Walter S. Graf

Walter Samuel Graf (July 15, 1917 – October 18, 2015) was an American cardiologist. He was a pioneer in establishing paramedic emergency care, "one of a handful of doctors who created the modern paramedic emergency system".

Career He had a private practice in Los Angeles as a cardiologist, primarily at the Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital in Inglewood, California, and also at Los Angeles County Hospital, both of which he served as chief of staff. He was a clinical professor for Loma Linda University and the University of Southern California, and chaired both the State Commission on Emergency Medical Services and the California Medical Association Committee on Emergency Medicine.

Emergency medical care During the 1960s he created a dedicated coronary care unit at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital, thought to be the first such unit on the West Coast. It was the first nationally accredited paramedic training program in the United States. A 1973 follow-up study of transported cardiac patients indicated that trained paramedic firefighters performed as well as nurses; that trained personnel performed equally well whether using the special coronary response van or a regular ambulance; and that response time was twice as fast when paramedics were called compared to when a physician was called. The program he started at Freeman Hospital merged with the UCLA Center for Prehospital Care in 1999. Paramedic training was carried out at the old Freeman Hospital location, in a building known as the Walter S. Graf Center, before moving to 5220 Pacific Concourse Drive in 2015.

Personal life Graf was married four times and had nine children and stepchildren. He is buried at the Hillside Memorial Park in Los Angeles.