PROFESSIONAL AMBULANCE SERVICE STAFF TO BE HONORED WITH METROPOLITAN BOSTON EMS COUNCIL REGION IV AWARDS

Pro EMS Operations Supervisor Brian Kelley Awarded EMS Supervisor of the Year, and Director of Pro EMS Center for MEDICS Chris Kerley Awarded EMS Educator of the Year

Cambridge, Mass., October 17, 2008 – Professional Ambulance Service, one of the premiere providers of emergency medical services in Massachusetts, announces two of its staff has won a prestigious Metropolitan Boston EMS Council (MBEMSC) Regional EMS Award. The MBEMSC awards are given to recognize the accomplishments of emergency medical services (EMS) providers who have made significant contributions within Region IV, the sixty-two cities and towns comprising the Metropolitan Boston area.

Brian Kelley, Operations Supervisor at Professional Ambulance, has been selected Region IV EMS Supervisor of the Year; and Chris Kerley, Director of the Pro EMS Center for MEDICS, has won Region IV EMS Educator of the Year. Both Kelley and Kerley will be honored at the eighth annual MBEMSC Region IV EMS awards dinner on October 23, 2008, at the American Legion Post 440 in Newton, Mass.

The MBEMSC Regional EMS Awards were created to bring recognition to those individuals striving to improve the delivery of pre-hospital care within their service area. There are fourteen award categories, with one individual recognized in each category. The Supervisor of the Year award is presented to a medically trained EMS Supervisor within Region IV who performs meritorious service above and beyond the expectations of the profession. The Educator of the Year award is given to an EMS instructor who is dedicated to quality instruction and promoting the best in pre-hospital care or has made an outstanding contribution to EMS education within Region IV.

 “It is an honor to have Brian and Chris recognized for their dedication and service to our community, and for their efforts to continually improve the delivery of pre-hospital care in the field of EMS,” said Bill Mergendahl, CEO of Professional Ambulance Service (Pro EMS) and the Pro EMS Center for MEDICS.

Brian Kelley, Region IV EMS Supervisor of the Year, has served with Professional Ambulance Service for nearly 11 years, currently as Operations Supervisor.  Brian has been a constant advocate for excellence, working tirelessly to improve patient care and safety. As Community Education Coordinator for Pro EMS, Brian has been responsible for the training of thousands of laypersons to save lives. Chris Kerley, Region IV EMS Educator of the Year, leads the Pro EMS Center for MEDICS, a training center adjacent to Pro EMS that is home to the first fully functioning simulation lab for emergency medical services in the Northeast. Originally from Ireland, Chris has had a diverse international career in emergency medicine and also served as the clinical coordinator for EMS instruction at Northeastern University. Kerley is an innovative teacher devoted to education and learning who has worked with thousands of EMS providers within the Region IV EMS System.

Other members from the Cambridge EMS system who will be receiving MBEMSC Regional IV EMS Awards are Nick DiIeso, COO of Mt. Auburn Hospital, who will be awarded EMS Leader of the Year; Dr. Luis Lobon, EMS Medical Control Physician from Cambridge Health Alliance, who will be awarded EMS Physician of the Year; and Leanne Schofield, RN at Mt. Auburn Hospital, who will be honored as EMS Nurse of the Year.
 
The Metropolitan Boston Emergency Medical Services Council, Inc. (MBEMSC) is the agency designated by the DPH to coordinate the delivery of emergency medical services within the sixty-two cities and towns comprising the Metropolitan Boston Area. The Region IV area, which extends north as far as Wilmington and Littleton, west as far as Marlborough and Hopkinton, and south as far as Wrentham and Hanover, serves as residence to over 2 million people, and accounts for close to 1 million emergency department visits in the Region's hospitals each year. There are 70 licensed ambulance services and 25 acute care hospitals in the Region IV area. 

About Professional Ambulance Service
Professional Ambulance Service provides emergency medical services to the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts in conjunction with the Cambridge Fire, Police, Emergency Communications and Public Health Departments. Additionally, Pro EMS provides emergency medical services to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Professional Ambulance has proudly served the citizens, students, and visitors of Cambridge for over 35 years. For more information, visit www.proems.com or call 617.492.2700

PRESS CONTACTS:  

Christine Dunn
Savoir Media Co.
Telephone: (617) 484-1660
Email: cdunn@savoirmedia.com

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