Marietta, GA-May 3, 2013—-Local Cobb County ambulance provider, MetroAtlanta Ambulance Service was awarded the 2013 Emergency Medical Service of the Year for the State of Georgia. Also nominated and recognized for their outstanding service where Paramedics Kim Mathews, Phil Douglas and Holly Desenberg.
The annual banquet held at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth, Georgia was hosted by the Georgia Association of Emergency Medical Services (GAEMS) and attended by EMS providers from around the State of Georgia. Courtney Terwilliger, Chairman of GAEMS and the Governors EMS Advisory Committee along with Keith Wages, Director of the State Office of EMS and Trauma presented the distinguished award to MetroAtlanta Ambulance Service President and CEO, Pete Quinones. Surrounded by his management team and uniformed employees, Quinones stated, “I am humbled by and grateful for the recognition given the quality EMS services around this great state that were nominated for this award and I accept this on behalf the management and professional staff of more than 300 employees that work for us to diligently provide the highest quality patient care and customer service to the citizens in Cobb County and throughout Georgia”. Quinones also thanked his management team and his medical directors for their commitment to ensure the company is providing services in compliance with the industries highest quality standards of care. GAEMS Chairman, Courtney Terwilliger also recognized Quinones for his company’s consistent commitment to and ongoing support of the communities they serve through volunteerism as well as philanthropic support; “the list is long but, MetroAtlanta Ambulance’s recent donation to help build the Cobb County Safety Village is just one great example of their commitment to ensuring the health and safety of kids in Cobb County. There any many, many more examples of what they’ve done in their community but we’d be here all night.”
MetroAtlanta Ambulance Paramedic Kim Mathews was awarded the Mary Beth Bowns Excellence in Trauma Award for her actions of outstanding trauma care provided. On her way to work traveling down I-75 she witnessed a truck driver, while exiting his vehicle on the side of the road, get struck by a passing vehicle. Mathews stopped and immediately began performing CPR until the ambulance arrived. She then gave a complete description of the auto that struck the victim and police later apprehended the driver. The truck driver survived traumatic cardiac arrest due to the selflessness and quality care provided by Paramedic Mathews.
MetroAtlanta Ambulance Paramedic Phil Douglas was recognized as the Georgia EMT-Paramedic of the Year Award for his significant contributions to EMS at the community, regional and state level. Phil Douglas began his 27 year EMS Career in Cobb County, Georgia while in high school and eventually started, owned and operated his own private ambulance service which he later sold to return to what he really loved, being a medic. Phil has participated in several EMS support mission overseas and most recently began gathering supplies and sending care packages and letters of encouragement and support to deployed combat medics in Afghanistan. He created a Facebook page titled “Medics Military Missions” to harness support from around the globe for deployed medics. Phil’s efforts have resulted in medical personnel from throughout the country getting involved in his philanthropic project. To date over two tons of supplies have been delivered by Phil’s Friends to military installations in Afghanistan. MetroAtlanta Ambulance CEO Pete Quinones stated, “ Our medics recognized tonight are all great representative of the quality of people in this industry and are exceptional representatives of our company, this community and are certainly role models for all of us.”
MetroAtlanta Ambulance is a 9-1-1 ambulance service provider for Cobb County including the cities of Acworth, Kennesaw, Marietta and Smyrna. The company is one of less than 200 EMS providers in the nation to receive accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services signifying they meet the EMS industries highest quality standards in patient care and customer service. MetroAtlanta Ambulance provides contract ambulance services for 14 hospitals throughout the greater-Atlanta area and North Georgia.