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Staff responsibilities and information
System history
System design
How to reach us
Staff Responsibilities and Information
Barbara Pletz, RN, Administrator
bpletz@co.sanmateo.ca.us
(650) 573-2579
Key Responsibilities: Administration, contracts, media communications, legal issues, coordination with EMS System Providers, and EMS system planning and evaluation.
Barbara Pletz has been the Administrator since 1988. She is a registered nurse with over 30 years California EMS experience and has overall responsibility for the EMS program. Barbara provides leadership for the EMS staff and for the EMS system. She is an active participant at the state level on various EMS committees. She is past president of the EMS Administrators’ Association and served as its legislative chair for six years.
Gregory Gilbert, MD, Medical Director
ggilbert@co.sanmateo.ca.us
(650) 573-2477
Key Responsibilities: Policies/Protocols, Quality Improvement and Assurance, EMS Research.
The EMS Medical Director is responsible for medical oversight of the EMS system including developing medical protocols and policies and evaluating the quality of medical care. Dr. Gilbert is also a practicing emergency physician at Stanford University Hospital and medical director of Life Flight. In addition, he is one of the co-directors of the EMS Fellowship that is available as an advanced degree following residency. He helps to train paramedics through EMRI in India and WestMed in California.
Peter D'Souza, MD, Assistant Medical Director
pd'souza@co.sanmateo.ca.us
(650) 573-2477
Key Responsibilities: Policies/Protocols, Quality Improvement and Assurance, EMS Research.
(description coming soon)
Jan Ogar, RN, Clinical Coordinator
jogar@co.sanmateo.ca.us
(650) 573-3509
Key Responsibilities: Accreditation – Paramedic, CE Provider Approval, Certification/Recertification – EMT, Ambulance Diversion, Policies/Protocols, Quality Improvement and Assurance, Training Program Approval, Trauma System clinical coordinator.
The Clinical Coordinator along with the Medical Director is responsible for the clinical oversight of the system. This includes: quality improvement, education, policy and protocol development, incident evaluation, and facilitation with San Mateo County receiving and trauma hospitals. Jan also works with Claudette to facilitate EMT-1 certification, National Registry Testing and paramedic accreditation. As a part of our educational system, Jan is responsible for approval of EMS training programs for continuing and basic education. Prior to coming to San Mateo County EMS, Jan worked as an MICN, emergency and critical care nurse, base hospital coordinator and EMS Educator and CCT nurse. Jan has also been active in EMS at the state level for several years and has represented Emergency Nurses Association on the EMS Commission since 1997.
Patrice Christensen, RN, PHN, Injury Prevention Coordinator
pchristensen@co.sanmateo.ca.us
(650) 573-3728
Key Responsibilities: Health Department Injury Prevention Program (adults and children)
Patrice coordinates the Health Department’s Injury Prevention Program. This program started January 2006. It will develop and implement strategies for decreasing child and adult injuries in San Mateo County. Prior to becoming the County’s Injury Prevention Program Coordinator, Ms. Christensen worked as a consultant throughout Calfiornia to assist local EMS agencies to develop EMS for Children and Childhood Injury Prvention programs.
Michael Leach, MPH, EMS Performance Measurement Analyst
mleach@co.sanmateo.ca.us
(650) 573-3768
Key Responsibilities: Data System Maintenance/Analysis, Continuous Quality Improvement, SB12(Maddy) Fund Administration, Response Time Compliance
Michael is responsible for measuring performance of the Countys emergency medical services system. His responsibilities include supporting Agency functions through data management, analysis, and project management. An epidemiologist by training, Michael has worked as both a field and supervising epidemiologist in Public Health, prior to joining EMS. He brings experience in the areas' of data management/analysis, statistics, and continuous quality improvement studies to the EMS Agency.
Claudette Clarke, Administrative Secretary
cclarke@co.sanmateo.ca.us
(650) 573-2564
Key Responsibilities: Recordkeeping for EMT certification/recertication, Paramedic Accreditation, Car Seat Checks, meeting coordination, clerical support.
