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I am one member of a five person board. The opinions I express on this forum are mine only, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Escambia County Staff, Administrators, Employees, or anyone else associated with Escambia County Florida. I am interested in establishing this blog as a means of additional transparency to the public, outreach to the community, and information dissemination to all who choose to look. Feedback is welcome, but because public participation is equally encouraged, appropriate language and decorum is mandatory. Although this is not my campaign site for re-election--sometimes campaign related information will be discussed, therefore in an abundance of caution I add the following :








Tuesday, June 29, 2021

County Medical Director: County Going in New Direction

Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore discussed this briefly at Commissioner Barry's Town Hall meeting last night, a new direction and approach for EMS and the Medical Director position.  According to Gilmore, the County will have access to three (3) Doctors under the new plan--and the contract for us to begin utilizing this university-based training hospital medical staff on a contract basis apparently will be on the BCC agenda for Thursday, July 8th.

Meanwhile, this email, below, has gone out yesterday to staff in EMS.



Looks as though the county is going in a new direction with respect to how we handle the Medical Director position.

This is a good thing.  And a long time coming.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hallelujah.This is a great thing.
It looks like the county is finally getting it together and heading in the right direction.

Mel Pino said...

Thank God.

It's also good news that Mr. Torsell is quite clearly not a stranger to clear, professional direction and best HR practices. That is an excellent step in the right direction, also.

--Melissa Pino

Anonymous said...

This is the second best news for the county in the past 2 weeks!!!! I can hear a collective sigh of relief from many county employees. Thank you!!!!

Anonymous said...

Sent out at 420

Fire it up and try to relax ;)

One rule of thumb, if one sues a government body, they defend themselves, usually.


Anonymous said...

Re:
The WEAR article and fire, as for me, ignoring the political undercurrents and usual back and forth union/ underhill/media games, and the people that can't see through it nor stop arguing online about it...

Please get your MSTU project over the line and not just throw it out and see if it sticks -- it's brilliant.

I think Barry has indicated he at this time would be in favor of an increase in the MSBU, I guess because the south end of D5 in growing and he has his plate full, or whatever.

An MSTU would be more fair and equitable across the line. Think -- at large -- as you often do please.

For ones looking in search to learn the difference.

MSBU
MSTU

Thank You.
I look forward to seeing that come to pass soon.

Bender wants to raise taxes, I think May will go along with "whatever any of you come up with" but his constituents will be unfairly burdened by the MSBU also.

A blog explaining that may be well received as more eyes are on this blog now.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if any of the Dunderhills commenting on facebook WEAR on the fire article can go back to the recent Committee of the Whole meeting and pull up the document that Amber presented on the budget and find the line comparison of the counties that have a MSTU vs the one with a MSBU (ours) and note the ones with MSTU had a LOT more funds then Escambia County or do they just repeat "What Doug says"

Get on the bandwagon and honk ECW crowd. We see you.



Anonymous said...

I know one thing leads to another and this will be on the agenda July 8. I think it is good for the county.

As far as the Committee of the Whole it was June 10th and if anyone wants to educate themselves they can go to to MyEscambia web site and find the budget document.

I could post it but, Give a man a fish he eats for a day, teach him to fish, he does better.

If they read here....

Doug posted the front page of the doc and put spin on it and the Dunderhills ate it up, as usual.

Anonymous said...

LOWER THE MSBU RAISE THE MSTU!!!

Anonymous said...

Here's the Fish
https://escambiacofl.civicclerk.com/Web/Player.aspx?id=219

Anonymous said...

Ya'll looked like something was going down that day June 10 .. ^^^^^ even so the discussions on the budget will come back up.

I also hope that deal Barry announced was real about FL WEST and not just the normal show prior to budget, at least Doug didn't Spill the Beans on ECW to try and ruin it....yet.

Anonymous said...

This should have happened immediately with a large number of hostile work complaints got thrown at the current medical director who now has a clear pattern of retaliation. The echo chamber over at ECW keeps going on about 17 open positions and on and on. They are simply ignorant of facts. Fact- when the former EMS Chief White took over the department they were down easily that number of positions. He worked on accountability and professionalizing the department that was running 9 ambulances during the daytime! At only $16 an hour he completely closed the gap and filled all open positions and then got the BOCC to add 13 new positions and they filled those. That was a change form 9 trucks in the day to 17 trucks. You know why? ECEMS was going places and people wanted to work there. The day Edler walked in the obvious intent was to burn the place down. That has pretty much been achieved. The new chief seems to be very much like that old Chief so let’s hope he can turn it around as well now that this caustic person is gone. For those trying to defend her- what has she accomplished? No protocols written in 3 years. No significant training. The innovative training that was there was scuttled so that an attempt could be made to force the BOCC into emergency bidding to a company. Give me a break. EMS may just be saved now that Edler has gotten a taste of her own medicine. There’s the door.

