The Hoke County Sheriff’s Office has announced an upgrade to its emergency medical services, now providing care at the paramedic level. This change marks a new milestone for the department, which began with basic-level medical response and has now been certified by the State of North Carolina to deliver advanced prehospital care.
Sheriff Roderick Virgil highlighted the efforts that led to this achievement, stating, “When we began this medical journey, we started at the basic level. Through dedication, perseverance, and countless hours of hard work, we steadily progressed to this pinnacle moment being certified by the State of North Carolina as a paramedic-level service.”
He further emphasized the role of teamwork within the organization: “This achievement is yet another example of what can be accomplished when surrounded by strong, committed team players. The Hoke County Sheriff’s Office is comprised of exceptional professionals who place residents first, uphold the mission to serve and protect, and remain steadfast in maintaining public trust.”
With this upgrade, response times for emergencies such as motor vehicle accidents and cardiac arrests are expected to decrease. According to Sheriff Virgil, “With this upgrade, we will significantly reduce response times when individuals require paramedic-level care during multi-system responses. These include motor vehicle crashes, cardiac arrests, serious traumatic injuries, and many other critical emergencies. While law enforcement officers often respond to these types of calls, they are typically not cross-trained to provide care at this advanced level, making this initiative both rare and impactful. This enhancement places our citizens in a far better position to receive lifesaving care a lot sooner.”
Sheriff Virgil thanked several partners for their support: “A sincere thank you to everyone who helped make this possible: Dr. Matt Wells, Medical Director, Cape Fear Valley; Chief Scott Phillips, Cape Fear Valley Hoke EMS; Brian Pierce, Vice President, Cape Fear Valley; the Hoke County Board of Commissioners and the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services.”
He concluded with a commitment to ongoing improvements in public safety: “As your Sheriff, I will continue to stand for aggressive upgrades in public safety for as long as I am honored to serve. Know that your Hoke County Sheriff’s Office team truly loves and cares about the citizens of Hoke County. Together, we will continue to make Hoke a stronger and safer place to raise families and build our future.”
Meanwhile in education outcomes across Hoke County school districts during 2022-23:
– Of 489 senior students taking the science portion of the ACT exam in local schools 11.2% were considered ready for college.
– Among 509 juniors taking science 13% met college readiness standards.
– In reading assessments among seniors 24.9% achieved college readiness, while 25.4% juniors reached that benchmark.
– For math portions among seniors 12.9% were considered ready for college compared with 17.1% among juniors.
