Mission Viejo : Saddleback Chosen for Paramedic Training
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The Orange County Board of Supervisors has named Saddleback College as the training site for all county paramedics, beginning next summer.
For the last three years, county paramedics have trained at Daniel Freeman Hospital in Los Angeles. But in a decision announced earlier this year, the county Emergency Medical Services said it wanted to shift the paramedic training to a local community college.
A major reason for the shift was financial, said Betty O’Rourke, program director for Emergency Medical Services. She said that the county has had to pay Daniel Freeman Hospital $230,000 a year for training but that a community college could do the job at no cost to the county because they are reimbursed by the state.
Besides Saddleback, Rancho Santiago in Santa Ana competed for the training privilege. The supervisors on Tuesday unanimously voted for Saddleback.
The item was on the supervisors’ consent calendar, a procedural device for non-controversial measures, and there was no debate or discussion.
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