Medic2medic Podcast

Episode 248 is Ginny Renkiewicz is an Assistant Professor of Healthcare Administration at Methodist University and an award winning EMS educator and innovator. Ginny is 22 years in EMS as a Paramedic, instructor, and Program Director. Ginny volunteers for several peer-reviewed journals and serves as the Executive Director of the Foundation for Prehospital Medicine and Research. Ginny and I talk about the unique way she became involved in EMS, her passion for research, and a patient that had a significant impact on Ginny. 

Randolph Mantooth Re-Podcast Episode: It is the time of year when I replay the most listened to podcast from Medic2Medic. The story of how Mr. Mantooth became a guest goes like this. The podcast had a few objectives when I started 6 years ago. A few objectives included starting a podcast, 50 episodes, and having Johnny Gage as a guest. It took lots of wrong turns and emails, but I found a good email for Mr. Mantooth and sent it off. This was in the fall of 2015. In December, his publicist contacted me and said to reach out after the new year. I waited until January 2nd, and a few weeks later, Mr. Mantooth would be a guest. I got the chance to record and speak with Mr. Mantooth in March, and it was a thrill, and I was honored. This was episode number 30 in March of 2016. Enjoy.

Episode 247 is Tracy Moore. Tracy served as a Minneapolis firefighter and captain for more than 20 years. During her career as a fire captain, Tracy earned the Meritorious Service Unit Citation Medal. She was also presented with the Community Service Award. After retiring from the fire department, Tracy became a Flight Attendant, and most recently she has published a novel, "The Fire She Fights" (available on Amazon), highlighting the need for social change and gender equity in the fire service. The novel is based on the true stories of Minneapolis women firefighters, featuring four fictional characters. We discuss Tracy's career, social change within the fire department, and the book.

Episode 246 is Darla Varrenti. Darla is the CEO and Co-Founder of the Nick Of Time Foundation. The Foundations was created in memory of her 16 yr old son, a multisport athlete who appeared healthy until suffering a Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Did you know that one high school athlete suffers a Sudden Cardiac Arrest every 3 days in the U.S.? How do you detect a student's athlete's unknown heart defect? Screening. This is what the Nick Of Time Foundation does. We talk about Nick's story and the foundation's mission. You will not believe the number of students that Nick of Time Foundation has screened since starting. To learn more about the foundation, head over to nickoftimefoundation.org

Episode 245 are Division Chiefs of EMS Ben Boyko and Scott Ryckman. Ben is the Division Chief for Ferndale Fire District 7, and Scott is the Division Chief for Bellingham Fire Department. They work together very well to provide leadership, guidance, patient care just not for their departments but for the Whatcom County EMS System. Ben and Scott have interesting and unique paths into the Fire and EMS Service world, which we discuss. During our conversation, we learn about their departments, their duties as MSOs, leadership style, challenges, and what they would be doing if they were not in public safety.

Episode 244 is Kevin McGarvey Kevin is an emergency physician and entrepreneur with a passion for commercializing healthcare innovations that patients and providers love. Today, he is the CEO and co-founder of Hippo Health, a team-based telehealth platform that has had explosive growth over the last 2 years in Colorado. Over the last year, the platform has become focused on EMS Telehealth, where it is enabling paramedics to treat patients in place in the home with on demand emergency physicians. Kevin discusses how he goes from studying Religion to Medical School? We also discuss his entrepreneurial spirit, HIPPO Health, and telemedicine in EMS.

Episode 243 is Mike Hilley. Mike is the EMS Manager of Whatcom County EMS and my boss. Mike brings over 25 years of EMS and Fire experience as a Paramedic, Firefighter, and EMS Chief to his role here in Whatcom County. Mike takes on his journey from Birmingham, Alaska, King County, and Whatcom County. We talk about his career in the Coast Guard, leadership, and a few of his adventures.

Episode 242 is Steve Wirth and Matthew Koyna from PW&W Law Firm. PW&W is a legal leader in the EMS industry. Steve and Matt speak about the Paramedics that have been indicted in Colorado regarding the Mr. McClain case and the use of Ketamine.

Episode 241 is Joe Frank. Joe is a Captain in the Bellingham Fire Department and leader of the Community Paramedic program here in Whatcom County. Joe started his career in 2008 with BFD and was promoted to Captain in 2017. Joe takes us through his path from a small town in Washington State, his introduction into EMS, & fire service, to Alaska, and to his current role. We talk about becoming a Paramedic, Paramedic school, and the beginning, current status, and the future of the Community Paramedic program in Whatcom County.

Episode 240 is James DiClemente. James is a paramedic in Cambridge, MA and has spent the last 10 years focused on providing quality EMS education. James spent 8 years as a paramedic program director and currently runs the day to day operations of Prodigy EMS and was part of the team that brought you Refresh 2021. Why did James pick EMS?  He lets us know and why and how he went against the advice of a friend to enter the EMS world. James is passionate about EMS Education and you will his passion as he speaks about the current and future of EMS education. If you have not heard about Prodigy and Refresh2021, we get the inside story on the collaboration. 

