Dave Fogerson Receives 2016 Healthcare Excellence Award

“Advocate,” “mentor,” “true leader”. These are just a few of the qualities noted in over 20 letters nominating East Fork Deputy Chief Dave Fogerson for the Carson Valley Health Hospital Foundation’s Healthcare Excellence Award. 

 “We are thrilled to announce Deputy Chief Fogerson as our 2016 Healthcare Excellence Award recipient,” states CVH Hospital Foundation Chairperson Linda Birdwell.  “Dave has been instrumental in leading numerous healthcare and emergency response initiatives at local and regional levels that directly impact the lives of our Carson Valley residents. He is a true advocate for the health and safety of our community.” 

Since starting his career in public safety 22 years ago, Fogerson has been a catalyst - building community partnerships and establishing programs that save lives. The lengthy list of initiatives includes the development of the Douglas County Healthcare Coalition, helping Douglas County achieve the HEARTSafe Community designation, assisting the 9-1-1 Center with becoming the first all-risk agency in Nevada to reach accreditation with the International Academy of Emergency Dispatch, the Stroke Awareness Campaign, and implementation of special task forces including the Adult Multi-Disciplinary Team for vulnerable adults, and the Mobile Outreach Services Team. Having worked with Fogerson on a variety of projects, Dr. Kandra Yee, Medical Director of the CVH Emergency Department stated in her nomination “[Dave] is a quintessential collaborator, and has a gift for bringing people from different sides of an issue together for the greater good.”

Fogerson says he has always had a desire to make a difference. He credits the culture and vision of the East Fork Fire Protection District’s leadership with setting a stage where his belief system, and that of the agency, aligned. “We have the best firefighter paramedics in northern Nevada,” he says. “It’s hard not to try to excel to keep up with where they are.”

When asked what program or initiative he is the most proud to have been a part of, without hesitation Fogerson noted the Heart Safe Community designation.  Having at the age of 15 lost his father to a heart attack, helping achieve the Heart Safe designation strikes a personal chord.  Heart Safe Communities is a nationwide program that promotes survival from cardiac arrest by offering community-wide CPR trainings and assessing all aspects of life and health care within an established community.  

Currently the fire protection district is on the edge of becoming one of the first agencies to be licensed as a community based paramedic service provider and is already participating in a new program called MOST (Mobile Outreach Safety Team). The opportunity for today’s fire service organizations to expand into other non-traditional areas is very enticing and provide for a value driven service model.  In the wake of today’s potential for public safety organizations being  criticized for overtime and benefit costs, the fire agencies that are stepping off into public health disciplines negates many of those arguments as they are now providing additional value driven services, but more importantly providing critical social and preventative services necessary without additional  taxpayer cost.  East Fork is one of those agencies.

Deputy Chief Fogerson’s current assignment is the supervision and oversight of the district’s Operations Division.  The Operations Division is the largest division in the district and is responsible for Emergency Medical Service throughout the district as well as fire and rescue response.    

District Chief, Tod Carlini, a 2012 recipient of the same award, stated that “ Dave applies his skills, abilities, and knowledge to his profession in ways that are simply amazing. He has been able to forge both functional and strategic relationships, all necessary to enable us to focus on total community and integrated health care. I am sincerely proud of his efforts and the high standards that he sets for himself and the organization.”   The Chief also thanks the Carson Valley Health Foundation for all that they do to promote quality health care and to recognize people who “go the extra mile” to make a difference. 

Fogerson and his wife Anjanette have been residents of the Carson Valley for over 15 years.  As the Operations Chief for East Fork Fire Protection District, he works to ensure that the agency is coordinated and prepared to meet the changing needs of the community.  “[Dave] works hard to ensure that citizens receive the best in coordinated care services when they need it,” says County Health Officer Dr. Susan Pintar.

The Healthcare Excellence Award honors and recognizes those who have made extraordinary contributions to CVH, local healthcare initiatives, or to the improvement of the health and well-being of the Carson Valley. Selection criteria include the nominee’s leadership qualities, the extent to which he or she has made a lasting impact on the community’s health and wellbeing, made significant contributions to local healthcare initiatives, and/or served as a role model or mentor to others in the healthcare industry.  For more information about the Carson Valley Health Hospital Foundation or the Healthcare Excellence Award, visit www.cvmchospital.org/give or call 775.782.1697.

You are reading a joint press release of the East Fork Fire Protection District and the Carson Valley Health Hospital Foundation.