02-10-14 Regular Meeting of La Porte City Council

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RAY NOLEN: MANAGER OF THE YEAR 2013 As EMS Chief, Ray is responsible for the operation of the EMS Division, which includes emergency medical response services and community outreach programs. Ray supervises 32 employees that staff 3 ambulances, a bike medic unit, special event support, and disaster/mass casualty assistance. While Ray does an excellent job managing the day-today operation of EMS, it is his work on a community service effort that is being recognized here. A Council person had reported to staff that a particular community member was in very poor health and did not have any means to obtain food or medical care. It was feared that this individual may be in very serious jeopardy if something was not done. Upon being informed of the situation Ray immediately took action. He personally visited the individual and spent several hours speaking with him, as it took some time to gain the individual's trust to even all EMS to transport him to a hospital for a medical evaluation. Ray also cleaned up several bag's worth of trash from the home and took out the trash. For most, this would have ended the interaction with this individual in need. However, Ray stayed in touch with the social worker assigned to the case. Ray was informed that the social worker initially was going to release the individual back to his home with twice per week health care, which would have been very detrimental to the individual's health with no support system in place. Ray spent a long time speaking with the individual at the hospital to discuss options for his future and pointed out that going home without a support system in place for basic needs, such as food and medicine, would put the individual in the same situation as before. Ray advocated on the individual's behalf to make sure that he would be transferred to a facility that would be able to meet his medical needs. As a final extra mile gesture, Ray committed that he would make sure that the individual’s mail would be picked up and did so for the first week and a half until a neighbor was identified that could help take this task. At every step in this situation, Ray went above and beyond the call to make sure that this individual was taken care of properly. He did it because he cares about people and about doing the job the right way. I am proud of the work that was done on this individual's behalf.