Ulbrich hired as EMS supervisor

By Melinda L. Lucas

Less than a month after the resignation of EMS director Mary Quintero, directors of the Shackelford County Hospital District met in special session early Monday morning, Feb. 3 to review three applications and name a successor.

Tina Ulbrich, who has worked as a paramedic with the local ambulance crew for the past five years, was hired as EMS supervisor, effective immediately, after a 55-minute closed session.

Ulbrich officially began her duties on Tuesday.

According to board president John Ayers, there were four applications for the position, but only three were considered because the other applicant didn’t meet the criteria of being a paramedic.

“Tina will be a ‘working supervisor’ the same way it used to be structured, and she will be paid hourly instead of it being a salaried position,” said Ayers.

Earlier in the meeting, the directors, who had looked at scheduling options over the past couple of months, decided to leave the shifts as they are currently being scheduled, at least for now.

The only other action during Monday’s meeting was to approve a motion by Mike Folsom, seconded by Jo Ann Estridge, to authorize hospital administrator Jera Fairley to pursue a “drug diversion” possibility.

Ayers clarified after the meeting that it had been discovered during an internal audit that some EMS drugs might not have been handled according to protocol.

“We are not accusing anyone, but we feel we need to be pro-active instead of waiting for these irregularities to be discovered by the state or someone else,” said Ayers. “We need to go through the legal steps and investigate.” 

No other information was provided.