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County EMS OMD outlines training, pharmacy and alert upgrades to speed care in rural Floyd
Summary
Dr. Patterson, the county's OMD for EMS, told the Board of Supervisors about training, a newly implemented in‑house EMS pharmacy, use of the Pulsara communication app, and persistent staffing and mental‑health needs for responders.
Dr. Patterson, the medical director (OMD) for Floyd County’s EMS, briefed the Board of Supervisors on May 27 about quality improvements aimed at speeding definitive care for rural patients and supporting EMS crews.
"Heart attacks in our community are number 1 killer," Dr. Patterson said, outlining a quality‑assurance program that pairs advanced training, case review and two‑way communication between field crews and hospitals. He said the county has recorded 822 transports since January and emphasized that early field diagnosis and pre‑hospital alerts reduce time to treatment.
Key changes Dr. Patterson described: - In‑house EMS pharmacy: the county built an EMS pharmacy to meet a new state mandate; Dr. Patterson said Floyd "had it all knocked out" and met state requirements ahead of many peers. - Two‑way alert software: he described Pulsara, an app that allows EMS to send alerts and EKGs to hospitals even with limited cell coverage. "As soon as it can ping out, it will alert everybody," Dr. Patterson said. - Training and review: the OMD described additional training in complex, low‑frequency procedures such as rapid sequence intubation and a systematic, multidisciplinary review of difficult cases to improve outcomes.
Dr. Patterson also discussed countywide operational limits: long transport times in parts of the county can exceed 50 minutes to the nearest tertiary hospital, and he said national workforce shortages limit how many staffed rigs counties can field. "There's a national shortage. We cannot get EMS anywhere," he said. He urged structured geographic planning for transports and described existing backup arrangements with contracted providers for longer transfers.
On responder mental health, Dr. Patterson said formal psychiatric support for EMS crews is limited. "There is not a good formal psychiatric support network for these people," he said, and welcomed Board direction to explore connecting with community services such as the director Chris Taylor and local programs that could provide on‑site counseling after traumatic calls.
Board members thanked Dr. Patterson and asked staff to pursue follow‑up, including exploring partnerships for responder mental‑health support and continuing the implementation of Pulsara.
