EMS challenges continue to plague Crescent Valley

The Crescent Valley Town Advisory Board wrestled with ongoing EMS challenges during its June 18 meeting.

With all board members present, a passionate discussion ensued on how to improve EMS services following the recent resignation of paid EMT Adam Barron.

Commissioner Mike Schoenwald said he had just heard about the resignation and related there had been discussion of possible contract services. 

“We’re doing the same thing over and over again,” Schoenwald said. 

Criticism was directed at County Emergency Services Director Nichole Cooley’s handling of Crescent Valley as concerns grow over staffing levels and operational efficiency.

Dale Kersey asserted that Cooley “has almost no runs compared to the other people” and suggested a lack of concern for Crescent Valley’s immediate needs.

Vice Chair Jeremy Rice elaborated on operational frustrations, stating that local EMTs are forced to “take leave here to go to Eureka” for supplies and also highlighted a perceived lack of communication, noting Cooley “still has yet to do a meeting with any of the volunteers.” Chairwoman Diana Kersey asked if she “shouldn’t be talking to the medical board and coming to their meetings.”

Commissioner Schoenwald also pointed to a potential misunderstanding on Cooley’s part regarding third-party services, stating she operates “under the assumption that InterMountain’s here eight days a month, and they’re not,” suggesting a need for a re-evaluation of service management.

These operational concerns were directly linked to staffing issues, with Kersey stating, “There is a reason our paid medical people that are here are leaving.” Kim Sewell, chair of the Crescent Valley Medical Services Advisory Committee, corroborated this dire situation, reporting, “We have lost two paid already; one is about to leave again,” and warning that the community is “about to be left with absolutely no EMTs.”

Commissioner Schoenwald asked Kersey to speak at a future commission meeting. 

Deputy Nick Collins asked, “Why hasn’t the county just taken on MedEx? Why have paid people? Carlin’s moving towards it. Why not just eliminate the EMS altogether and give it to MedEx? If we have the ability to have paramedics, which is something this county has never had, which is a higher level of care?”

Schoenwald said, “It’s time to start looking into bringing in contract service for more days.”

Secretary Christine Tucker said, “Hire a paramedic. We live in rural Nevada. Obviously, MedEx is great when they’re here. Why are we taking away from our community to give to another community when there are people willing and able to go to school to become EMTs, to become paramedics to make this county better, but at every turn you have this giant concrete wall, saying, ‘Absolutely not’? That’s when people get fed up. It’s not burnout. That’s not why people are quitting. They’re not quitting because of burnout. They’re quitting because they’re not being heard.”

Commissioner Schoenwald suggested having three paid county EMS employees. “If you do three, then you could actually cycle in and out. I think three would be way cheaper than bringing in a contractor.”

The discussion continued for quite a while.

On June 23, the Sentinel spoke with EMT Adam Barron, who recently resigned, to gain his insights.

Barron said, “We’re on call between 250 and 300 hours every two weeks, which means we have to stay within 10 minutes of the station, unlike Eureka, which we’ve tried to explain to them before. Eureka has places to eat; they have a grocery store all within the town” while “here in Crescent Valley we don’t have that option.” Barron said, “Your refrigerator starts to get empty” and he can’t “even go to the gas station with the kids in the car because there might be a call.”

Asked what the solution is, Barron said, “Other than paying MedEx or a contract company to come in, the county has to hire more people.” While they say “it’s based off runs,” Barron said, “There’s hardly any government EMS services that make a profit, so it’s there for the community. Even if you had a part-timer, you can work up to 28 hours per week. That right there, if they’re covering a 24-hour shift, that’s one day off your full-timers would get each week.”

Barron said he will continue volunteering, but it will “be very seldom.” 

Asked what would make him reconsider, Barron said, “Yeah, they would have to abide by what was told to me during the interview process. I would have weekends off and I wouldn’t be working every single day, and we would have coverage in Crescent Valley.” 

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Commissioner updates

In other town board meeting news, Vice Chair Rice related he is doing research on the proposed electronic sign board. The board met with volunteer Tracy Moylan and went over final preparations for activities and food for Crescent Valley Fun Days, scheduled for Saturday, June 21, 2025.

Commissioner Mike Schoenwald gave a synopsis of the June 17 Eureka County Commission meeting, highlighting SB116 and the salary adjustments impacting county elected officials. 

During public comment, Laura Shivers brought up how at the commission meeting they “keep saying all the elected officials does not include the advisory board or school board, but in Eureka County, the commissioners have that right.”

Schoenwald suggested she put it on the commission agenda.

Sheriff’s Office

Turning to the Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Collins said the new hire will go to the POST Academy in July. If he passes, they will be fully staffed with a sergeant and two deputies on each day. 

Road traffic from Horse Canyon to JD Lodge

Schoenwald then turned to the JD Ranch Road discussion at the commission meeting, with 198 cars a day going from Horse Canyon to the JD Lodge. 

Rice said it’s the Road Department’s Raymond Hodson’s “call what they are going to do out there.” Rice is “waiting for the first head-on collision out there.”

Kersey, who runs Truck n Water, which services the mine, said, “I just about rolled an empty water truck today. They have got that road so pinched up narrow. If you hit the slopes on the side with a big truck, you’re going in the ditch…Two pickups can’t pass each other without their mirrors almost hitting, if they stay on the road.”

He recommended having cameras that take pictures of speeders.

Schoenwald noted the MOU between Nevada Gold Mines and the county involves the county being paid $231,000 “so we have one more full-time employee with the county that’s a county-operated employee for JD Road” to “keep it bladed and to keep it watered” and “hopefully widened out a little more.” 

Kersey said the road needs to be a minimum of 24 feet wide.

Rice said, “We need some kind of dust suppression on it.”

Kersey said, “If they did the dust suppression and made the mine do the dust suppression, right, it would be one time a year and they wouldn’t touch that road again. They wouldn’t need to…The money that’s been allocated would fix that and then you wouldn’t touch it again. It’s a cost up front, and then it goes away because it doesn’t come apart.” 

Airport Road 

Schoenwald noted the concrete-based treatment on Airport Road in Crescent Valley will begin the week of July 4. 

CVTAB approvals

The Crescent Valley Town Advisory Board approved the agenda notice with addition of any emergency item and/or deletion of any item as well as the minutes of May 21, 2025.