Plains welcomes new ambulance driver

Danielle Switalski

Tim Thorton is the new Ambulance Medical Director at the Clark Fork Valley Hospital, replacing Dr. Irene Martin.  Thorton who lives in Kalisville with his family, has been working at the hospital since May and has now accepted the new role as Ambulance Medical co-Director with Dr. Damschen.  

“I’m really excited, I think the Valley Hospital is a great place to work,” said Thorton.  Thorton has worked in emergency medical services as a Physician’s Assistant for 30 years, working primarily throughout Western Montana.  He has also worked as a flight paramedic for ten years, which is something Thorton said was a fun experience and one that he misses.  Previously to working at the Clark Fork Valley Hospital, he provided traveling services to hospitals throughout the region, working occasional shifts here in Plains.

“I really liked the hospital and the staff so I asked the administration if I could be employed here as a corporate officer,” said Thorton who started as a corporate officer in May before accepting this new position. 

Upon taking this position, Thorton said one of the main goals is to unify Thompson Falls, Hot Springs, Noxon and Plains in order to provide the best emergency medical services possible.  Part of this unification process will include data collection concerning the types of emergencies in the valleys that emergency service providers have to respond to.

“We are trying to tighten up the protocol to make sure it is in accordance with the state to better reflect what the needs are locally in terms of emergency medicine,” said Thorton.  “Especially as far as transports, appropriate protocols and treatments are concerned.”

Thorton said they also want to make sure their advanced endorsements are being used appropriately.  Part of this will include contacting the state Board of Medical Directors to see if their emergency services can extend beyond basic treatment.

Thorton attended the University of Washington for Physician’s Assistant School as part of its Medex Program before he dove into the world of emergency medicine.

 “It’s exciting to be able to keep my feet in the EMS field, even though I’m not practicing as a paramedic any longer, I’m excited that I can continue working with the (EMS) agency as it’s been a huge part of my life for years,” said Thorton.