Claudette has been the EMS Administrative Secretary for 20 years. Claudette also works with Jan to facilitate EMT-1 certification, National Registry Testing and paramedic accreditation. She is an information resource to all EMS customers, especially on things such as EMT-I / EMT-P application processing, continuing education classes and policy manual fees and distribution. Internally she provides clerical support to the EMS staff and is a liaison with various other Health Services departments.
Kevin Rose, Emergency Preparedness Specialist
krose@co.sanmateo.ca.us
(650) 573-2774
Key Responsibilities: Disaster Preparedness, Management of HRSA Grant
Kevin Rose is responsible for coordinating disaster planning activities for the Agency. He works closely with the Office of Emergency Services, the Public Health Bioterrorism Coordinator, and the Hospital Disaster Working Group. Prior to joining the EMS Agency staff, Kevin worked for San Mateo County Board of Supervisors Member Mark Church and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo.
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System History
San Mateo County began its paramedic emergency ambulance service program almost 30 years ago. One city, South San Francisco, became a paramedic provider in 1975. In 1976, San Mateo County became the first California county to conduct a Request for Proposal (RFP) process granting an exclusive operating area for emergency ambulance service. Over the next two years a countywide system of paramedic-staffed ambulances was established.
Over the next twenty years, San Mateo County periodically conducted RFP processes to award the county contract for emergency ambulance service. As a result of these competitive processes the EMS system has continued to improve its service to the community and has become a leader in California EMS. The most recent RFP process was conducted in 1998 with the contract awarded to American Medical Response, the incumbent provider. However the services are provided in a public/private partnership model that includes both paramedic emergency ambulance service and paramedic first response. This collaborative arrangement has received a number of awards from the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships, International City-County Management Award for Outstanding Partnerships, the League of Cities Helen Putnam Award for Excellence in Public Safety, and the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
Some of the key features of the current San Mateo County EMS system include:
- centralized dispatch for all 911 medical emergencies including fire service first response and emergency ambulance
- a response time performance-based contract for emergency ambulance and paramedic first response
- supportive and involved emergency department physicians and nurses
- excellent air ambulance providers
- two Level I trauma centers, both outside the county but in close proximity to the north and south county lines
The County establishes maximum emergency ambulance user fees within the contract for services. User fees financially support the service (both ambulance provider and fire service first response); there is no county subsidy.
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System Design
As a result of a four year planning process and recent Request for Proposal Process, on January 1, 1999, a new system for providing emergency medical responses went into effect. Firefighter paramedics on fire engines and the American Medical Response (AMR) ambulances respond to 9-1-1 emergency medical calls. The system is a public/private partnership between AMR, the fire service agencies in San Mateo County, and the County Health Services Department’s EMS office. AMR contracts with a Joint Powers Authority, made up of 17 fire service agencies, to provide paramedic first responder services.
The system benefits patients with a faster paramedic response than the previous model and better integrates the care provided by firefighters and ambulance paramedics. A single dispatch center, San Mateo County’s Public Safety Communications in Redwood City, performs all dispatch services for fire departments within the County as well as for the emergency ambulances. The system dispatches the closest fire engine and ambulance to every medical incident regardless of local fire agency boundaries.
Oversight of the system, both operational and medical, is provided by the EMS office of county Health Services, which holds the master contract with AMR West for both ambulance service and paramedic first response.
The previous system provided paramedic ambulance response with a 9-minute response time standard in the more populated areas. In the current system, fire engines with paramedics on board respond within 7 minutes. Emergency ambulances continue to be staffed by paramedics but have a response time standard of 13 minutes. The cost savings to AMR for the extended response time is used to subsidize the fire departments for providing the paramedic first response service.
This bold approach of merging public and private services, with the County as the oversight agency, required a high degree of planning and cooperation. It is the result of a four-year planning process that involved medical professionals, city managers, fire agencies, ambulance providers, consumers and county staff.
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