Matthew Watkins has been named Talbot County Department of Emergency Services Division Chief after Brian LeCates was promoted to Director of Emergency Services. Watkins has been working with Talbot County Emergency Services (EMS) since 1996 when he started as a part-time paramedic. He became a full-time paramedic with Talbot County EMS in 1999.
His work experiences have spanned law enforcement, military medicine, mobile crisis response and teaching emergency medical services. He was a Sergeant/Patrol Supervisor with the Hurlock Police Department and the Crisis Intervention Team Coordinator for Eastern Shore Mobile Crisis. Watkins received a paramedic certificate from Chesapeake College in 1995 and a criminal justice certificate from Wor-Wic College in 2005. He also received a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration from Ashford College in 2017. Watkins holds numerous fire, EMS and law enforcement certifications and instructor certifications in several disciplines. He is also a United States Army Veteran (Desert Storm & Post 9/11 War on Terror).
Talbot County is one of the few counties in the state of Maryland to offer ultrasound on its ambulances. “The technology in the back of the ambulance has improved dramatically over the years. Today, we are also able to interface better with our health care partners, specifically emergency departments and physicians, which ultimately benefits the patient,” Watkins states.
Watkins adds that the Department is using the data gathered from the ambulances in a greater way to guide policy to evaluate the efficacy of medical treatments and identify future training initiatives.
“Our EMS clinicians are already doing a lot of great things here. We look forward to even bigger things on the horizon as we continue to align the focus of our goals with the rapidly changing landscape in healthcare. Our bottom line at the end of the day is taking care of the patients we serve and providing the best care available to our residents and visitors,” comments Watkins.
Brian LeCates, Director of Talbot County Department of Emergency Services, adds, “We are delighted to have Matthew in this leadership role helping to manage the day-to-day operations of the department. He has a wealth of emergency services experience and has proven passion for his work over and over in our department. Talbot County is fortunate to have him on our team.”
