The AMH Emergency Medical Services team celebrated national EMS Week (May 17-21) with several events, most notably a picnic held Friday at the hospital’s EMS location in Bethalto. Jason Bowman, EMS manager, and EMS coordinator Rachel Lair honored several of their team members with awards for outstanding service in 2020 and also this year.
"We are grateful for each and every one of these people on EMS Week, but also every week of the year,” Bowman said. “They deserve all the attention and honors that they receive.”
Eight different crews received plaques for cardiac arrest saves where the patient was able to walk out of the hospital. There were three such teams in 2020: Matt Simons/Kyle Crafton; Jared Engelke/Steve Carlson; and Mike Mulrean/Kristin Mollet. Five teams who have had similar saves in 2021 are Tara Bellitto /Aaron Darr; Harold Brooks /Rebecca Juhl; Mike Mulrean /Jack Taylor; Mike Akers /Misty Durbin; and Meghan Osterbur /JackTaylor.
Pins were also awarded to crew members who treated cardiac arrest patients who survived at least 48 hours. Those honored were Harold Brooks, Misty Durbin and Mike Mulrean.
Layla Simons, paramedic, received an award for the most capnography readings as well as the most port accesses in 2020. A capnograpy is the monitoring of the concentration or partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the respiratory gases.
Other 2020 awards went to Meghan Osterbur, paramedic, for most EKGs, as well as the most 12- and 15-leads in the field; Mark Vann, EMT, most BLS transports; Harold Brooks, paramedic, most defibrillations in the field; Jonathan Hayes, paramedic, most intubations in the field; and Mike Akers, paramedic, most successful IVs in the field.
St. Mary’s School Honors EMS With Donation
Alton Memorial Hospital’s EMS team was treated with a surprise delivery from St. Mary’s School on May 18. Beth Hogg, Dean of Students at St. Mary’s, delivered handmade thank you cards, cookies, fruit, and gift cards to the staff.
“Beth also informed me that the students had collected and raised money on their own to support our local first responders during EMS Week,” said Jason Bowman, manager of EMS at AMS. “This is a truly awesome gesture from our young community members.”
Above left: An Air Evac Lifeteam copter comes in for a landing over an AMH ambulance during the EMS Week picnic May 21 in Bethalto.
Below: AMH COO Brad Goacher, left, and EMS manager Jason Bowman, right, handed out awards at the picnic. First photo: Matt Simons and Kyle Crafton. Second photo: Layla Simons. Third photo: Mike Mulrean. Fourth photo: Harold Brooks, Misty Durbin, Mike Mulrean.
