Dr. Geoffrey Gubb Retires

by Daniel B. Green

 

On October 12, 2006 at the quarterly business meeting of the Eastern Shore EMS Council, Dr. Gubb announced that he would be retiring as our Operational Medical Director.  Dr. Gubb cited several reasons for his decision including being somewhat out of the loop where he is no longer in the ER and the fact that he is pursuing a new business adventure by opening a private clinic for the treatment of tick borne illnesses.  Dr. Gubb has served as our OMD for 25 years.  He is responsible for many aspects of the EMS system that we have here on the Eastern Shore.  Early in his tenure as OMD he recognized the need for advanced standing orders for BLS and ALS providers to ensure that the patients calling for EMS received the best possible care.  For many of the EMS providers on the Eastern Shore he has been the only OMD that we have known.  His guidance and the example of care that he has provided throughout his career have been invaluable to the providers of the Eastern Shore.  There are several things in the works to ensure that Dr. Gubb receives the recognition that he deserves for his 25 years of selfless service. 

 

As a final example of his concern for the EMS system of the Eastern Shore even before he notified the Executive Committee of his retirement he went to the physician that he felt would best serve the needs of the system to see if he would be interested.  Dr. Gubb then assisted in making sure that the necessary paperwork was completed, assisted in getting the new OMD up to speed and ensuring that the agencies and citizens of the Eastern Shore would not see any signs of the transition.  The transition has been seamless and the new OMD is now in place.  OMD agreements are in the process of being signed and distributed to all the affected agencies.

 

It is with great pleasure that I announce that Dr. Richard Hatch, who is the Medical Director for SMH ER, is our new OMD.  I have spoken with Dr. Hatch several times and think that he is going to be a big asset to the EMS system.  He is looking to us to give him some direction as far as where we feel that our system needs to go.  At the present time he has no plans for making any changes to the system.  He will be following the same guidelines for the waiving of recertification exams for providers.  Also, he has approved the additional standing orders that are in place on the Eastern Shore because of our distances from the hospital. 

 

Please join me in thanking Dr. Gubb for his 25 years of dedicated service.  I am pleased to be able to announce that Dr. Gubb will be remaining as a member of the EMS Council at least until the end of the current term in the At-large Physician seat.  Also, join me in welcoming Dr. Hatch to the Eastern Shore EMS team.  Please take the time to thank him for agreeing to serve when you see him.

 

If any agencies or providers have any questions concerning the OMD change please feel free to contact me.