Name: Kenny Weaver
Title: Paramedic
Tenure: 17 Years
Hobbies: Hunting, Snowmobiling & Riding Motorcycles
Bio: When Kenny Weaver became a paramedic, he did it because it was just the natural progression, the natural trajectory of his lifelong desire to learn. That wasn’t the only reason he became a paramedic, however. And it wasn’t the biggest reason, either.
“I like helping people,” Weaver stated. “And when I got my BEC (Basic Emergency Care) Responder license, I just didn’t know enough. And then I got my EMT-B (emergency medical technician basic) and I said, ‘Well, this isn’t enough.’ And then I thought about (Crook County Medical Services District) and I said, ‘Hey, maybe I can help out there.’”
So, that’s what he did.
Weaver began working for CCMSD in October of 2006. For 17 years, he has pushed himself to learn, to grow and, most importantly, to help people.
“When I first started working in the medical field, I was truck driving, and firefighting and EMS work,” he said. “And every time I turned around, I just didn’t know enough. So I kept going to school and it’s taken me 17 years to get here.”
He’s learned a lot throughout those 17 years, so has it been enough?
“Absolutely not,” Weaver laughed. “At every turn, I find that I just still don’t know enough. And once you ‘know enough’ in the medical field, you need to get out of it.’”
Luckily, Weaver believes that he’ll never know enough, so he’ll be sticking with CCMSD for as long as they’ll have him, which is absolutely a benefit – to the hospital and to its patients.
Weaver has a very cheerful disposition. Think John Candy in Uncle Buck, but much, much smarter. There’s just something about even his tone of voice that puts you in a good mood. That’s one of his biggest talents; it’s one of his gifts.
“You’ve heard of women having ‘Resting B Face?’” Weaver asked. “Well I get accused of having ‘Resting Kenny Face.’”
Typically, ‘Resting Kenny Face’ means he’s smiling, which could be something rare in this line of work. Paramedic work is, oftentimes, quite heavy. These men and women see things that could break them. But it’s because of that reason that Weaver insists on keeping his smile, even in the midst of tragedy.
“I just like helping people,” Weaver reiterated. “I get the biggest kick out of helping people, you know? Like, I meet people on their worst day. And if I’m on duty and I can’t make somebody laugh on their worst day, something’s pretty wrong.”
Weaver tries his best to find joy in the day, and he spreads that joy to his patients. He says that his patients are his favorite part of his job and the patient care that CCMSD provides to its patients is what has kept Weaver there since 2006.
“I think we’re better than any hospital in the country,” Weaver beamed. “We can’t do surgeries yet, but everything else we do, we’re better than anybody. Our staff is what makes the difference. If we get a trauma [patient] and we need to ‘em out of there, we can get ‘em out in the allotted time, headed to somewhere else that can do surgeries. And we’ve gotten to the point now that we’re handling stuff we couldn’t have even thought about 15 or 20 years ago. And that’s due to our staff, our doctors, our everything.”
Weaver makes no bones about the importance of the job.
“We deal with patients all the time,” he said. “And if we’re dumb, we don’t get those patients back.”
There’s something of a dual-meaning in what he meant with that statement, but he also emphasized that patients do continue to choose Crook County Medical Services District when they need medical care.
“We’ve had several patients in the past that have come back to us,” he offered. “We’ve got travelers coming to us and saying ‘Hey, you worked on me for this and if something else ever happens, we want to come here.’”
That is the mission of Crook County Medical Services District. With each and every patient, the goal is to provide excellent care so that if tragedy ever strikes again, they choose CCMSD because they know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they will be taken care of.
Kenny Weaver knows enough to know that he’ll never know enough, but if there’s one thing that he does know, it’s the fact that CCMSD will continue to put patients first; supporting your community, your health.