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To the editor: I feel compelled to say a few things I would like
the public to contemplate about Dr. Gene Blaum.
I have known Dr. Blaum both as a patient of his for many years,
as well as from a professional basis for over 37 years. I am one of
the original paramedics that worked for ALMH from 1974 through 1999.
Since the Logan County Paramedic Association began serving the
county on Dec. 1, 1999, I continue to serve as the chief officer to
date.
Dr. Blaum has been the president of the board of directors of the
Logan County Paramedic Association since the inception of this
organization. So, I have worked closely with him for a very long
time.
Dr. Blaum is a man who has asked for little, but given much over
his career.
The Paramedic Association would not exist, if it were not for his
efforts. He spearheaded getting the Logan County Board and the
public to understand that a not-for-profit ambulance service,
operated by the very medics who had been providing treatment and
transport of the sick and injured within the county for many years,
was the best long-term fit for this community. He, along with three
other prominent individuals on the LCPA board, signed for a startup
loan through the State Bank of Lincoln for $200,000. Had LCPA
defaulted on that loan, they would have been liable to repay it.
He alone got an additional $30,000 personal loan on our behalf
after the original loan funds ran dry, before the organization began
to get on its feet.
[to top of second column in this letter] |
Of course, LCPA was eventually able to repay those loans, and has
since become financially stable. But, we will never forget, and will
always be grateful for his faith in us.
That accounting is but one of many acts that Dr. Blaum has done
for the community. When he stepped down from his practice here in
Lincoln, he had over 5,000 patients in his practice.
Prior to setting up a practice in Logan County, he had been a
flight surgeon in the Vietnam War. He survived two battlefield
helicopter crashes and sustained injuries from them. In working
closely with wartime field medics, he gained a clear understanding
of the importance in early treatment and proper packaging of injured
and wounded soldiers in the field.
I could go on and on, but in summary, the public should know at
least some of what is on my heart. His legacy should not be tainted
with a negative tone. The people of this community should think on
these things and know that no person who lives long enough can
escape trouble of one sort or another. I choose to think of Dr.
Blaum as a great asset to our community and one who should be
thought of as a good man, who sacrificed a great deal of his life to
serve the public.
Steve Siltman, CEO
Logan County Paramedic Association Inc.
[Posted
December 30, 2011]
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