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CLINCON Update; RIP, Linda Swisher, Widow of Bill Shearer
CLINCON & Bill Shearer ALS/BLS Competition 2021 Postponed Indefinitely
Based on recent and unforeseeable information on case counts, hospitalizations and breakthrough cases, the EMLRC has been forced to indefinitely postpone CLINCON and its prestigious Bill Shearer ALS/BLS Competition. This was another difficult decision to make in these challenging times – we know how badly you all want to come back together and see the next winning team raise Dr. Eugene Nagel’s trophy above their heads with pride! But despite our best efforts, we ultimately cannot put our EMS workforce at risk of COVID-19 infection or exposure, not only for their own health and safety, but for the general public’s health and safety, too.
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Registration fees have been refunded, and hotel reservations should be cancelled directly and immediately to avoid penalties. The Florida Department of Health EMS Meetings are moving forward as planned on Sept. 28-30, 2021 at the Caribe Royale; please check their website for more information.
We are grateful for everyone’s support and commitment to the ALS/BLS Competition, which has been a tradition and rite of passage for paramedics for over 40 years. Stay tuned for information on next year’s event at emlrc.org/clincon.
RIP Linda Swisher, Widow of Bill Shearer
Linda Wertz Swisher, 78, passed away on August 19, 2021. She was preceded in death by her husband, Bill Shearer, and is survived by her son, Sam Swisher, Jr.; her daughter, Amanda Veigh; and three grandchildren.
Even after Bill’s passing, Linda remained a part of the Bill Shearer International ALS/ BLS Competition, held annually during CLINCON. She served as a national advanced trauma life support educator for the American College of Surgeons, where she taught ATLS to emergency room physicians and trauma surgeons throughout the U.S., and was appointed by Florida Governor Jeb Bush as a member of his Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council. In 1999, she was the Florida Association of EMS Educators Program Director of the Year.
Learn more about Linda’s life and service to the emergency medicine community at www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/ heraldtribune/name/linda-swisher-obituary?pid=199945898. Linda Swisher addressed the 2019 ALS/BLS competitors during the Awards Ceremony at CLINCON 2019, speaking about what this competition meant to her late husband. The EMLRC was so grateful to host her one last time.
