The second annual  “EMS Stewards of the Community” Awards Ceremony was held on May 22 at Tiffany’s Event Center in Brookfield. Pictured from left are Tom Perry, Audrey Hartwick, Shyanne Laskey, Marie Johnson, Jared Clemente, and Joe Hugar. (Photo by jmt photography).

In celebration of National Emergency Medical Service (EMS) week, May 19-24th, Sharon Regional Medical Center and Trumbull Regional Medical Center, part of Steward Health Care,  hosted the “EMS Stewards of the Community” Awards Ceremony on May 22th at Tiffany’s Event Center located in Brookfield, Ohio. The Steward organizations combined forces to recognize select EMS providers for going “above and beyond” in their interactions with patients.

“Every day, the brave men and women of EMS demonstrate their rigorous training, compassion, and willingness to serve others, said Joseph Hugar, President of Sharon Regional Medical  Center. “ This is an opportunity to recognize their outstanding contributions to EMS professions and their quality of care to the patients they serve.”

The “EMS Stewards of the Community” awards show appreciation for emergency medical responders, emergency medical technicians and 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, employees and EMS directors selected recipients based on identified criteria among current providers in communities in Mercer County in Pennsylvania and Trumbull and Mahoning counties in Ohio.

The event also featured key note speaker, Joseph Mistovich, M.Ed., NRP, who has served for the past 23 years as the Chairperson and Associate Professor in the Department of Health Professions at Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio.  He has more than thirty-six years of experience as an educator in emergency medical services and multidisciplinary health care. In addition, he has authored fifteen EMS textbooks and more than fifty EMS journal articles and is a frequent speaker at state and national EMS clinical and education conferences He spoke to the group of close to 120 attendees about “My Personal Experiences in EMS, Ten Things to Share with Current EMS Providers.”

“This week is our opportunity to take the time to honor and recognize true heroes.  The awards are a true testament of what great providers we have among us and how much they have dedicated their lives to provide a public service to our community,” stated Thomas Perry, NRP, FF1, director of emergency management and security for Sharon Regional Medical Center.

Sharon Regional Medical Center presented awards in 6 categories to the following individuals:
• Steward of the Community Award:  Marie Johnson, AEMT, Superior Ambulance
Marie was nominated by her coworkers for exceptional care and for going above and beyond to provide high quality care for her patients.
• STEMI Care: 
o David Metheney, Paramedic, Life Force Ambulance
o Autumn Sloan, EMT-B, Life Force Ambulance
Both David (Jay) and Autumn were nominated for the care for a patient that was a cardiac care patient earlier this year.
• Stroke Care: 
o Audrey Hartwick, Paramedic, Elite EMS
o Paul Tobin, EMT-B, Elite EMS
Both Audrey and Paul were nominated by a Sharon Regional employee for their exceptional patient care for the care of a stroke patient
• Professional of the Year:  Jared Clemente, EMT-B, McGonigle Ambulance
Jared was nominated for his professionalism and commitment to his patients and service to those in the communities he serves.
• Lifetime Achievement Award:  Shyanne, Laskey, AEMT, Superior EMS
Shyanne was nominated by a local EMS instructor who recognized her for her dedication and for her professional accomplishments in the pre-hospital care setting.
• Life Saving Award:
o Joshua Coppick, Paramedic, McGonigle Ambulance
o Frances King, EMT-B, McGonigle Ambulance
Joshua and Frances were both nominated in recognition for their exceptional care for a patient in cardiac arrest.