Cherokee County has seen a big change in emergency medical care during the past few years. Decades ago, the ambulance service was handled by a local funeral home, and their primary purpose was nothing more than to get the injured or sick to the hospital as quick as they could. It was also during this time that most of the fire departments within Cherokee County were handled by local volunteers. Times have changed, and today, you can no longer be just a firefighter.

As the fire department got into the emergency medical services field, three people have been instrumental in the education and training of firefighters. Dr. Jill Mabley, medical director for the department; Randy Pierson, EMS program director; and Danny West, a division chief; have all worked together to bring the emergency medical care in Cherokee to a higher standard.

New recruits who come into Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services (CCFES) are trained in firefighting skills for many months, but as soon as they finish, they go directly to school to become an emergency medical technician (EMT). Firefighters today are not only on fire trucks; they are now a part of the ambulance service that was taken over by the County several years ago. Cherokee County has been very fortunate to have several firefighters go forward later in their career to become paramedics, too. In fact, fourteen firefighters graduated from paramedic school last month.

According to Dr. Mabley, There was an effort to make paramedics a more recognized profession that has a national entity supervising it and that can accredit the courses. 

Pierson, who does the training for paramedics in the CCFD, also stated that years ago there was a national EMS agenda that looked at where emergency medical services needed to go in the future and what changes needed to be made to get everyone on the same level.

Because of all these changes, CCFES is now working hard to make paramedic training an accredited program. We were able to teach the program under a letter of review. They looked at us initially, and they said that we had enough of the stuff together to start the program. They came back to do a site visit and notified us of their recommendations on anything that needed to be addressed, and now we are waiting to hear if we are approved. And then, hopefully, we will be an accredited program, stated Pierson.

Starting September 4, on Tuesdays, cornhole teams will once again compete against each other in Cantons Cannon Park.

Seven-week leagues include a season-ending tournament with a championship trophy and other prizes. The qualifying teams from each location will be eligible to compete in the larger City Championship Cornament with a chance to win additional prizes and get their team name on the cup!

The cornhole games will be scheduled for either 6:45pm, 7:30pm, or 8:15pm, and there are three divisions: Beginner (hits the board 1-2 times per 4 bags), Intermediate (hits the board consistently and a few in the hole), and Advanced (all four bags are on the board or in the hole). The team captain will choose your division when signing up. However, there may not be separate divisions at smaller locations, and if there is not a minimum of six teams per division, all divisions will be combined into one. Please make sure you are signed up for the appropriate division and correct location before the season begins.

Games are scored to 21, and match-ups are best of three games. Each team will have one match-up per week at any of the times previously listed. Check CornholeATL.com for registration information, where you may also review the complete list of rules and additional details.

Cherokee Lung & Sleep Specialists, which offers a full spectrum of services to treat pulmonary, sleep, and critical care disorders, announced the addition of Dr. Raxit Patel at its Canton location, and Dr. Rohit Panchel to both the Canton and Woodstock locations.

Dr. Panchal is a board-certified physician in pulmonary, critical care, internal, and sleep medicine. He specializes in COPD, asthma, pulmonary hypertension, and sleep apnea, considering each patients unique needs to provide individualized care. He is a member of the American College of Chest Physicians and the American Association of Sleep Medicine.

Dr. Patel is board-certified in pulmonary disease, critical care, and internal medicine. He has a focus on diagnosing and treating pulmonary diseases such as asthma, COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, chronic cough, and lung cancer. He will offer a patient-centered care approach that includes educating his patients and their families about the various treatment options available. He is a member of the American College of Chest Physicians, Society of Critical Care Medicine, and the American College of Physicians.