Anonymous said...

Clearly an anonymous post made by one Melissa Pino. She's worse than an old stalker girlfriend I had back in highschool. Clue 1 is the same vocabulary and clue 2 is it's needlessly long winded. If ECW is mentioned is most certainly Pino.

Anonymous said...

I’m mentioning ECW and the fact that it’s a nasty chat board with nasty people that don’t do anything but complain and degrade people and guess what? I’m not Melissa Pino. She’s not the only person in all of Escambia county that has an opinion.

Mel Pino said...

Anonymous 9:31, actually at the time that post was written I was over on my Facebook wall having a happy song party with friends celebrating the great news for EMS and the birth of a precious baby.

I did indeed post that Jacqueline was coming apart at the seams, now that the objects of her hate-filled screed are tackling the very problems she has been advocating for. That's how far that woman has lost her mind to cognitive dissonance. And every day ECW descends another rung into nothing but a hate fueled mob howling at the moon. I'm more than happy to state that publicly, so don't know why you would do the poster the disservice of claiming the person is me. I didn't even know the numbers on the trucks when Steve White got there--that was news to me.

Yesterday was one of the happiest days I have had in two long years when it came over me like a beautiful rush of relief and peace--I don't have to worry about Escambia EMS any more. :)

That's not saying I had to, or it was my place to, but I DID worry. On the daily and especially at night. It is such an incredible feeling to just let it go, and hope that my advocacy in some way helped support the necessary, tough changes that needed to happen.

The adults are clearly back in the room, and the plan that Eric Gilmore described is more than I or a lot of other people could have dreamed. Higher starting wage, potential partnership with University of Florida, multiple medical directors at the first responders' service (and therefore at ours), increasing the capabilities on certifications (which were already there--it's just allowing for even more levels of care). WIN WIN WIN WIN!!

And there has been so much positive happening behind the scenes with the budget, new equipment on buses, etc. Mr. Gilmore has been juggernauting that department into a position to regain what it lost in the last couple of years. Can't say enough good things about all the work that he and his management have clearly been doing to set the table for this new plan. And I am hearing fantastic things about David Torsell. He's pretty new to have engendered the kind of respect and loyalty that seems to be quickly growing for him.

I'm so happy for the people who work there, just overjoyed. And this is such an amazing thing for the residents of the County, as well. There's no reason that Escambia can't regain it's Number 1 status.

My only remaining concern is that I hope people will really view this with open eyes, and recognize the nonsense that contributed to past EMS getting arrested on a bunch of complete hooey. I don't blame this on the State's Attorney's Office. This County was in a chaos of broken due process and political hatchet jobs.

But look how quickly it can get fixed, with competent and caring leaders. YES!!! :) And thank you for your part as policy hawk, Commissioner Bergosh. This could not have, and would not have, happened without your willingness to shoulder the burden of the mess on the dais.

--Melissa Pino

Anonymous said...

Anom 9:31 - do you think people are following you as well? They have people you can see about that. ECW is an echo chamber of hate and slander who offers no real solutions for EMS. They are the ones propping up the reasons why EMS is suffering. They don’t seem to care their Edler worship is the reason EMS is suffering. Trust me EMS is celebrating the fall of a tyrant.

Anonymous said...

11:31 I bet they are.
I'm following one of the court cases, I hope it's thrown out.
I know you aren't Pino, neither am I, nor am I Bergosh.

This has really put a question mark into some people's brain. Good.

Anonymous said...

I know Jacklyn and her crew of haters stalk this site so here’s your chance Jacklyn. Since you know so much and support Edler so much. What has been accomplished since she walked in the door? No protocols. No training. Don’t give me this nonsense if she tried to get outside training. Training can be done in house. In fact, innovative training from subject matter experts were put in place. She stripped those away and then claimed she needed outside training from a sole source that has questionable inappropriate contacts with her buddy the fire chief. At least that’s the way it looked. The department went from a progressive department working towards accreditation and fully staffed to what it is today. What’s the common denominator? So Jacklyn come out of your echo chamber and give objective facts. The world will see what real Medical direction looks like, not some incompetent person who throws around their MD and attempts to absolutely destroy anyone who dares question her but a person who works with leadership to identify problems, remove barriers and work with strengthening the medial providers.

