Barrow County Babies

The summer of 2025 was eventful for the team at Barrow County Emergency Communications (Winder, Georgia, USA). They implemented the Medical Priority Dispatch System^™ (MPDS^®) at the beginning of June, having spent the months before learning the ins and outs of its questions and instructions. Countless hours were dedicated to making sure that the transition between the new and old systems was as seamless as possible.

The real test came sooner than anyone could have guessed. In the early hours of June 1, mere hours after switching to the new system, Shift Supervisor Rachel Gyldholm got the chance to show her skills in action when she received a call from a Spanish-speaking community member whose sister was in labor. Not only did Gyldholm have to navigate a complicated and potentially anxiety-inducing protocol on her first full shift using ProQA^®, but she also had to do it while using Barrow County Emergency Communications’ translation service.

“The call was amazing to hear,” said Octavia Stanford, Assistant Director at Barrow County Emergency Communications. “Rachel did an amazing job. The language line can be as tricky to navigate as the childbirth protocol. But she stayed calm, and so did the language line operator. The two of them together helped the caller stay calm while trying to deliver the baby.”

Gyldholm has been with Barrow County Emergency Communications for eight years, and this was her first live birth.

“These are the moments when the EMD program proves how valuable it really is,” Gyldholm said. “When seconds matter and help is still minutes away, we are able to provide care and direction that can make all the difference.”¹

Nearly two months later on July 23, it was Communications Officer Desiré Selimović’s turn to show the worth of the Protocols when she took a call from a man driving his wife to the hospital. They hadn’t made it to their destination yet when the baby decided it had other plans. Selimović had the husband pull into a gas station parking lot before navigating to Protocol 24: Pregnancy/Childbirth/Miscarriage in ProQA to instruct him in how best to safely deliver the impatient baby.

“When I listened back to Desiré’s call, I was impressed by her focus because there were so many other people talking on the line,” Stanford recalled. “Desiré used EMD at another agency before coming to Barrow County, and she’s been rocking it out on ProQA ever since she got here.”

Selimović enjoyed being on the other end of the line for this special moment.

“As 911 dispatchers, we’re often the first voice people hear on their worst day during the most stressful moments of life,” Selimović said. “To be part of something like this—helping bring new life into the world—is an incredible experience and one of the joys of this job.”²

What’s next for Barrow County Emergency Communications? Stanford says that their area has been growing by leaps and bounds, and they’ve been growing their staff in both number and knowledge to keep up with the demand. They currently dispatch for seven agencies, and there are at least four Emergency Dispatchers on the floor during every shift. Everybody is cross-trained and can take calls for police, fire, and EMS, as well as work the radio.

Gyldholm had some parting words for other EMDs.

“We may not be seen, but we have the ability to impact every emergency call and touch every life on the other end of the line,” Gyldholm said. “We are trained to be the calm in the chaos and to provide support in moments of uncertainty and fear. This call is just one example of the help we, as dispatchers, have the opportunity to provide our citizens daily, thanks to our agency’s implementation [of MPDS].”

Selimović also reminds EMDs of the importance of their role.

"In the sacred moment of birth, I offer my voice, my heart, and my strength—so that new life may enter this world surrounded by peace, courage, and love,” Selimović said.

Sources

1. “Barrow dispatchers use newly implemented protocols to help deliver pair of babies.” Barrow County Georgia. 2025; Aug. 20. https://www.barrowga.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=81 (accessed Dec. 3, 2025).

2. See note 1.