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Treasure Coast Medical Report
gency room, a project now completed, he said. As the director
of emergency medicine, Parr works shifts at St. Lucie West’s
ER, Tradition and Martin North and South in Stuart.
As a waterman, Parr is alarmed about the condition of
Treasure Coast waterways and stepped up to the plate in Tallahassee
earlier this year. He testified before the state Senate
Appropriations Committee on behalf of the plan to buy land
south of Lake Okeechobee to move and filter filthy water, but
he almost didn’t get the chance. A big sugar representative
filibustered for 50 minutes, Parr said. The senate bill passed.
Parr said he has seen dozens of patients he believes were
sickened after swimming in local waterways.
“Being in the water all the time, water quality is paramount,”
Parr said. “I see people coming in all the time with
respiratory problems and skin infections. There is a high bacterial
load in the water. And then you find out they have been
in the water. It is an issue and it makes people sick. It’s hard
to collect that data and show cause and effect. There is a lot of
animal waste coming from north of the lake. If you swim in
sewage, you get sick. You don’t need a medical degree to see
that.”
Parr is also an oral board examiner for the American Board
of Emergency Medicine.
“Education is important to me,” he said. “I enjoy mentoring
to pass on medical knowledge to the next generation.”
If you see Parr out kiteboarding in screaming winds or
cycling around Martin County, someone else is watching over
the emergency rooms — for the time being.
“I try to find the balance between work, life and health,” he
said. “Kiteboarding and biking help me decompress and stay
fit from the stress of working in the ER.”
As part of his mountain bike bucket list, Parr rode the hills of Moab, Utah.
Treasure Coast Hospice
Has Grown to Become
Treasure Health!
Treasure Coast Hospice has always treasured life. Now, we’re offering an
expanded family of services, including palliative care, pediatric care and
grief support, to better meet the needs of our community.
DON WOOD
Treas u ri ng Li fe | To lea r n more, v isit Trea sureHealth.org or call 86 6.999.4 550
/www.treasurehealth.org
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