Washington County picks new ambulance director

WASHINGTON — Washington County Supervisors have extended a job offer to Jordan Wright, for the vacant Washington County Ambulance Director’s position.

Wright hails from Richland, where he’s previously served as a city council member. He’s also had experience working as a paramedic for the Washington County Ambulance, and in emergency rooms in Washington and Jefferson County, according to County Supervisor and EMS Advisory Committee Member Jack Seward Jr., who said Wright had also worked with a Fort Madison-based air ambulance service.

“His medical credentials are pretty much unquestioned,” Seward said. “He hasn’t had a lot of supervisory experience, but he has had experience at kind of the upper levels. He was in charge of, or had a great deal to do with planning and scheduling shifts for the air ambulance service, and we all thought that he would be OK as the director.”

The decision came after a closed session on June 18, a standard procedure for government officials to discuss a job applicant’s credentials candidly without harming their reputation. There was little comment on the job offer during the open session, even after a motion to extend it passed unanimously.

Wright is expected to start during the first full pay period in August, but will spend a few “five-day stretches” before then working hourly in Washington County to get on-boarded for the managerial role, according to Seward.

Seward said Wright planned to move into Washington County after starting as its ambulance director.

Wright could not be reached for comments. County officials said he was out of town.

Once in the role, he’ll replace Katrina Altenhofen, who has worked as the interim director since December of 2022, when a still-mysterious dispute resulted in the paid leave of the former ambulance director, and an eventual legal settlement disclosed to the public earlier this month.

Altenhofen was not available for comments, but has previously said she supported a motion by the county to begin the hiring process for Wright, under the anonymized name “Candidate D.” She said the switch to a dedicated, non-interim department head would be a boon for the county.

“This is a great thing for our county, it’s a great thing for our EMS system and for the employees,” Altenhofen said. “Those folks at the ambulance with us have worked continuously, tirelessly, and kept the county safe in any type of emergency that people need.”

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