Virginia finds no violations against white supremacist EMT
Decision now back in the hands of the local rescue squad
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Previous coverage of this story
(Thanks to Scott Marshall for sending this to STATter911.com.)
This is the outcome I figured most likely in the case of Alex McNabb, the Virginia EMT who was suspended without pay after news surfaced he hosted a white supremacist podcast and shared racist views on social media and elsewhere. The attorney for JEB Stuart Volunteer Rescue Squad, Wren Williams, had publicly shared his hopes the Commonwealth of Virginia would solve their problem and decide to permanently lift McNabb’s EMT certification. During a number of discussions with STATter911, I wondered what regulations the Virginia Department of Health could find McNabb violated and figured the decision would be back in the hands of the rescue squad. Williams, who had originally cautioned the rescue squad about outright firing McNabb for fear of a wrongful termination suit, say McNabb’s fate is now in the hands of the squad’s board of directors.
McNabb’s Twitter account has been suspended.
The Virginia health department’s investigation focused on whether “any alleged violations of Virginia’s EMS regulations have occurred,” the agency said in a statement. Those regulations stipulate that “EMS personnel may not discriminate … based on race, gender, religion, age, national origin, medical condition or any other reason.”
After a two-month investigation in which fellow employees were interviewed and patient care was investigated, the health department said it “determined that there is no substantial evidence to support any violation of the EMS regulations” and closed the case.
“This individual should never be involved in patient care at any level,” said Lock Boyce, the board of supervisors’ chairman of Patrick County. “Not as a physician, a nurse, an EMT. Not anywhere.” The rural, overwhelmingly white county in the Blue Ridge Mountains has a contract with McNabb’s employers.
“He is making life-or-death medical decisions for residents of a variety of ethnicities, many of which do not fit his criteria for a white ethno-state,” said Keegan Hankes, a senior research analyst with the Southern Poverty Law Center. “Whether drawn from his experiences as an EMT or fiction, (McNabb’s statements) are tremendous cause for concern.”
Letter sent to Alex McNabb:
Due to several complaints received against you for alleged violation(s) of the EMS regulations (12VAC5-31), the Virginia Office of EMS initiated an investigation. Specifically, these allegations pertain to possible violations of 12VAC5-31-1020. Discrimination in Provision of Care. EMS personnel may not discriminate in the provision of emergency medical services based on race, gender, religion, age, national origin, medical condition or any other reason.
After careful review of all documents, testimony, available information, and regulations governing emergency medical services, it has been determined that there is no substantial evidence to support any violation of the EMS regulations. The Office of EMS considers this case closed and no further investigation into this matter will be conducted.
However, the results of this investigation do not alleviate you of your responsibilities to comply with all policies or procedures set forth by local government or EMS agency affiliations. The Virginia Office of EMS reserves the right to reopen this investigation if at any time additional evidence becomes available to indicate a potential violation of the EMS regulations may have occurred.
