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Editor's note: this article has been updated to include responses received by Robert Pinard and Steve Williams.
Eight candidates have filed to run for three positions on Harris County Emergency Services Department 11’s board of commissioners in the May 4 election.
The overview
Three at-large positions are up for grabs on ESD 11’s board of commissioners, meaning the three candidates who receive the most votes will be awarded seats on the board.
Candidates for ESD 11’s May 4 election include:
*Indicates incumbent
Regina Adams, ESD 11 legal counsel, said challenger Joel Ocasio is also vying for a spot on the board as a write-in candidate.
Candidates were asked to keep responses under 50 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity.
What inspired you to run for this office, and what qualifications do you possess?
A bad experience with my terminally ill father. He was discharged and transferred to a rehabilitation center. A 20-minute drive took three hours, leaving my father dehydrated and exhausted, and my family anxious about his whereabouts. I’ve bootstrapped a multimillion-dollar company. I aim to use my business acumen and creativity to help ESD 11 become an industry leader.
What will your top priorities be if elected?
Enhance community engagement, funding and recruitment. I will listen to both health care professionals and community members to foster transparency and make decisions aimed at ensuring the efficient delivery of emergency services. I’ll work with policy makers to improve service fee reimbursements from federal programs and insurers...
What are the biggest challenges now facing residents in ESD 11, and how do you plan to address them?
Inadequate public awareness and funding. Nationally, EMS programs are underfunded, and ESD 11, like many other EMS systems, could benefit from improved funding. As a taxpayer, I was unaware EMS doesn’t get paid for services unless a transfer occurs. This action reduces EMS to a taxi service rather than a health care solution.
With ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare now in its third year of operation, what do you feel has worked best within the new system?
Previously ESD 11 personnel operated in fear, failing to take initiative and make timely decisions. The change in leadership and culture has led to favorable outcomes because team members are invested in operations. There is now a collaborative environment where personnel perform at high levels.
What changes, if any, need to be made to ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare to ensure residents receive optimal emergency medical services?
Based upon my observations, the new CEO and his leadership team have made great strides to reduce costs, enhance patient care and improve response times. My goal is to quickly familiarize myself with daily operations and work alongside ESD 11 personnel to help exceed the national response time average and improve patient outcomes.
What inspired you to run for this office, and what qualifications do you possess?
Over the last 20 years, the incumbents have been financially irresponsible. We’re over $80 million in debt with decreased quality of prehospital care. I will bring real world experience when it comes to being financially responsible and provide the highest level of prehospital care through paramedicine, not EMT-Basic.
What will your top priorities be if elected?
My top priority is to increase the number of paramedics working at ESD 11 and being financially responsible. I recommend a third party, such as Citygate & Associates, to analyze our current ESD11 department to provide guidance in financials, leadership, future planning, etc.
What are the biggest challenges now facing residents in ESD 11, and how do you plan to address them?
The cost of care has increased since ESD 11’s inception by overcharging of the service. The average Medicare allotment for EMS is $500 and we’re currently charging $1,500, on average. Over 70% of the calls are Medicare based, which means we’re sending our seniors to collection agencies. That’s financially irresponsible.
With ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare now in its third year of operation, what do you feel has worked best within the new system?
They’re the most competitive paid department within the city in order to retain paramedics by keeping up with the previous provider’s pay rate, thus forcing other competing agencies to increase their hourly rate. All of the medical equipment is new, and the auto-load stretcher has decreased in employee injuries.
What changes, if any, need to be made to ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare to ensure residents receive optimal emergency medical services?
What inspired you to run for this office, and what qualifications do you possess?
Knowledge of life without adequate EMS service. Volunteer spirit, willingness to serve and protect our community where we live.
What will your top priorities be if elected?
Support training and education initiatives. Monitor budget processes, both income and expenditures. Encourage ESD employees to reach for goals and milestones.
What are the biggest challenges now facing residents in ESD 11, and how do you plan to address them?
Cost of health care and volume of uninsured population. Work with state and federal elected officials to tell the ESD 11 story in an effort to garner additional funding.
With ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare now in its third year of operation, what do you feel has worked best within the new system?
Leadership team in house and on staff, involved at every level. Logistics team fulfill supply kits for ambulance units. In-house fleet services maintains units.
What changes, if any, need to be made to ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare to ensure residents receive optimal emergency medical services?
Not changes, but a couple of our goals are to establish a Mobile Integrated Health Program to deliver care and services in an out-of-hospital environment in coordination with health care providers and establish a HCESD 11 Foundation to support community events and services through grants and funding for education and public awareness.
What inspired you to run for this office, and what qualifications do you possess?
Continue serving my community with 30-plus years of EMS & fire department knowledge in north Harris County as a medical responder, fire fighter/chief, and ESD commissioner. My decades of knowledge as a public safety responder and successful business owner more than qualify me for ESD 11 commissioner.
What will your top priorities be if elected?
Stopping rogue commissioners from destroying ESD 11. Continue growing ESD 11 into a world class mobile health care system, and continue the taxpayer oversight after the disaster that was Cypress Creek EMS.
What are the biggest challenges now facing residents in ESD 11, and how do you plan to address them?
As with all fire & EMS agencies in Texas, staffing and funding. We must continue to value and pay our staff well and secure funding to professionally and expediently respond to emergencies.
With ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare now in its third year of operation, what do you feel has worked best within the new system?
The new systems status management response system, the unbelievable administration and field staff, and the doubled amount of ambulances on the street compared to the failed Cypress Creek EMS.
What inspired you to run for this office, and what qualifications do you possess?
I chose to run for this office after watching our community lose a world-class EMS organization over the last three years. My hope is that my combined academic management and EMS experience guides this board to establish the quality of emergency services the community deserves.
What will your top priorities be if elected?
My top priorities will be to re-establish a trusting relationships with local fire departments and police agencies. To bring financial stability and spending responsibility to the district. Recruitment, retention and morale of the field staff must be addressed with the current administration.
What are the biggest challenges now facing residents in ESD 11, and how do you plan to address them?
The residents of ESD 11 are not receiving the quality of care they deserve, or appropriate response times compared to other services in the region. This is due to administrative issues, not the medics providing the care. We must change the processes and work better with our fire department partners.
With ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare now in its third year of operation, what do you feel has worked best within the new system?
What inspired you to run for this office, and what qualifications do you possess?
I want to use my 25-plus years of professional emergency service experience to serve my community. My resume includes 24 years with the largest city department with 10 years on the Technical Rescue Teams (fire department special operations) until my promotion to Junior Captain and later to Senior Captain ranks.
What will your top priorities be if elected?
Delivering excellent emergency service to our taxpayers. Transparency with the public must improve. We need citizens to be better educated on how their emergency services operate. Hold ESD 11 accountable to the taxpayers.
What are the biggest challenges now facing residents in ESD 11, and how do you plan to address them?
Due to the growth in our area, it is important for local emergency services to keep pace. Part of this will be movement away from rural to urban service models. Also there needs to be a better relationship between ESD 11 and the Fire Department ESDs in our territory.
With ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare now in its third year of operation, what do you feel has worked best within the new system?
The Logistics setup is incredibly innovative, but what I liked the most was what tax dollars were not spent on. Namely the $1.5 million commercial truck washer system that was nixed. In my experience I have witnessed much waste on useless projects that do not benefit the taxpayers.
What changes, if any, need to be made to ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare to ensure residents receive optimal emergency medical services?
We need to build and attract the best EMS personnel to the largest ESD in the state. This starts by creating competition and attracting the best paramedics, dispatchers, logistical support, mechanics, etc. Nothing runs well without quality workers.
What inspired you to run for this office, and what qualifications do you possess?
Our community deserves a world-class first-responder like ESD 11. My 25 years’ experience with the ESD and MUD demonstrate I have the background and stability to achieve that goal.
What will your top priorities be if elected?
Continue to improve our demonstrated ability to hire, train, equip and retain the best emergency medical professionals available.
What are the biggest challenges now facing residents in ESD 11, and how do you plan to address them?
Fiscal responsibility. Focus on the continuous need to watch the bottom line while providing world-class service.
With ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare now in its third year of operation, what do you feel has worked best within the new system?
A commitment to hiring and training the best talent available for all positions in the organization. Everything starts–and ends–with the people who deliver the service.
What changes, if any, need to be made to ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare to ensure residents receive optimal emergency medical services?
We will continue to assess the need for additional services and technologies and implement them only when the cost and training justify the long-range benefit.
What inspired you to run for this office, and what qualifications do you possess?
25 years of healthcare experience. Currently own and operate healthcare companies in our ESD 11 area.
What will your top priorities be if elected?
Expand the clinical education department. Restructure budget items to adjust for projects that benefit the residents of ESD 11. An example would be a licensed professional to evaluate a resident’s health and home, who frequently call the ESD for non emergencies.
What are the biggest challenges now facing residents in ESD 11, and how do you plan to address them?
Traffic congestion. Proper placement of traffic stop light devices that help EMS get through traffic lights efficiently. We pay for half of any device in any area, regardless if we use it or not. That is a problem.
With ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare now in its third year of operation, what do you feel has worked best within the new system?
Promotion from within. People are settling into their jobs and are asking better questions.
What changes, if any, need to be made to ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare to ensure residents receive optimal emergency medical services?
We need to work on the congestion issue. We need to let the leaders lead. The constant negative people need to move on.
Increasing the number of paramedics so that the care provided is at the highest level. An EMT-Basic is not allowed to start an IV nor provide life-saving medications or interventions without a paramedic. Every ambulance should be staffed with a Paramedic In-Charge to not delay patient care.
What changes, if any, need to be made to ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare to ensure residents receive optimal emergency medical services?
Stop rogue commissioners from destroying ESD 11 for personal gain. Properly fund the system to keep up with the 10[%]-15% call volume increase since ESD 11’s inception, and put more ambulances on the road, in the right locations, at the proper times.
Overall, I am disappointed in ESD 11 compared to what the community had previously. If I were to compliment a component of the system, I understand from the staff that the logistics department does an amazing job, and it is a unique system for 911 providers.
What changes, if any, need to be made to ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare to ensure residents receive optimal emergency medical services?
There needs to be a culture shift where the emphasis is placed on the “boots on the ground.” There must be an increase in training opportunities, better shifts to compete with local providers, and more ambulances on the road daily as promised. They must work better with the local fire departments.
