WVU Medicine's Mark O'Hern Spends a Day in the Life with Berkeley County EMS Crew 

Mark O'Hern, Regional President of WVU Hospitals East and President and CEO of WVU Medicine Berkeley Medical Center, recently spend a day in the life with the Berkeley County Ambulance Authority to get an up-close look as they answer the call for our community.  

O’Hern is continuing his ongoing series of Day in the Life visits to medical departments across the Eastern Panhandle region to gain and sharpen understanding of the realities different team members and healthcare workers face.  

“I spent a few hours with Brandon Truman, Chief of the Berkeley County Ambulance Authority,” O’Hern said. “It was a great chance to thank Brandon and his entire team for the incredible work they do every day responding to emergency calls across Berkeley County.” 

Under Truman’s leadership, the team is currently fully staffed and has an even 50/50 male-to-female split with an average age of 26 for employees, signaling longevity for the future of EMS care in the community. 

“The scope of their work is impressive. The Ambulance Authority responds to roughly 16,000 calls each year, resulting in about 9,000 transports annually, or approximately 55 transports per day,” according to O’Hern. “The county operates nine trucks and employs about 100 people through the Ambulance Authority. Their medical director is Dr. Michael Londner, and the regional medical director for the Eastern Panhandle is Dr. Ben Deuell.” 

During the visit, O'Hern visited one of the stations where crews spend time between calls and had the chance to meet several crew members and administrative team members.  

"I came away with an even greater appreciation for the dedication, professionalism, and teamwork required to keep this operation running every day,” O’Hern said. 

For O’Hern, the visit was a meaningful reminder of how much happens behind the scenes to protect and serve our community, and the vital teamwork that happens between first responders like EMS, fire, police, schools, and healthcare teams every day. 

“I want to thank all our EMS, fire, and police teams who work every day to keep our community safe. I also want to thank our amazing Emergency Department teams and everyone across our hospitals who work so closely with first responders,” he said. “We are excited about the potential for deeper partnerships with the Ambulance Authority, including the opportunity to explore a community or home paramedicine program. This type of model could deploy non-ambulance paramedic resources into patients’ homes, helping support care in the community while allowing ambulance paramedics to remain focused on true emergencies.”