Hanging with and Recognizing the Stars of Life

JEMS Editor-in-Chief, A.J. Heightman joined this year’s American Ambulance Association (AAA) Stars of Life on Tuesday, a day that started with an early morning breakfast in advance of visits to Capitol Hill with AAA representatives and agency officials to meet with their U.S. senators and representatives and ended with a cocktail hour, banquet and awards reception. During breakfast and over cocktails and at dinner, A.J. enjoyed meeting several of the Stars, hearing their stories personally and learning why they’re being recognized. The annual banquet and awards reception held at the Empire Ballroom of the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., opened with the U.S. Military Honor Guard and the singing of the national anthem. AAA president Mark Postma then took the stage and surprised A.J. by bringing him up and asking about the resuscitation he was recently involved in during February’s EMS Today Conference Committee meeting in Charlotte, N.C. As A.J. finished recounting the tale, Northwell Health EMS's Jonathan Washko joined them onstage, revealing to the crowd that he was the patient saved that night and presenting A.J. with an honorary Star of Life, which he humbly accepted and shares with the entire team who responded that night, including Jeremy Mothershed from Havre deGrace, Md.; Christian Griffin from Baltimore County Fire Dept.; Wayne Zygowicz from Littleton (Colo.) Fire Dept.; and the EMTs and paramedics of the Charlotte Fire Department and Medic, the Me...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: News Administration and Leadership Source Type: news