“I just wanted to come back, to be home, be back with friends, and be back here in the county to help get this system up.”
Landon Gouge, Mitchell County native and the Director of the new Mitchell EMS, shared his reason for taking the position to manage the county’s new emergency medical service which begins operations on December 16, 2025. Mitchell EMS takes over for Mitchell Medics, a private contractor who has operated the service since 2021. Gouge worked in Mitchell County for 20 years when Mission Hospital operated the EMS service. He then worked in Yancey County for about 5 years before taking this position so he is very familiar with the service area.
With the EMS service starting up, Gouge notes that county residents will see some changes in what they see. “The trucks will look different. The people will wear slightly different uniforms. But the thing is, it’s still the same service the county has been getting.” Gouge says Mitchell EMS will continue to provide paramedic-level service along with emergency transports.
“As EMS, we answer calls for medical emergencies like cardiac and other life-threatening issues, car accidents, you know, any type of emergency situation like that. But we also will provide basic life support transports and other medical services that are needed,” Gouge says. “We typically will respond to around 3,000 calls a year from 911 Communications in Bakersville. That’s an average of 10 a day.”
As part of returning to operate Mitchell EMS, Gouge shared his vision of how the service will work. “We want to be customer-oriented, driven by their needs. We will work to provide what is best for the patient. These are our neighbors, our families, our citizens. We want them to feel comfortable with our services and be able to talk to us if they aren’t happy with something we have done or let us know if we did a good job. We want to put our citizens first in everything we do.”
Gouge asks that anyone with questions about the new Mitchell EMS to reach out by email to EMS.Director@mitchellcountync.
Landon Gouge, Mitchell County EMS Director
PHOTO: Courtesy Mitchell County Government
