Very soon the citizens of Arlington will have an opportunity to ensure high level EMS services for years to come. The EMS levy will allow the Arlington Fire Department to continue to deliver highly trained and properly equipped emergency medical personnel literally to the doorsteps of those experiencing acute illness or injury.

As the current Medical Director for the Cascade Valley Hospital Emergency Department and Medical Program Director for Arlington Fire Department I see firsthand, on a daily basis, the many lives that have been directly impacted by prompt, expert,in field care. Hospital Emergency Department personnel have come to expect patients delivered to their facilities to have excellent in field care and thus EMS care is an important first link in the chain care for patients with emergency medical conditions.

Arlington EMS personnel are dedicated to providing state of the art care to the citizens of Arlington and surrounding communities. EMS providers are required to participate in regular continuing education programs which involve hands on training as well as lectures and book learning. As technology advances and improves, paramedics must continue to update their training. The unfortunate truth is that new technology and training require funding to implement. The citizens of Arlington and surrounding communities expect (and deserve) this level of excellent care and now this is the opportunity to guarantee that it will continue. In the current fiscal climate that we find ourselves in, this levy will provide medical care to people who need it most for a true bargain price. On a practical level the alternative is of course difficult to imagine. Ultimately without proper funding, someone in our community will likely experience unnecessary disability or even death if proper medical care cannot be provided in a timely manner. On behalf of the patients that we see daily in our hospital’s emergency department, please consider voting Yes for the EMS levy. The lives affected (or even saved) are likely to be yours, your families’ or your friends’.

Sincerely,

Dr. Peter Hutchinson

Diplomate American Board of Emergency Medicine

Facility Medical Director and Trauma Director Cascade Valley Hospital

Medical Program Director Arlington EMS