In celebration of National Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Week, Steward Health Care System hosted the “EMS Stewards of the Community” Award Ceremony on May 24. Boston-based Steward, which operates four hospitals in Mahoning Valley and Sharon, PA, will recognize three EMS providers including McGonigle Ambulance’s Todd King for going “above and beyond” in their interactions with patients at Sharon Regional Medical Center. The awards are part of the healthcare provider’s focus on exceptional emergency service this week – which includes a print and digital media campaign that features Mercer County and Brookfield, Ohio emergency medical personnel.

“EMS providers are unsung heroes on the front lines in the battle against illness and injury,” said Brendan Hayden, System Vice President for EMS at Steward Health Care, who will attend the ceremony. “We are immensely proud to honor their hard work and commitment to quality care with these annual awards.”  

The “EMS Stewards of the Community” awards, took place at the Squaw Creek Country Club in Vienna, Ohio and showed appreciation for emergency medical responders, emergency medical technicians, advanced emergency medical technicians, and paramedics who not only carry out the noble work of caring for others, but do so with a high degree of expertise, professionalism, and compassion. An internal committee of physicians and EMS Directors selected the award recipients among current providers in communities served by Steward. As part of National EMS Week, the healthcare provider also launched a media campaign this week featuring area emergency medical personnel.

Across all of the communities it serves, Steward Health Care is committed to providing the highest quality of emergency care. In December, the company launched a one-year pilot of Twiage, an HIPAA-compliant app that allows emergency responders to share patient information with hospital personnel in real-time and expedites the delivery of lifesaving care. First responders will use their smartphones to share patient data, videos and photos to ensure the hospital is well-prepared when the ambulance reaches the hospital.

“In emergency care, speed and information save lives,” Hayden said. “With Twiage, Steward’s emergency departments in the Mahoning Valley will be able to treat people even more quickly, delivering the highest standard of care to patients across the communities in which they live.”

Since the pilot program’s launch, a number municipal fire departments and private ambulance companies in the Mercer County area have utilized Twiage, including: Brookfield Fire, Elite, LifeForce, McGonigle, and Superior agencies. 

About Steward Health Care - Sharon, Northside, Trumbull, and Hillside

Steward is a fully integrated national health care service organization that is committed to providing the highest quality of care in the community where our patients live. Sharon Regional Medical Center, in Sharon PA, Northside Regional Medical Center in Youngstown, OH, and Trumbull Regional Medical Center in Warren, OH, are full service hospitals offering a broad spectrum of inpatient, surgical, diagnostic and outpatient services. Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital is a distinguished acute rehabilitation hospital located in Warren that provides multifaceted inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services.  This network of hospitals also operates several affiliated outpatient facilities throughout the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys including surgical services, urgent care, walk-in clinic, diagnostic, sports medicine, lab and occupational health. Together we provide care for hundreds of thousands of patients every year. To learn more visit www.Steward.org 

About Steward Health Care

Steward Health Care, the largest private, for-profit hospital operator in the United States, is a physician-led health care services organization committed to providing the highest quality of care in the communities where patients live. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Steward operates 38 community hospitals in the United States and the country of Malta, that regularly receive top awards for quality and safety. The company employs approximately 40,000 health care professionals. The Steward network includes more than 25 urgent care centers, 42 preferred skilled nursing facilities, substantial behavioral health services, over 7,300 beds under management, and approximately 1.5 million full risk covered lives through the company's managed care and health insurance services. The total number of paneled lives within Steward's integrated care network is projected to reach 3 million in 2018.

Steward's unique health care service delivery model leverages technology, innovation, and care coordination to keep patients healthier. With a culture that prioritizes agility, resourcefulness, and continuous improvement, Steward is recognized as one of the world’s leading accountable care organizations. The Steward Health Care Network includes thousands of physicians who help to provide more than 12 million patient encounters per year. Steward Medical Group, the company's employed physician group, provides more than 4 million patient encounters per year. The Steward Hospital Group operates hospitals in Malta and states across the U.S. including Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah.