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McDowell EMS awarded

honor recognizes dedication and innovation

photo Richelle Bailey

McDowell EMS Paramedic Todd Mullenix practices therapeutic hypothermia on a mannequin. The procedure is designed to drop a cardiac arrest patient’s body temperature after he has been resuscitated. The goal is to prevent brain damage, as well as reduce injury to major organs within the body.

By Richelle Bailey | The McDowell News

Published: June 24, 2009

Their state-of-the-heart treatment has earned McDowell County paramedics an award.
In October 2008, the local EMS implemented therapeutic hypothermia, a procedure that greatly increases the quality of life for heart attack patients.
McDowell EMS was the first in western North Carolina, the first rural one in North Carolina, the second in the state and one of only about 100 in the nation that uses this level of cutting-edge medicine.
For their efforts and success, local paramedics were recently chosen by the N.C. Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) to receive a 2008 Outstanding County Program Award. It was given to the McDowell employees at a County Commission meeting.
"This is the most prestigious award the NCACC can give to a county," said David Nicholson, outreach associate for the NCACC.
McDowell County EMS Director William Kehler stated that 30 counties applied for the award and seven received the honor, but the local agency was the only medical one rewarded.
"We're very excited about the award and being recognized," said Kehler. "It's an example of teamwork. It took us 18 months to get all the details worked out and get the treatment program implemented. All of our paramedics had a part in it."
Therapeutic hypothermia is designed to drop a cardiac arrest patient's body temperature after he has been resuscitated. The goal is to prevent brain damage, as well as reduce injury to major organs within the body.
The county's ambulances were already equipped with most of the needed technology, so the startup cost was only $25 per truck, according to the award application.