Paramedics Celebrated for Years of Service
A complete list of recipients and paramedics with media availability can be found at www.emci.ca/news/media . Photos of recipients will be available after the ceremony.
Forty Nova Scotia Emergency Health Services paramedics received long service awards today, May 26, from Health and Wellness Minister Maureen MacDonald.
The Paramedic Long Service Award is based on years of service to Nova Scotia by paramedics and others who provide emergency health services. The award is based on five-year increments of service of 20 years and more.
"EHS paramedics play a crucial role in providing better health care to Nova Scotians and their families," said Ms. MacDonald. "On a daily basis, they provide many with much-needed emergency care and are the faces of calm experience, when most people are in their greatest time of need. It's important to take time to recognize their valuable contribution to health care and public safety."
Paramedics with 20 years of service receive a medal for their dress uniform. For each additional five-year increment, paramedics receive a service bar pinned on the medal.
Over the past 20 years, the paramedic profession has gone through a significant evolution, from simply transporting patients to providing basic and advanced life support using state-of-the-art equipment.
Paramedics are providing primary care in some communities, in partnership with health-care professionals such as family physicians and nurses. This care includes immunizations, assessment and care of patients after discharge and wellness checks. Senior citizens in Halifax Regional Municipality now have on-site access to Extended Care Paramedics in their nursing homes, and paramedics will play an important role in providing 24-hour access to emergency care in the province's Collaborative Emergency Centres.
Emergency Health Services is a division of the Department of Health and Wellness. It is responsible for the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of pre-hospital emergency health services in the province. In November 2004, the province's ground ambulance system became the first Canadian ambulance service accredited through the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services. It recognizes Nova Scotia's ground ambulance system as one of the best in North America.