Doctor’s Medic One effort is a lifesaver

Associated Press

SEATTLE — One of the architects of Medic One, the city’s landmark early response paramedic program, is now among its beneficiaries.

Dr. Michael Copass, 63, chief of emergency medicine at Harborview Medical Center and medical director of Medic One, was in satisfactory condition Tuesday at the University of Washington Medical Center, where he was brought Sunday by a Medic One crew, said UW Medical Center spokeswoman Pam Sowers.

A Seattle newspaper reported Tuesday that Copass suffered a heart attack. Sowers and others declined to give details of his condition, citing state privacy laws.

Copass, whose specialty is neurology, joined Dr. Leonard Cobb, now chief of cardiology at the UW Medical School, and the late city Fire Chief Gordon Vickery to create the nation’s first mobile response system using firefighters as paramedics in 1970.

Cobb’s research team showed that quick medical aid could save the lives of heart attack victims, and the Medic One concept spread rapidly across the country.

For the first year, doctors rode along and provided most of the medical care. Copass then began a training program for paramedics, Cobb said.

"Mike’s major contribution was the development of that training system," Cobb said.

Copass helped build Harborview into a widely recognized trauma center that provides training for medical specialists from around the world.

Copass was awarded the state Legislature’s Medal of Merit Award in 1995.

Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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