On July 29, 2021 Dr. Carolina C. Pereira was hired by Lee County as the Lee County Medical Director salary $234,000.26 (32 hour work week) plus she is the Ft Myers Beach Fire Department Medical Director salary $28,000 and Lehigh Acres Fire Department Medical Director salary $48,000.
Why is Lehigh Acres Fire Department paying $20,000 more for the same service? Lehigh Acres Fire Department would not comment, why? Where is the transparency to the taxpayers of Lehigh Acres?
Why are the taxpayers of Ft Myers Beach and Lehigh Acres paying for double services when we all pay into the Lee County general funds?
But Pereira has a questionable back ground:
Pereira was the top medical official in Sedgwick County Emergency Medical Service (Kansas), she resigned from her position after 18 months. Why?
In the email that the Wichita Eagle News received under a records request, shows that County Manager Tom Stolz said Pereira told him she was “scared to do her job” as deputy medical director and needed to leave, citing a work environment where EMS employees “are allowed to have secret meetings with commissioner(s) and are able to send things to the media or place on social media with no discussion, communication, or ramification.”
Pereira’s resignation comes three months after state Rep. Blake Carpenter, a Derby Republican, called for county officials to consider removing EMS Director John Gallagher amid what he described as a “mass exodus” of EMS personnel.
EMS Director John Gallagher was Pereira boss.
Carpenter said turmoil in the short-staffed department has reached a breaking point and that current and former paramedics with the county are turning to lawmakers for help.
“From what I’m hearing there’s majors, captains, lieutenants and even just the normal rank and file folks who, if things don’t change, they’re out the door. That’s dozens, if not more,” Carpenter said.
In March 2020, the Kansas Board of Emergency Medical Services called for an investigation into Gallagher over his handling of a 2019 suicide call.
The board proposed disciplining seven Wichita-area emergency responders for failing to take a suicide victim to a hospital five minutes away, even though he had a pulse and labored breathing. The victim survived for another five hours without medical attention beyond palliative medication.
More than 50 people who left their full-time EMS jobs after Gallagher’s appointment filled out the online survey. Roughly 64% mentioned Gallagher — either directly by name or by pointing out management (Pereira) — as the reason they left Sedgwick County EMS.
During the town hall meetings when the county tried to fix the issues, some EMS employees also called for the immediate termination of Pereira.
“The reason I left Sedgwick county EMS was due to the toxic leadership from Dr. John Gallagher (and deputy directors Dr. Carolina Pereira) and Paul Misasi,” one former employee wrote. “I felt that they have very little value in the employees, and I no longer felt like a valued member of the organization.”
Pereira put in her resignation a month after being interviewed by The Wichita Eagle and just days before the Eagle’s “Unresponsive” series published July 11, 2021.
According to Sedgwick County EMS records, Pereira, Sedgwick County EMS deputy medical director, gives 90 days’ notice that she will resign from her position dated July 7, 2021. But she started in Lee County July 29, 2021. Did the 90 notice to Sedgwick County EMS get thrown out the window?
In Stolz’s email, he said Pereira told him she wanted out of Sedgwick County “because things here are ‘wrong’” and employees “make up falsehoods and spread them with no ramification or accountability.”
Pereira, 34, was hired by Sedgwick County EMS in March 2020 and was in charge of training and helping write new protocols. Her position was created when Gallagher was promoted to EMS director in a massive restructuring of the department.
But according to documents from Sedgwick County EMS, she failed to live up to her duties.
Wichita Eagle editor stated the “Sedgwick County EMS was a broken emergency medical system that’s growing worse by the day.”
Wichita Eagle article states Pereira is returning to her home state of Florida, where she was previously an assistant professor in emergency medicine at the University of Florida Health-Jacksonville.
Pereira visited Lee County on June 13 and 14, 2021.
Why wasn’t Pereira vetted more closely by Lee County?
Paul DiCicco Lee County EMS Chief is quoted, “Dr. Pereira will bring considerable value and experience to Lee County. Not only does she meet the qualifications for the position of Medical Director, her values pertaining to culture and medicine align with our organization.”
A inside source has said that Lee County EMS is having issues with EMS personnel and it’s continuing to hire new employees.
Is this because of the values pertaining to culture of the Lee County EMS organization with Dr. Carolina C. Pereira is now a part of?
Editor’s note: Wichita Eagle investigative series on Sedgwick County EMS was used to write this article.
