WASHINGTON CO. COMMISSIONERS APPOINT ASSOCIATE MEDICAL DIRECTOR, TABLE HIRING FIRE SERVICES DIRECTOR
Washington County Commissioners agreed today (Wednesday) to appoint a new associate medical director.
(courtesy University of Alabama at
Birmingham)
Dr. John B. Holcomb, who resides with his family in Burton, is retired after serving for 23 years in the United States Army during multiple combat deployments. He has also worked at UT Health of Houston as a professor of surgery and currently assists as a professor in the Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
EMS Director Kevin Deramus said the associate medical director position was purposefully left open after the passing of Dr. Robert Stark, acknowledging his significance to the EMS Department and the community as a whole. Deramus said Dr. Stark’s widow, Beth, has voiced her support of the decision to fill the role once again, but he acknowledged that Dr. Stark’s impact cannot be replaced.
After graduating from the University of Arkansas Medical School in 1985, Dr. Holcomb completed his general surgery training in 1991 and deployed with the Joint Special Operations Command. His deployments included service in Mogadishu, Somalia, where he was part of the surgical team that provided 48 hours of non-stop care to soldiers during the battle that inspired the book and film, “Black Hawk Down”. He served from 2002 to 2008 as the Commander of the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research and Trauma Consultant for the Army Surgeon General, retiring from active duty in 2008.
Dr. Holcomb is the recipient of multiple commendations, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in Trauma Resuscitation Science from the American Heart Association, the United States Special Operations Command Medal, the Service award from the American College of Surgery, and the Major Jonathan Letterman Medical Excellence Award from the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. He is also a three-time recipient of the Army’s Greatest Invention Award.
Deramus said Dr. Holcomb is eager to give back to the community and will bring “a wealth of information and knowledge” to the EMS Department. He said Dr. Holcomb’s role will be “purely educational”, providing quality improvement and clinical improvement.
Dr. Holcomb’s compensation will not exceed $15,000 per year. Deramus said the EMS Department has funds available within an unfilled administrative assistant line item in the budget, but it can also use donation funds.
Also at today’s meeting, commissioners tabled an item to hire a fire services director after learning that the candidate being voted on personally withdrew his candidacy this morning. Human Resources Director Amber Skalka said the candidate cited “personal reasons” as the nature for the withdrawal and that they were not related to the position being offered. Skalka added that the candidate wishes the county well and believes the county is “going in the proper direction” with pursuing this position to provide support for emergency services and volunteer fire departments.
In other business, the court:
- Reappointed Dorothy Morgan to serve on the MHMR Authority of Brazos Valley Board of Trustees.
- Approved transferring the payroll benefits specialist position from the county treasurer’s office to the human resources department for the 2026 Fiscal Year.
- Granted the county treasurer authority to advertise for bank depository bids that conform to all applicable state and federal laws, which will provide for all banking services required for the funds of Washington County, in accordance with Chapter 116 and 117 of Local Government Code. Bids will be due to the county on Thursday, February 19th at 10 a.m. and will be voted on by commissioners on Tuesday, March 3rd.
- Approved annual renewal of the county’s investment policy with no changes.
- Heard monthly reports from the sheriff’s office, county and district clerks, justices of the peace, auditor, tax assessor-collector, treasurer, constables, elections and veterans service office.
Click here to view the agenda packet for Wednesday's meeting.