OhioHealth Enhancing Emergency Medical Services Program

COLUMBUS, Ohio – OhioHealth and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are great partners, working together to deliver the best care to patients.  That relationship is now being supported further as OhioHealth is enhancing its EMS program as a system initiative to better coordinate and integrate outreach and coordination with EMS.  This system approach will work in collaboration with OhioHealth’s care sites and service lines and will include EMS and paramedic education (LifeLink), outreach efforts, EMS operations and support, medical direction, and communication to strengthen these relationships and allow for better coordination. 

“We are excited about the potential to forge even stronger relationships with EMS, as they are an essential partner for OhioHealth in the care of our patients,” said Dr. Robert Lowe, OhioHealth EMS medical director. “Our relationship building and collaboration with EMS personnel helps to support the delivery of care and we can help EMS be better prepared for any situation by serving as a trusted resource for education and simulated learning.” 

Dr. Lowe and his fellow team leaders have spent years collaborating with EMS and are uniquely qualified to launch this program.  

 A seasoned emergency medicine physician, Dr. Lowe has worked in the emergency department of OhioHealth Doctors Hospital for close to 10 years and currently serves as medical director to more than 10 Fire Departments in Ohio. Dr. Lowe is also board certified in EMS, a new subspecialty in organized medicine. Currently, fewer than 235 physicians in the country hold this special board certification. 

Dr. Eric Cortez will be supporting Dr. Lowe as associate medical director.  In addition to his new role with OhioHealth, Dr. Cortez also serves as associate medical director for the Columbus Division of Fire. He is a fellowship-trained EMS physician and is board-certified in emergency medicine, practicing at OhioHealth Doctors Hospital. Dr. Cortez serves on the medical oversight committee for the Ohio Department of Public Safety Emergency Medical Services and the pre-hospital and clinical trauma committees for the Central Ohio Trauma System (COTS).    

Holly Herron, DNP, RN, CNS, CCRN, CEN, Paramedic, will be serving as system program director. A long time OhioHealth associate, Holly has served as LifeLink and EMS education program manager since 1995. She is also clinical coordinator of the undergraduate program for Otterbein’s Department of Nursing and has served as director of education for MedFlight. She was an active flight nurse with MedFlight for many years.  Holly has 35 years of critical care nursing and paramedic experience. She is a Doctor of Nursing Practice and holds a post-graduate certificate in Advanced Practice Nurse Education. 

For more information, please visit www.OhioHealthEMS.com. 

About OhioHealth  

OhioHealth is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit, charitable, healthcare organization with Methodist roots. Based in Columbus, Ohio, OhioHealth is currently recognized as one of the top five large health systems in America by Truven Health Analytics. It is also recognized by FORTUNE Magazine as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” and has been for nine years in a row, 2007-2015. 

Serving its communities since 1891, it is a family of 28,000 associates, physicians and volunteers, and a network of 11 member hospitals, 25+  health and surgery centers, hospice, home-health, medical equipment and other health services spanning a 40-county area. 

OhioHealth member hospitals include OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, OhioHealth Doctors Hospital, OhioHealth Grady Memorial Hospital, OhioHealth Dublin Methodist Hospital, OhioHealth Hardin Memorial Hospital, OhioHealth Marion General Hospital, OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital, OhioHealth MedCentral Mansfield, OhioHealth MedCentral Shelby and OhioHealth Rehabilitation Hospital. For more information, please visit our website at www.ohiohealth.com. 

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