Lee county EMS is a shit show and Lehigh ambulance is a worse shit show
Leadership hell the lee county ambulance and Lehigh acres fire chief are so fucking corrupt they make the mob look honest
U are better off taking an uber to the hospital instead of lee county ambulance or Lehigh acres ambulance
Look Lehigh acres ambulance taking people on 40 minutes ride to lee
Stupid people of Lehigh Acres where is nearest hospital Lehigh acres not fucking lee memorial
The fire chief and director of ambulance services of Lehigh acres clearly are on the take from someone
Lehigh Acres residents get ur heads out of your asses and get rid of Lehigh acres fire district chief and emergency services director
Obviously you haven’t done your due diligence to see why people of Lehigh are not transported to Lehigh Regional more often. Lehigh Regional does not offer specialized medicine. Did you know they cannot handle complex orthopedics? Did you know they are not a state designated stroke center? Did you know they are not an interventional cardiovascular center? Did you know they are not a state approved trauma center? Did you know they do not offer pediatric services? Did you know they do not offer OB/GYN services? This is why people of Lehigh get transported to other hospitals.
So go live in ft Myers
You should read the comments below Mr Engelhart. All direct towards you.
Dear Mr Eric Engelhart. When you decide to trash talk the hard working people of Lee County EMS and the Lehigh Acres Fire Rescue, at least speak with truth and not baseless allegations of corruption without any proof of such. At least give an factual example of. And if any of the leadership were in the mob, they would be in jail , not running a vital service to the community of Lee County. It’s obvious that you are a disgruntle Lee County resident that doesn’t not care for life and even call “ Lee Stupid people “.
At least learn the proper name of the agencies in question and understand the our nation is in a health care crisis and a shortage of vital health care staff is needed now. Hospital are understaffed due to a lack of personal ( Doctors, Nurses, x-ray and respiratory technical, even environmental [ people who clean hospital for your knowledge] ). May be you should join the ranks and help out in this national crisis and train in one of this fields, instead off making baseless allegations.
In regards of Dr Pereira, she has the right to resign a position if she feels, she is not comfortable due to internal problems within an agency.
Ur an idiot
The truth is we are allowed to let u vote for more tax money to give to lee county ambulance and Lehigh ambulance
U are the reasons Lehigh acres is still unincorporated and controlled by incompetent lee county commission
Keep putting fear that if Lehigh acres incorporates we all will be taxed excessive
The service of Lehigh acres fire and ambulance is so bad
Hope u don’t need ambulance service and they drag ur sorry ass to lee downtown 40 plus minutes away and if u stroke it leaves u brain damage
Because of incompetent ambulance medical services to bill the piss out of ur insurance if u even have any
FYI I have first hand knowledge that this director is under investigation and is being reviewed by multiple agencies
So stop talking out ur ass
Well then, the author of this online diary is a crazy coated lollipop, triple dipped in psycho. Yikes, I certainly lost some brain cells reading this, as it’s definitely not a news source. I can’t imagine who the admin/author of this blog really is, but you failed your journalism course. Attempting to publicly smear & defame someone AND evoke fear & mistrust of two emergency services agencies is just plain unethical & speaks volumes of the author’s & Eric Engelhart’s character(s), or one in the same individual. Clearly either a disgruntled fire or EMS employee who couldn’t do the job & was cut loose, also add in zero knowledge of what you’re spewing on this rag of a page. Lehigh Regional handles only certain patients, for more serious admits they go to speciality hospitals to be able to handle & care for their medical needs. You are a moranic neanderthal & should apologize for wasting valuable oxygen. Shame on you.
Ever heard of Emtalia rule
Looking up stupid
Enacted by congress in 1990
To avoid taking your sorry ass for a long ambulance ride
FYI I never or have ever been employed by any fire department
I actually have a degree in law
So before speaking get ur fucking facts straight
Nearest receiving emergency room in Lehigh acres is Lehigh acres regional
Not lee county in ft Myers
So research Emtalia law before you speak again
Federal law Enacted by congress supersede any local county and state law
FYI jf ur on Medicare or medicaid Lehigh acres ambulance must by law write down any shortage of payments and if u request to be transferred down to lee health you pay the difference of ur pocket
But judging by ur statement in this post u either don’t have insurance or u don’t pay your bills
Esther way taxpayers get to support ur sorry ass