Read about Dr. Robert Tober:

In 1978, a young Emergency Physician, Robert Tober interviewed at NCH Naples Hospital. It was not only the opportunity to be the first in his specialty to practice in Naples that drew him here. It was also the obvious need to revamp a "rural ambulance service to meet the needs of a growing, vital population. He intended to stay just a year, then return to his native St. Louis. Fortunately for all of us, he has chosen to stay.

That first year, he initiated an Advanced Life Support Emergency Medical System for Collier County, earning licensure by February, 1979. Its value became evident nearly immediately - on its second day of operation, paramedic Joe Fungiello, working on the radio with Dr. Tober, saved the life of a 55-year old cardiologist from Wayne State University who had gone into cardiac arrest while visiting Marco Island. Dr. Tober, Paramedic Fungiello, and the cardiologist made the national news that evening. Neither Dr. Tober nor Emergency Medicine in Collier County has looked back. In 1980, Dr. Tober received the Distinguished Service Award from the Naples Jaycees.

By 1986, Dr. Tober had assumed the chairmanship of the Department of Emergency and Ambulatory Medicine for the NCH Naples Hospital of the NCH Hospitals and its Affiliates. At the same time, he joined the Governing Board on EMS Education and the Faculty of the University of Miami. 1986 was also the year that Dr. Tober became a faculty member at Edison Community College in Paramedic Medicine and an Affiliate Faculty member of the American Heart Association.. In 1993, he was elected to the Governing Board of the Florida College of emergency Physicians. In 1994, he received the Raymond Alexander Award for Florida EMS Medical Director of the Year. In 1999, he was elected president of the Florida College of Emergency Physicians. That same year, Collier County EMS received the award as the finest EMS service in the State of Florida and in year 2000, Collier County EMS was awarded the nation's top honor as 2000 EMS Paramedic Service of the Year by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics.

Meanwhile, the greater Naples community was experiencing rapid growth, and its emergency medicine needs were expanding and changing. Although more doctors, walk-in clinics, and satellite locations were appearing continuously, the traffic to the Emergency Room remained steady, and even grew. More importantly, those coming to the ER represented increasingly more serious injury or illness, as less serious problems were being handled in non-emergency settings.

Providing for a fluctuating population base and an unpredictable need for emergency services, too, remains a constant challenge. During peak season, residents and tourists can as much as double the demand on all services, including emergency care.

In fact, more than 85,000 patients were treated in the NCH Naples Hospital and the NCH North Naples Hospital Emergency Centers in the past year alone. That's more than 230 on average per day. In 2001, Robert Tober received the Physician of the year award from the NCH Healthcare System.

A Critical Focus
Within the world of emergency medicine, however, one area stands out as most critical. Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in our country today accounting for more than 40% of all deaths. Up to 600,000 people nationwide suffer cardiac arrest, and 60,000 in Florida lose their lives to cardiac problems each year. Many more suffer devastating losses in their quality of life.

Yet, it doesn't have to be so. First heart attacks used to kill 20-30% of victims, but the mortality rate continues to drop. In fact, chances of survival increase from 3 to 70% if the delay in treatment can be reduced from 7-8 minutes to 3 minutes.

For this reason, Dr. Tober and the NCH Emergency Team has chosen to actively participate in drug studies in the treatment of heart attack and stroke. Since the early 1980's, NCH has participated in several major studies, often as a chief investigative site.

• In 1982, Dr. Tober was clinical investigator for the use of a new drug called Metoprolol to be used in acute heart attacks. NCH Naples Hospital was the largest enroller of patients in the state of Florida . Today, that drug is an American Heart Association standard in heart attack care.
• In 1990, Dr. Tober was Co-investigator in the ISIS III Acute MI Study assessing the proper dosages of a new class of drugs called Clot Busters (Streptokinase versus Tissue Plasminogen Activator). NCH was the largest enroller again in the state of Florida .
• In 1991, he was co-investigator in the GUSTO World Study taking another hard look at streptokinase versus tissue plasminogen activator.
• In 1998, he was co-investigator in new drug regimens for sparing brain injury during acute stroke. In 2000, he initiated the Code Gray Program to attack acute stroke injury as fast as possible, in conjunction with the Departments of Radiology and Neurology.
• In 2000, he initiated the Code Save-A-Heart Program which has now received world attention and reported the lowest mortality for acute MI anywhere on the planet. Code Save-A-Heart is a program of Direct Infarct Angioplasty where heart attack patients are taken immediately to the cardiac cath lab at NCH Naples Hospital and have their blocked artery immediately opened by mechanical means by an interventional cardiologist on-call 24 hours per day 7 days per week.

With this exceptional experience, and an inside track to the newest therapies, Collier County stands at the cutting edge of cardiac medicine. In fact the NCH team's ability to intervene in acute cardiac cases far surpasses most areas.
   
The excellence of the work is reflected in its results - according to the State of Florida, Collier County has the lowest mortality rate for acute heart attacks in the state. That's a statistic we can all celebrate.