Anonymous said...

JULY 8 AGENDA IS PUBLISHED

Go for Eric Gilmore recommendations!


Beach Access #4 is on there also :)

#winning

Anonymous said...

Here is a free tip. Hey firemen. Make your needs known to Eric Gilmore. Run it up to Wes Moreno who will put it on the agenda for a vote.

Mel Pino said...

Sad that once Jacqueline had her "the Commission is burning down EMS!!!!!" strategy ripped from her white knuckles, she of course turned on EMS first responders and their Union in the end. Here's her snarky commentary on their recent successful, strife-free, and happy agreement on their collective bargaining sessions:
-----------------
"Very short and sweet (who wouldn't agree to a pay raise?)
Good thing there are not Volunteer EMTs or Paramedics or there would be commissioners pushing that instead (depending how they voted last election.)" --Jacqueline Rogers
-----------------

Guess she forgot to congratulate them on the pay raise she pretended to care about.

Fire, in addition to the other sound advice you got from an anonymous poster--speak your needs to Eric Gilmore and let him run it up the now straightened flagpole--perhaps what you guys really need to do is engineer a way for Jacqueline Rogers to turn on you. Distance from her program seems to be achieving some pretty solid results.

Then there's poor Joe Culbertson, who apparently can't even determine which way the wind is blowing while he looks for a direction to spit in it. This comment on Commissioner Bergosh's involvement would be a howler, if the EMS situation hadn't been so tragic:

--------------
"If he did that working anywhere else he would be terminated. Try working anywhere and publicly backing someone who is suing your employer.--Joe Culbertson
--------------

Yes, you actually read that correctly: "Try working anywhere and publicly backing someone who is suing your employer." By this logic, how is it that any of them can continue to back Dr. Edler, who is--finally--suing the County she was hell-bent on crushing with legal fees when she walked in the door?

How I wish I didn't have to keep scanning that site for any disinformation they will continue to put out on the DOH complaints and the criminal cases. Looking so forward to the day I never have to look at it again.

--Melissa Pino

Anonymous said...

This response has Mel Pino written all over it. Only she can make a post on her personal page and all the replies are made by her.

Mel Pino said...

Anonymous 5:33, there are a lot more people reading my Facebook than contributing to it. You'd be surprised how many off-line conversations I have off of things I post publicly.

I'm not looking for a preaching-to-the-choir fan club. I post information and opinion that I hope people will read and think about. If a post reaches one person who wasn't aware, or triggers someone to think about something they might not have considered, that's worth a hundred emoticons to me.

Have a great Fourth,

-Mel Pino

Anonymous said...

Anon 533
did you figure out the difference between county medical direction and district medical examiner?

Anonymous said...

Did this pass?

Anonymous said...

That the Board take the following action:A. Schedule a private meeting with its attorneys to discuss pending litigation, in accordance with Section 286.01(8), Fla. Stat. for July 15, 2021, at 8:30 a.m. CDT; andB. Approve the public notice printed below to be published in the Pensacola News Journal on Saturday, July 10, 2021. PUBLIC NOTICEIT IS THE INTENTION of the Board of County Commissioners of Escambia County, Florida to hold a private meeting with its attorneys to discuss pending litigation in the case of United States of America ex rel Edler v. Escambia County, Case No.: 3:20-cv-05503-RV/HTC, U.S. District Court, in accordance with Section 286.01(8), Florida Statutes. Such attorney/client session will be held at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 15, 2021, in the Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, Board Chambers, 221 Palafox Place, Pensacola, Florida. Commissioners Robert Bender, Jeff Bergosh, Douglas B. Underhill, Lumon J. May, and Steven Barry, Interim County Administrator Wesley Moreno, and County Attorney Alison P. Rogers will be attending in person. Stephanie Pidermann and Margaret Mevers of the Lydecker, Diaz law firm, attorneys representing Escambia County in the foregoing litigation, will attend virtually. A certified court reporter will attend and report the attorney/client session

Anonymous said...

Case No.: 3:20-cv-05503-RV/HTC

Pacer

Anonymous said...

It may help the BCC to

Go to this case 2019 CA 001206

to this file

read the 193 pages


193 11/20/2019 NOTICE OF FILING TRANSCRIPT OF NOVEMBER 13, 2019 COURT PROCEEDINGS