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Dolores County commissioner names interim Dove Creek ambulance board as service scramble continues
Summary
After multiple staff and board resignations left Dove Creek without local ambulance leadership, a Dolores County commissioner announced four interim board appointees and outlined immediate steps — including a 5 p.m. swearing-in and plans to formalize an interim chief — to restore service.
A Dolores County commissioner announced interim appointments to the Dove Creek Ambulance board on Jan. 23, 2026, saying the moves aim to restore emergency medical service after a wave of recent resignations left the district without its chief and most personnel.
The commissioner told the county’s special meeting that multiple resignations began earlier in the week and culminated with the final board member and the ambulance chief stepping down. “I saw the first resignation from one of the Dove Creek Ambulance board members,” the commissioner said, adding that the departures left the district short-staffed and the medical director temporarily restricting operating authority.
The appointees named were Jake Klene, Christina Garcher, Branson Smith and Levera Baxter. The commissioner said the appointments were unsolicited, prioritized because of urgency, and intended to serve until the regular election in May. “I was very interested in getting a new board appointed as soon as possible,” the commissioner said. The commissioner said a swearing-in will occur at a 5:00 p.m. ambulance board meeting the same day, followed by election of officers and initial administrative business.
The commissioner described an immediate priority as naming an interim chief and coordinating with the medical director to incrementally restore services. The commissioner said an interim chief candidate is available and that formalizing that appointment would allow the medical director to consider restoring operating authority. “From a resignation standpoint right now he is still the medical director and we hope that will continue as it makes sense,” the commissioner said.
For the short term, the commissioner said mutual-aid and out-of-area providers are covering calls. “Southwest is providing that ambulance service for us in the meantime,” the commissioner said, and Cortez dispatch is coordinating handoffs at night and in the morning. A representative for Pleasant View Fire said the department can respond to critical calls to hold patients until Southwest arrives but does not provide transport. “They're not a transport ambulance, but they will at least be here until Southwest,” the Pleasant View Fire representative said.
No formal vote to confirm these interim appointments was recorded in the meeting transcript; the commissioner described the selections and scheduled the swearing-in. The special meeting concluded after a motion to adjourn carried by recorded affirmative votes.
Next steps the commissioner outlined include the 5 p.m. swearing-in of appointees, an internal vote to elect officers, formal consideration of an interim chief and follow-up coordination with the medical director and neighboring providers to ramp up service. The county said it will pursue transparency and community participation as the interim board begins administrative work.
