Hall Manges ER and Love County EMS/Fire Brigade
Posted on Thursday, March 5th, 2015
Emergency Department and Love County EMS/Fire Brigade
Tad Hall, PA
Emergency Room Manager
EMS/Fire Brigade Manager
Tad Hall thought he wanted a career as a lab technician, but Marietta physicians Tom O'Connor and Vergil Smith encouraged him to become a physician assistant instead.
"They met me in 1978 while I was working weekends in the hospital laboratory, finishing my degree from Midwestern University. I did go on to PA school at OU, interned under their guidance, and was hired fulltime for the emergency department after graduating in 1982."
Over the years, the hospital's emergency services expanded to meet the needs of the community, eventually forming a roster of more than 50 physician assistants, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, firefighters, first aid attendants, and instructors. With each expansion, Hall was asked to take on increasing management responsibility.
- 1994: Love County EMS comes under hospital management. With additional staffing, training, and improvements, basic ambulance service is raised to Advanced Life Support, or paramedic-level. Between runs, the medics assist in the emergency room, which Hall also manages.
- 2003: Chickasaw Nation contracts with the hospital for ambulance and first aid services for the new WinStar Casino near Thackerville. EMS Station 2 is established at WinStar.
- 2006: Chickasaw Nation contracts with the hospital for EMS to provide first aid services at Riverwind Casino near Norman.
- 2007: An EMS Training Center with fulltime coordinator is constructed to educate EMTs, paramedics, and volunteer emergency medical responders, and teach first aid and CPR to the public.
- 2008: WinStar Casino expands its hospital contract to include fire service. EMS develops a Fire Brigade, adding significantly to the roster of Paramedics and EMTs with firefighter training. Chickasaw Nation acquires fire apparatus and constructs a new Station 2 to house EMS and Lighthorse Police.
- 2015: New emergency wing of the hospital opens, doubling the number of examination rooms and providing a large new waiting room and triage station.
"Besides patient care, I enjoy project management, whether it's building the fire brigade, expanding the educational department, or handling the technical aspects of starting something new. I also enjoy hiring staff, finding their strengths and roles, and helping them in a career," Hall said.
"This is a large and busy department. Each year I spend more and more of my time in management and have had to curtail my patient care hours. I've been here 32 years and all of it has been rewarding. It is a privilege to be part of this hospital team in such a supportive county. Every day I am thankful that Dr. Smith, Dr. O'Connor, and CEO Richard Barker encouraged and nurtured me."