New Director for EMS in P.C.

Chelsea Headley is the new director of the Phillips County EMS replacing Dr. Edwin Medina who had been in that position for the past 20 years.

Headley grew up in the Pittsburgh, PA, area and then moved to upstate New York where she went to high school. She went to college at Philadelphia University, which is now part of Thomas Jefferson University, on a five-year program for physicians assistants.

Headley said "Between the schools in Pittsburgh and then upstate NY, I have seen both the big city and smaller communities. I went from a class of 400 to a class of 80."

After graduating from college, Headley said she was looking to work in an E.R. for a smaller community and one that helped pay back school loans.

"Glasgow fit both of those," Headley said. "I came out here and had an interview. I really liked it, the community was exactly what I was looking for. I moved out here in 2012."

Headley has since gotten married. Her husband Heath grew up in North Dakota and is currently a Fisheries Biologist at Fort Peck. The couple is expecting their first child in October.

Headley currently works full-time in the E.R. in Glasgow as a physician's assistant. She also covers 3-4 shifts per month for STAT Air and is the director for Beartooth EMS, LLC, in Billings. Beartooth is a transport-only ambulance service. Headley is also an equine sports therapist, doing massage therapy, acupressure, and stretching for horses.

Her new job as director for P.C. EMS will consist of overseeing all of the EMTs and their training. Going to meetings and training, helping with training and education, and making sure the EMTs are all updated on their training. She is always available for the EMTs to call if they are on a run and have a question.

When asked what areas she would like to see improvements in, she said "We need a lot more EMTs to help serve such a large county. The current EMTs have to cover such a large area here, and a lot of times there is only one crew on call. They could be on a call in Dodson and get another call in Zortman, it's tough for them to cover with limited volunteers."

She would also like to see each EMT get a more standardized set of endorsements.

"I'm excited to get to work with Rhei Tharp and all of the other EMTs," Headley said.

The EMT program is a 12-week class and Phillips County is planning on holding one this fall.