PEMS Announces the 2022 Regional EMS Award Winners
The Peninsulas Emergency Medical Services (PEMS) Council, Inc., is proud to announce the 2022 Regional EMS award winners recognizing the outstanding achievements and notable work of individuals, agencies, organizations and facilities who provide emergency medical services in the PEMS region (Peninsula, Middle Peninsula, and Northern Neck). After a two-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, PEMS held its annual Regional EMS Awards Ceremony at Busch Gardens to give special recognition to our nominees and award winners.
This year’s theme EMS Strong: Rising to the Challenge is a relevant message for those in the EMS profession and reminds us that every day we are faced with so many new challenges in our lives and yet we still rise above them all and continue to respond, support, and care for the needs of our communities. EMS Strong reminds us that strength in our field can be found in a variety of ways: bravery, self-sacrifice, passion and dedication. Those in EMS are challenged to find both physical and mental strength daily.
“Most of us tend to take for granted that when we need it, we will have ready-access to a comprehensive, coordinated and efficient Emergency Medical Care System (EMS) system provided by caring, knowledgeable and skilled clinicians. That kind of a system does not just happen. It is the result of tens-of-thousands of hours of hard work, undertaken by thousands of dedicated individuals’, said Michael Player, Executive Director of the Peninsulas EMS Council, Inc.
“Recognizing the excellence in our EMS system through the Regional EMS Awards program, is critical to ensuring that their hard work does not go unnoticed, unappreciated, and most importantly, unsupported. The Peninsulas EMS Council is proud to showcase its high-performance system, and the individuals and agencies selected by their peers, who make our communities a better and safer place to live and work.”
Recipients of this year’s regional awards will have the chance to compete for the prestigious 2022 Governor’s EMS Awards, which will be announced in November at the 42nd Annual Virginia EMS Symposium in Norfolk, VA. Winners will be presented with a trophy and a certificate signed by the Governor.
The 2022 Peninsulas EMS Council Regional Award Recipients:
- Excellence in EMS (Michael B. Player Award) – Gary W. Samuels, NRP, EMS Outreach Coordinator, Bon Secours Health System
- Outstanding EMS Leadership (Russell Lowry, Jr. Award) –Battalion Chief Melissa M. Doak, NRP, York County Department of Fire and Life Safety
- Outstanding EMS Agency – Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance
- Outstanding Prehospital Provider (Joseph B. Howard Award) – Captain Tyler N. Reid, NRP, York County Department of Fire and Life Safety
- Innovation Excellence in EMS – Andre R. Dorsey, NRP, CARE Program, Newport News Fire Department
- Outstanding Contribution to EMS by a Physician (Gaylord W. Ray, M.D. Award) – James W. McCorry, D.O., Emergency Physician, Chief Medical Officer, Riverside Williamsburg Doctor’s Hospital
- Outstanding Contribution to EMS by a Nurse (Melissa Holloway, R.N. Award) – Lou Ann Miller, RN, Trauma Program Manager, Riverside Regional Medical Center
- Outstanding Prehospital Educator – Donna M. Galganski-Pabst, NRP, Paramedic/EMS Educator, James City County Fire Department, York County Department of Fire and Life Safety
- Outstanding Contribution to EMS for Children – PEMS Pediatric Protocol Re-Write Committee, (Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, Peninsulas EMS Council, Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU Health)
- Outstanding Contribution to EMS Health and Safety – Assistant Chief Andrew J. Waters, NRP, York County Department of Fire and Life Safety
- Outstanding EMS Telecommunications Dispatcher – Tiffani P. Soult, Emergency Telecommunicator/Dispatcher, James City County Emergency Communications Center
- Outstanding Contribution to EMS Preparedness and Response – Richmond County Department of Emergency Services
- Outstanding Contribution to EMS by a High School Senior ($1,000 Scholarship) – Olivia N. Schulz, EMT, Gloucester Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad, Gloucester High School/Chesapeake Bay Governor’s School for Marine and Environmental Science
- Outstanding EMS Call - Newport News Fire Department - Ethanol Fire with Multiple Burn Victims
President’s Awards:
- Exceptional Services for the PEMS Council as Board Member 2017-2022 - James W. Brann, NRP, Middle Peninsula City/County Government Representative
- Exceptional Services for the PEMS Council as Board Member 2016-2022 -Jason A. Sweet, NRP, Peninsula Licensed EMS Agency Representative
- Exceptional Services for the PEMS Council 1991-2022 - Lou Ann Miller, RN, 30 Years Hampton Roads Trauma Symposium, PEMS Trauma Triage Committee, PEMS Performance Improvement Committee, Virginia Trauma System Plan Task Force, EMS Advisory Board Trauma Administrative and Governance Committee
Partnership Awards:
- Platinum Partnership Award – Riverside Health System
- Gold Partnership Award – Sentara Healthcare
- Silver Partnership Award – VCU Health
- Bronze Partnership Award – Busch Gardens Williamsburg
