Dr. Jeffrey Kepple will be honored as the state medical director of the year May 8, when the California Medical Services Authority presents its awards.
“This award holds some of the highest distinction and honor for a medical director in the state,” said Donna Stone, chief executive officer with Northern California EMS, Inc. Over 115 outstanding nominations were submitted, she said.
Kepple, Nor-Cal EMS’s medical director, was nominated by the staff at the agency that oversees medical emergency services in Plumas, Lassen, Modoc, Trinity, and Sierra counties, a combined population of approximately 80,500 people.
“It’s an amazing honor for him,” said Plumas County Supervisor Kevin Goss, who serves as chairman of the Nor-Cal EMS board. “We’re so fortunate for such a rural county as Plumas to have such an exceptional medical director.”
A family doctor at Plumas District Hospital, Kepple is a board-certified physician who serves his community with the highest level of professionalism, care, and commitment, Stone said. He brings the same level of commitment to his duties as Nor-Cal EMS medical director, she added. Even through times of personal hardship during the Dixie Fire in 2021, when Dr. Kepple and his family were evacuated from their home, he worked to safeguard the medical infrastructure for the community, said Stone.
During the COVID 19 pandemic, Dr, Kepple spent countless hours making significant contributions to both the hospital and prehospital medical settings to ensure that the necessary supplies and care remained whole despite shortfalls nationwide. He helped guarantee that training and education were available during the pandemic, and was an integral part of instituting virtual training for prehospital providers, Stone said.
“Dr. Kepple’s calm reassurance and consistent, positive messaging helped manage the fear felt throughout the five counties,” she said.
Kepple works tirelessly with the region’s physicians, county boards of supervisors, emergency care councils, public health, hospital boards as well as many other committees in the region and state, ensuring the highest quality of care while approving progressive, quality protocols with patient care at the forefront of all his decisions, Stone said.
Kepple is the co-founder of the Sierra Nevada Conservation and Wilderness Medicine Conference, a three-day outdoor workshop and convention centered around a unique approach to medicine and conservation. He also volunteers for various community organizations in his spare time. He loves his family, his community, all things outdoor, as well as performing in theater and music.
“We glad to have him on our team,” said Goss.
Information submitted by Nor-Cal EMS with additional reporting by Jane Braxton Little