Episode 239 is Joe Bertels. Joe in July retired from the Bellingham Fire Department after 33 years of service. Joe takes us from building boats to joining the department as a firefighter/paramedic. His first experience with an ambulance crew is an interesting story that occurred many years before entering public safety. Joe explains what made him choose the EMS side and that story you don't want to miss. Joe led the BFD to establish their High-Performance CPR program. Congratulations Joe on 33 years and welcoming this east coaster.

Episode 238 is Elizabeth Marshall. Elizabeth is an internationally published cover model, bodybuilder, entrepreneur, and fitness professional. Elizabeth has teamed up with Brothers N Arms (BNA) (https://www.thebrothersnarms.co) to talk about CBD. BNA is a full-service lifestyle brand/CBD company focused on working with Veterans, Athletes, and First Responders. We were also joined by BNA's Director of Operations Mervin Forero. During the podcast, Elizabeth tells us about her beginnings in the world of modeling, struggles, and how CBD has helped her with her anxiety. We talk about the misconceptions that surround CBD use and the education that is needed.I want to thank Tim Nowak, CEO of Emergency Medical Solutions for reaching out to his network and for creating a poll on CBD use in the public safety arena. The results are mentioned in the podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/user/8261019/elizabeth-marshall

Episode 237 is Leigh Goodman. Leigh is the Director of Emergency Medical Services for the Town of Trumbull. Leigh combines her passion for Emergency Medical Services & Education and brings this passion to her leadership as Chief. Previously Chief Goodman has taught elementary school students and children with special needs. Leigh who spent time on four different continents then becomes Chief in the Town of Trumbull, CT is a story within its self that you will hear. Trumbull EMS has gone under a transition over the past year and Leigh talks about how their transition occurred and why. We also discuss Trumbull EMS's successful social media program.

Episode 236 is Michael Diaz. Michael is an EMT for AMR in Los Angles County and was featured in an article titled "The Broken Front Line", by Ava Kofman from ProPublica.The article takes us inside the ambulance during the height of the pandemic and Michael shares his experiences. Michael was in film school before discovering EMS. He is a Lead Training Officer and union president of IAEP R12-077. We discuss his path into EMS, this first encounter with a Covid patient, the article, and being president of the union during the pandemic. 

Episode 235 is Keenan Hart. Keenan is the Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Integrated TeleHealth Solutions (ITS). The use of TeleHealth Services is becoming mainstream in healthcare and starting to enter the world of EMS. Keenan's path into this industry and the start of ITS is unique and he shares his story, his entrepreneurial spirit, and the start of ITS. There is also a connection to the television show The Big Bang Theory that is part of his story. 

Episode 234 is Andrew Odgers. We head to New Zealand this week and speak to Andrew Odgers. Andrew is a Paramedic in New Zealand for the Emergency Ambulance Service. Andrew gives us an inside look at the EMS practice in New Zealand as well as the EMS educational structure. Andrew takes us through his first call and what has learned over the years. We learn about "Coffee and Cases" and a mentoring program that Andrew is establishing. 

Episode 233 is Melissa Bernstein. Melissa along with her husband Doug is the Co-Founder of the toy company Melissa & Doug, which has created over 5,000 children’s products and sold billions of dollars of toys since its inception. Raised by educators, Melissa and Doug started the business in their garage in 1988. With all the success of Melissa’s remarkable career, she kept secret her lifelong battle with severe depression and anxiety. During our conversation, we talk about the struggles, suicide, and anxiety. We also discuss when they began, and she reveals much more in her book LIfelines.  Melissa wrote the book to help others who are also suffering. Melissa’s book heralds the launch of Lifelines.com, an online ecosystem she and Doug are underwriting to support those seeking support, guidance, and community on their mental health journeys. 

Episode 232 is Cali Estes. Dr. Estes has over 20 years of experience working with drug, alcohol, and food addictions. Her deep understanding of drug and alcohol addiction, including the behaviors and ramifications that areassociated with it, place her at the top in the field of addiction therapy. Cali has a program for first responders that we talk about. Cali shares personal stories about her struggles and how she overcame her addiction to become a leader in the field of addiction therapy. 

Episode 231 is Rob Lawrence. Rob is the Executive Director of the California Ambulance Association as well as the part-time Director of Strategic Implementation for Pro EMS of Cambridge Massachusetts. Rob is originally from the United Kingdom where he served in the military for 22 years and has served in leadership roles in the EMS world in the UK. Rob came to America to be the Executive Director of Richmond Ambulance Authority. We talk about his journey from the UK to America, his military service, and numerous EMS topics. 

Episode 230 is Ann Doll and Jonathan Larsen. Ann Doll serves as Executive Director of the ResuscitationAcademy Foundation. Ann helped create the RA in 2008. She also serves as the Secretariat for the Global Resuscitation Alliance, a coalition of worldwide leaders committed to saving more lives from sudden cardiac arrest. Jonathan Larsen retired from the Seattle Fire Department as a Senior Paramedic and the Captain of Medic One. He is one of the founding faculty of the Resuscitation Academy and leads the HP-CPR effort. Ann and Jonathan have fun during our conversation that takes us through their unique beginnings in healthcare and the Resuscitation Academy. We discuss numerous aspects of the RA and how this program makes a difference.