Press release from: Clackamas County Sheriff's Office

 SPECIAL FEATURE:
The Surgeon of SWAT

 

Top trauma doctor Seth Izenberg has a second life -- as the on-site tactical surgeon for the Clackamas County Sheriff's SWAT team
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"He's an invaluable asset. There really isn't any other department in the state or even in the entire county who has somebody like this -- we're fortunate to have him."

That is how Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts described Dr. Seth Izenberg, the associate trauma director at Legacy Emanuel Hospital, who also volunteers as the tactical surgeon on the Sheriff's SWAT team.

Izenberg joined the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office as a reserve deputy in 2004.

"What I really wanted to do, and where I thought I could do the most good, was as medical backup," said Izenberg. "In Clackamas County, you can be an hour and a half from a hospital, and that's under good evacuation conditions.

"Having me there gives the department an insurance policy which is close at hand. That's what I am, really -- an insurance policy."

He stands ready to aid not only injured officers, but also innocent bystanders caught up in a violent confrontation -- and alleged perpetrators, as well.

"They all get treated with dignity and respect," Izenberg said.

It was a meandering path that led Izenberg to practice trauma medicine in Portland. He earned his undergraduate degree in physics, a field he studied for a time in graduate school, as well.

"I went over to med school and graduated from Brown University in 1980," he said. "I did 10 years of post-graduate training -- that's a lot. After that, I worked as chief of trauma medicine in Mobile, Alabama."

He moved to Oregon to continue his practice at Legacy Emanuel Hospital.

"I think this is the best trauma system in the country, and this is the best trauma hospital in the country," he said. "OHSU and Emanuel provide outstanding levels of care -- and I'm absolutely convinced that these are the people I would want working on me if I was injured."

As an example, he cited a Clackamas County Sheriff's Deputy shot in the face while responding to a call on Jan. 9, 2003. The deputy was taken to Emanuel, where Izenberg and other members of the medical staff fought to save his life.

"The additional help that we have available to us here -- from cardiology to radiology to anesthesiology -- makes a huge difference," he said. "The fact that we could save [him], although he suffered brain injuries, speaks to the level at which things are done."

He continued: "We get a lot of hard cases -- cases that people might not survive in other places -- and that's not because they wouldn't do a good job, but we're just set up to do more."

In addition to his work at Emanuel and volunteer service in Clackamas County, Izenberg is a member of the Army Reserves. He has served three tours overseas in connection with the Iraq War.

In the immediate aftermath of the invasion in 2003, he worked at the 47th Combat Support Hospital in Kuwait, treating injured soldiers.

"We saw some, but it wasn't as bad as it subsequently got," he said.

From September 2004 to January 2005, he served as a member of the 874th Forward Surgical Team in Iraq, based in the insurgent hotbeds of Kirkuk and Tikrit.

Then, for four months in 2007, he worked as a trauma surgeon at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, the largest American hospital outside the United States, again treating wounded soldiers.

"Being able to deal with different types of injuries has to be the hallmark of the trauma surgeon," said Izenberg. "When a medical catastrophe befalls a patient through physical injury, you have to be able to do whatever has to be done.

"It's the same rule that applies to police officers and firefighters -- there is only one rule: win, whatever it takes. That's the same philosophy we bring to trauma care."

The deputies on the SWAT team have seen that philosophy in action.

"He qualifies on the range with us, and passes the same physical agility test we do every year," said Sgt. Lynn Schoenfeld, the unit's tactical commander. "He's been able to provide us with equipment that wouldn't normally be in our budget -- he's got trauma pouches for every one of our entry guys.

"He's spent a lot of money giving us state-of-the-art coagulating dressings that everyone has available right on their person."

Schoenfeld added: "He's like a brother to us -- we love him. He's one of us."

Sheriff Craig Roberts also had high praise for Izenberg.

"It's an absolute honor to have someone of his caliber who is willing to dedicate his time and effort to our office, to benefit not only our deputies, but also the citizens that we serve," said Roberts. "His service overseas is also exemplary. He's the best of the best, and he's over there treating our soldiers."

For Izenberg, it is about giving back to the community.

"I think every citizen owes their community something," he said. "How we give back to the other members of our community is our choice, but we all need to do it in some way -- through charity, or by helping the needy -- or by doing what police officers, firefighters and paramedics do: risking their lives to save the lives of others.

"I think that makes them pretty special. They are the real heroes."

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