East Georgia Medical Center (EGRMC) hosted a cookout at the hospital on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 to honor the men and women who serve our community through local EMS services during EMS Week.
The 2023 EMS week theme is "Where Emergency Care Begins."
The goal of EMS week and the luncheon at the hospital is to bring attention to the tireless work and sacrifices these heroes provide for our community.
The Dean of local EMS services is Paramedic Jeff Smith. Jeff has been serving our community for over 46 years and currently works as a Paramedic with Central EMS.
"EMT's are truly the unsung heroes in emergency medicine. They work long hours, serving high volumes of patients and often travel great distances to ensure the best level of care possible is given to every patient," said Jeff Smith. "It is refreshing that EGRMC and others choose to recognize us during EMS week."
As our community grows, the demand on the local EMS services is growing exponentially.
Bulloch County EMS is the primary ambulance service who is responsible for all of the 911 Emergency calls in Bulloch County. They employee a little over 50 EMT's, Paramedics and support staff members who are housed in two stations. The primary station is on Grady street, with a substation in Brooklet. Bulloch County has a third station under construction in Portal, located beside the fire station.
In addition to Bulloch County EMS, Air Evac medical helicopter service and private EMS companies, including Central EMS and Signature EMS teams, were among those honored at the cookout for serving our area.
"It is important for us to recognize the EMS services for the job they do for our community. Often with the first contact to our patients, they are vital to our high level of care," said Katie Wolf, EGRMC Director of Professional Outreach.
Find a Way To Share Your Gratitude with EMS
Grice Connect witnesses these phenomenally dedicated and talented emergency workers in action on a daily basis.
We are always impressed with their commitment, expertise and patience to manage such a wide array of emergency responses daily.
Please take time this week to find a way to thank each of our local EMS practitioners. They unselfishly serve our communities in extraordinary ways, 24/7 to keep us all safe.
Each of them have been asked to give so much more and again and again they have answered the call.
They are often the first to respond and the last to be recognized for their critical service.