By Turner of Coleman                            H.C.R. No. 66

      75R5327 JTR-D                           

                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 1-1           WHEREAS, The many medical professionals who daily work to

 1-2     safeguard the health of their fellow Texans deserve our respect and

 1-3     gratitude, and of these, emergency care attendants (ECAs) confront

 1-4     particularly demanding challenges; trained to administer on-site

 1-5     medical attention to the critically ill or injured, ECAs can mean

 1-6     the difference between life and death; and

 1-7           WHEREAS, ECAs are of particular benefit to those regions of

 1-8     the state where the population is scattered and the nearest medical

 1-9     facility may be many miles away; one such area is Edwards County,

1-10     and in 1976 a group of concerned citizens put forth the idea of

1-11     establishing an emergency medical service there; and

1-12           WHEREAS, Formed the next year, the Edwards County Emergency

1-13     Medical Service (EMS) originally consisted of eight volunteers who

1-14     had undergone training at their own expense, and these intrepid men

1-15     and women quickly established themselves as an indispensable

1-16     component of the county's health care system; and

1-17           WHEREAS, Since that time, the Edwards County EMS has

1-18     continued to serve the area's residents with skill and distinction,

1-19     and with the closing of the area's only hospital in 1986, the

1-20     importance of this critical lifeline to emergency care has

1-21     increased exponentially; and

1-22           WHEREAS, To provide top-flight medical care requires hard

1-23     work and commitment on the part of its practitioners, and the

1-24     residents of Edwards County are indeed fortunate to have as their

 2-1     neighbors  the dedicated staff of the Edwards County EMS; now,

 2-2     therefore, be it

 2-3           RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas

 2-4     hereby honor the past and present staff of the Edwards County EMS

 2-5     for their outstanding efforts in behalf of the community and extend

 2-6     to them sincere best wishes for continued success in the years to

 2-7     come; and, be it further

 2-8           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be

 2-9     prepared for the Edwards County EMS as an expression of highest

2-10     regard by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate.