pro QA/QI and he is a dedicated educator. Brian has spoken at State Conferences, written for EMS1.com and likes to write test questions for a well known EMS review site. Our conversation touches on all the above subjects as well as Brian takes inside a call that every EMS provider can learn from.

Episode 81 Chief Lloyd Parker: The podcast goes international this week as my guest works in Kuwait. Chief Lloyd Parker since June of 2011 has served as the Chief of Emergency Medical Services for the George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates, Department of Emergency Medicine for the US Army Central Command Bases in the State of Kuwait. Chief Parker has served in leadership roles at eleven Type I Incidents (Haiti, Florida Wildfires, Tornadoes, and Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina to name a few). Chief Parker worked on National Security Special Events like the Obama Presidential Inauguration and 4th of July in Washington DC. Our discussion includes how EMS works in Kuwait and the pros and cons on being a Paramedic in Kuwait. We touch on his career, working on the top level security events, leadership style and how he got to Kuwait.

Episode 80: Eric Bernard is a Pittsburgh, PA native beginning his public safety career as a volunteer EMT in the Pittsburgh suburbs (Swissvale) starting at the age of 15. That is how we meet. Only a few people call me Stevie and Eric is one. In 2004, he was selected as the first executive director for the Montgomery County Volunteer Fire-Rescue Association where he continues today. Eric works directly with the County Fire Chief, County Executive, County Council, and the public representing the needs, efforts, and work of the over 2,400 volunteer, fire, rescue and EMS professionals in 19 local volunteer fire and rescue departments of the County. He served in the United States Navy as a combat airborne medic and emergency/healthcare provider both as a US Navy hospital corpsman and later as a medical officer for eight years, including assignments supporting Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield. Our discussion goes from how we meet, jumping out of planes, leadership, EMS and much more.

Episode 79: Dr. Spiro is the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of ReelDx. He is the former Fellowship Director and Chief of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University, Doernbecher Children's Hospital. Using real patient video, he led efforts to raise 5 million dollars of philanthropy to open the first Pediatric Emergency Department at OHSU in 2009. He received his MD at University of California San Francisco and worked as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Yale University School of Medicine prior to his current appointment at OHSU. Dr. Spiro is passionate about disseminating the use of case-based, flipped classroom learning using HIPAA compliant real patient video.We discuss how Reel Dx came about and how do you receive permission from the patient in an emergency to videotape their illness? Reel Dx is being used in training programs in EMS as well as in Medical School.

Episode 78: Cary Area EMS's own Christian Heinrich joins me this week on the podcast. Christian has over 20 years of service with Cary Area EMS starting as a volunteer and moving up the career ladder to his current position as Division Chief. Christian was not heading towards a career in EMS, but like so many of us he got the "bug". Christian talks about his early days in EMS and volunteering in Virginia, why he moved to Raleigh and how he ended up at Cary Area EMS? We talk leadership style, he provides insight with the 2001 recruitment of a new chief and jumpsuits.

Episode 77: Gene Starzenski is the Producer and Director of the documentary Freedom House. Freedom House Ambulance was started in Pittsburgh and was the precursor to the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS. Before Gene produced this wonderful documentary, he served as the Medic Advisor and Set Medic on hundreds of television shows and 50 films. Some of his films include The Dark Knight Rises, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Pearl Harbor and Jaws 2. He started his EMS career in 1971 in Pittsburgh. Please pay attention to Gene's beginning and how he learned to work the stretcher? Gene is a great storyteller and our podcast includes behind the scenes of some of my favorite television shows and stars. We also learn about the story behind the almost TV Series based on the film Mother, Jugs, and Speed. You will hear his passion, determination and the ups and downs to make the documentary and his EMS career.

Episode 76: Did you ever look in the mirror and say enough is enough? This week Daniel Mills, a 14 year veteran of the fire and EMS world tells his story about looking in the mirror. Daniel is the founder of 911 Buddy Check. Daniel is a veteran of the US Navy where he served as a Fleet Marine Force Corpsman with the United States Marine Corp for 8 years. He is currently a Flight Medic in Alabama.His story has twists and turns that include difficult subjects like addiction, suicide and PTSD. A dog and mirror play a pivotal role in the unbelievable turnaround of his story and what he does now to help others. Daniel is passionate 911 Buddy Check and making sure the public safety family has somewhere to turn when they are in trouble. His story is incredible and I was honored to speak with him.