From flight suits to fire rescue: How Dr. Cathy Carrubba revolutionized Tampa’s emergency care
Remembering a trailblazer in emergency medicine in Tampa
Dr. Cathy Carrubba started a critical transport unit with Tampa Fire Rescue. Fox 13's Kylie Jones reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - A late doctor from Tampa is being remembered for revolutionizing emergency medicine.
Dr. Cathy Carrubba, a longtime doctor at Tampa General Hospital and 30-year medical director for Tampa Fire Rescue, died in March.
The backstory:
Carrubba was known as a trailblazer in the emergency department, mentoring young nurses and doctors, and bringing innovative practices to Tampa Bay.
"30 years ago, I remember male surgeons coming to me and asking me who she was," Carolina Kiki Jones, the ER Nurse Manager at TGH Brandon said. "She was intimidating."
Jones says, as a young nurse, she always knew she wanted to work for the best.
"I wanted to know who had the best flight program and from Orlando, they directed me over to Tampa, because Cathy Carrubba had that reputation," she said.
One of Carrubba's most notable accomplishments was launching Aeromed at TGH in 1989.
"It started with a single aircraft that has grown to five," Jones said. "It started with just an air transport system that now includes ground transport, and transfers from our hospital and all the facilities now that we've grown."
Carrubba also spent 30 years as the Medical Director for Tampa Fire Rescue, where she started a critical transport unit.
"She made Tampa Fire Rescue what Tampa Fire Rescue is today, when it comes to the innovative medical treatment that we're allowed to do in the field now," TFR Chief Barbara Tripp said.
What they're saying:
The many doctors, nurses and first responders who came up under Carrubba's leadership say she set the standard for EMS across Tthe Bay Area
"She had the expectation that all of us would be at the top of our game and that's what she expected, and there was no secondary option," Donny Richardson, a flight nurse for Aeromed said. "So, you either lived it or you didn't."
Though, Carrubba towed a steady line between discipline and nurture.
"She was always able to relate to anyone in any situation, from a police chief, to a mayor, to a patient, to a scared parent in a room, with just such calm and poise," David Wein, Chief of Emergency Services Institute at TGH said.
Later on in her career, Carrubba founded the USF EMS Fellowship. In 2016, she was awarded Medical Director of the Year by the Air Medical Physician Association.
Although, Carrubba's career wasn't fueled by the accolades. Younger doctors in the field say she was driven by the patients.
"She would tell you, 'Do what's right for the patient, we'll worry about the rest of it later on'," Chuck Nelson, Chief Flight Paramedic with Aeromed 1 said.
When the younger generations think of Carrubba, they'll think of leading with compassion and striving for better with every takeoff.
The Source: Information for this story came from Tampa Fire Rescue, Tampa General Hospital and interviews with TGH nurses and doctors.