UCLA CENTER FOR PREHOSPITAL CARE
DANIEL FREEMAN HOSPITAL PARAMEDIC EDUCATION PROGRAM

By Rosa Calva, Client Services Manager
UCLA Center for Prehospital Care

The Daniel Freeman Hospital School for Paramedics began as a result of the dedication of many, particularly Dr. Walter S. Graf who had a vision of providing the community with first arrival medical care and the commitment of then Los Angeles County Supervisor, Kenneth Hahn.

Dr. Graf’s Vision

Dr. Walter S. Graf has a long and illustrious career serving the community. He served as chairman of the State of California EMS Commission and was a member and chair of many other cardiology and emergency committees. Dr. Graf, then Chief of Cardiology at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital, was inspired by the work of Dr. Pantridge in Ireland, who initiated a program that had a nurse and physician go out with an ambulance when a call of a heart attack patient was received. He found that many patients who would have otherwise died were saved by those trained to correct their irregular heart rhythms.

Dr. Graf, then president of the Los Angeles County Heart Association, requested and received support from the Heart Association for a similar pilot program to be conducted in Los Angeles County.

The Wedworth-Townsend Act

Supervisor Hahn met with Dr. Graf and was impressed with his idea about having a mobile unit that could help heart attack victims. Supervisor Hahn relentlessly championed his resolution to establish the two-year pilot study and to amend state law that would authorize specialized personnel that passed strict qualification tests to aid emergency heart patients.

The pilot study, sponsored by Los Angeles County Heart Association and the Daniel Freeman Memorial, Centinela, and Hawthorne Hospitals, was approved and initiated at Daniel Freeman Hospital and Harbor General Hospital.

Supervisor Hahn concurrently had Dr. Graf meet with Hawthorne Senator James Wedworth regarding the idea of paramedic training. Senator Wedworth together with Lawndale Assemblyman Larry Townsend authored the Wedworth-Townsend Paramedic Act of 1970 that would allow the creation of a pilot paramedic training program in Los Angeles County.

Governor Ronald Reagan informed Supervisor Hahn that he would veto the legislation because of opposition from many including members of the medical profession. Supervisor Hahn met with Governor Reagan and explained exactly how the paramedic program would work and how paramedics would not be restricted by city boundaries. Governor Reagan’s own father had died because an ambulance service did not aid him when called because he was outside their jurisdiction. The impact of such a program on the health and wellbeing of the community was evident.

The historic Wedworth-Townsend Paramedic Act of 1970 was approved and signed on July 15, 1970. Three weeks later paramedic training began at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital. In its very first year, the pilot program treated approximately 1,000 persons from which an estimated one-third was saved due to the efforts of the rescue teams.

The Program – Then and Now

The first individuals certified as Mobile Intensive Care Paramedics graduated from the Daniel Freeman Hospital Paramedic School in August of 1970.

In March of 1972, a select group from the Veteran’s Administration was trained and in May of 1973 the Governor of Utah elected to have Daniel Freeman Hospital Paramedic School train the first paramedics to function in that state.

In October of 1980, Daniel Freeman Hospital Paramedic School became the first paramedic school in the country to be accredited by the American Medical Association.

The 20th anniversary class graduated in July 1990 bringing the running total to 2,018 paramedics trained and certified.

Daniel Freeman Hospital and the UCLA Center for Prehospital Care joined forces in January of 1999 to jointly offer a paramedic education program.

In 2006, the UCLA-Daniel Freeman Paramedic Program celebrated the founding of the program with a special graduation ceremony. Acknowledged during the ceremony were our alumni, the founder of the program, Dr. Walter S. Graf, and the family of Supervisor Kenneth Hahn.

Since its founding, more than 3,000 students have graduated and have gone on to serve their communities. Continuing to operate from its original location in Inglewood, the UCLA - Daniel Freeman Paramedic Program operates with a full-time curriculum that combines didactic education with clinical and field experience. Our students have a 90% program completion success rate, demonstrate a 99% success rate on the National Registry Exam and a 97% employment rate within 3 months of graduation. The program, as always, continues to be accessible to private students who are not affiliated with or sponsored by fire-service agencies and gives them the opportunity to become paramedics and then enter the fire-services afterwards.

With a long and impressive history as one of the oldest paramedic education programs in the country, the UCLA - Daniel Freeman Paramedic Program proudly continues the tradition of academic excellence, high standard of healthcare professionalism, and the legacy of compassionate community service.

Current Program Staff

UCLA CENTER FOR PREHOSPITAL CARE
DANIEL FREEMAN HOSPITAL PARAMEDIC EDUCATION PROGRAM
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