New chief, new deputy chief sworn in to lead Marion County Ambulance District

HANNIBAL, Mo. — A new event, as well as the swearing in of the new chief and deputy chief for the Marion County Ambulance District, was held during last week’s MCAD Board of Directors meeting.

Chief Marshall Miller and Deputy Chief Eric Murfin were sworn in by Dot Lake, president of the MCAD board, after the board’s review and approval of the job descriptions and employment agreement for those positions.

Also during the meeting, the board heard several reports, including one on the community health assessment meeting attended by Miller and Murfin, a meet and greet with Mark Twain Behavioral Health, a meeting with the Marion County Health and Wellness Committee and a meeting with Stryker.

In a follow-up to the board meeting, Miller noted that while an oath of office is required for board members, it will be a new tradition for the district employees. The oath has been agreed upon for all future hirings and subsequent promotions.

“The purpose is to remind us that the public holds us to a higher set of standards,” said Miller. “Besides our financial responsibility to the public, we are asked to enter their personal spaces at times when they are the most vulnerable, doing so with the utmost integrity and respect for their privacy.”

Those same reasons are why the National EMT adopted an oath in 1975, included in most textbooks now.

“The MCAD Oath of Office is much more condensed but embodies the same principles,” Miller said.

In his report, Miller said he and Murfin had attended the Community Health Needs Assessment meeting, recently hosted by Hannibal Regional Health System, noting multiple agencies were represented at the meeting.

As the primary needs identified by the assessment were prioritized and since transportation was among those needs, Miller said it was a positive that the MCAD was present.

He also noted that collaboration in the process will be of value as the district works with the Community Paramedic Program.

“We are all working together for the good of the community,” he said. “I’m hoping that leads to more productive communication.”

Several people at the assessment meeting also attended the Marion County Health and Wellness Committee meeting on May 8. People attending discussed partnering on health initiatives and promoting services, including services that could help MCAD employees in certain situations.

“We learned about programs we didn’t even know existed,” Miller said.

It was reported that crews had recently attended a meet-and-greet at Mark Twain Behavioral Health Crisis Stabilization Unit to become familiar with their intake process.

“Certain patients qualify for CSU services, which become the most appropriate facility to transport to in that case,” Miller said. “Crews learned the steps for admission, and we have been delivering patients there as needed.”

Chiefs Miller, Murfin and Adam Mitalovich, and Finance and Benefits Director Claudette Moss. met with Stryker to review maintenance contracts and discuss options for future upgrades. 

“The current status of our equipment was reviewed to assess our future goals and replacement needs,” Miller said, noting they also had the opportunity to view the new LIFEPAK35.

Several steps have been taken to prepare for “standby season,” including meeting with the assistant chiefs and captains to discuss set up, resources, policy and methods to maintain consistent standards throughout the district.

In addition, a workday was held to prepare equipment for the season, including servicing generators and cooling fans, updating portable radios and updating computer systems on the Mobile Medical Unit. General cleaning was conducted.

The district has already provided EMS standby services for the Bridge the Gap to Health race again this year, Miller said, focusing on the bridges and Missouri turnaround area while Adams County took care of the Quincy side. 

Miller also reported the Make American Health Again initiative and the impact it will have on MCAD services were discussed at the Non-Urban Healthcare Coalition quarterly meeting.

“The true impact to our services is still being analyzed,” he said. “We do know this is leading to a reduction in funding to and reallocation of resources that will ultimately impact our region and the healthcare services that are available.” 

Murfin reported Mitalovich also coordinated a meeting with the Boundtree Medical representative to discuss medical supply chain, pricing and equipment. 

“One of the items discussed was upgrading our glucometers to a system that works with venous blood,” he said, noting a discrepancy on what is used on the trucks and in the ER. “We are currently evaluating if this change would benefit our system and getting additional information on pricing.”

It was also reported that the district has started to hold quarterly meetings to have crews do case reviews. During a recent one, crews reviewed multiple cases involving stroke and STEMI patients and their outcomes.

“We discussed options for making the transition more efficient from prehospital to hospital care. Obtaining blood for critical lab values was identified as potentially helping with the efficiency of care,” Miller said. “Drawing blood for this purpose in the prehospital setting was discussed and may be added in the future.”

The chief’s report also included stats on runs conducted by crews in April 2025 compared to the last two years. While Miller said the numbers show a significant difference between April 2024 (594 runs) and April 2025 (459 runs), the district has been kept busy. He also noted the 2025 runs are more in line with the runs from 2023 (437).

Information for this story was provided by Patty Cheffey, former owner of the Palmyra Spectator newspaper. She now is on the administrative team for the Marion County Ambulance District.