GLOUCESTER — The Peninsulas Emergency Medical Services Council Inc. recently announced its 2025 Regional EMS Award Recipients and recognized organizations, agencies and individuals who worked to assist the Commonwealth’s EMS agencies to transition in how they received emergency patient care medications.
PEMS recognized the achievements and notable work of individuals, agencies, organizations, and facilities that provide emergency medical services in the PEMS region — Peninsula, Middle Peninsula, and Northern Neck.
“Most people tend to take for granted that when they need it, they will have ready access to a comprehensive, coordinated, and efficient Emergency Medical Care System provided by caring, knowledgeable and skilled emergency medical clinicians just by dialing 911. That kind of a system does not just happen. It is the result of tens-of-thousands of hours of hard work, undertaken by thousands of dedicated individuals,” said Michael Player, Executive Director of the Peninsulas EMS Council Inc.
Recognizing the excellence in the EMS system through PEMS Regional EMS Awards program is critical to ensuring that the EMS providers’ hard work does not go unnoticed, unappreciated and unsupported, according to the organization.
With the exception of the Outstanding EMS Call, recipients of this year’s PEMS’ Regional Awards will have the chance to compete for the 2025 Governor’s EMS Awards, which will be announced and presented by the Governor at the Executive Mansion in Richmond later this year.
View a description of the awards criteria on the PEMS website.
The 2025 Peninsulas EMS Council Regional Award Recipients:
- Excellence in EMS (Michael B. Player Award) – Mitchell L. Paulette, Richmond County Department of Emergency Services
- Outstanding EMS Agency – LifeCare Medical Transport
- Outstanding Prehospital Provider (Joseph B. Howard Award) – Jasen M. Plocharczyk, James City County Fire Department
- Innovation Excellence in EMS – James City County Fire Department Advanced Care Paramedic Program
- Outstanding EMS Leadership (Russell Lowry, Jr. Award) – Mary E. “Betsy” Sink, James City County Fire Department
- Outstanding Contribution to EMS by a Physician (Gaylord W. Ray, M.D. Award) – Amir K. Louka, M.D., PEMS Regional Medical Director
- Outstanding Contribution to EMS by a Nurse (Melissa Holloway, R.N. Award) – Nicole Duck, RN, Riverside Regional Medical Center
- Outstanding Prehospital Educator – Willard B. Hicks, IV, VCU Health Critical Care Transport Network
- Outstanding Contribution to EMS for Children – Joseph Khoury, MD, Children’s Hospital of Richmond
- Outstanding Contribution to EMS Health and Safety – James E. “Bud” Richardson, York County Department of Fire and Life Safety
- Outstanding EMS Telecommunications Dispatcher – Brien Lee, Peninsula Regional Emergency Communication Center
- Outstanding Contribution to EMS Preparedness and Response – Stephen C. Pincus, Peninsulas EMS Council
- Outstanding Contribution to EMS by a Student ($1,000 Scholarship) – Addison M. Boughan, Gloucester County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad, Abingdon Volunteer Fire and Rescue, Gloucester High School
- Outstanding EMS Call – James City County Fire Department – Cardiac Arrest with Dual Sequential Defibrillation
Special Recognition Awards:
- AHA Training Center – Bon Secours Rappahannock General Hospital American Heart Association Training Center
- Coordination of the PEMS Regional EMS Medication Kit Transition – Travis Veach
- EMS Communications System – Peninsula Regional Communications Center
- Financial Support – PEMS Regional EMS Medication Kit Transition –Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, Riverside Health, and Sentara Healthcare
- Mobile Integrated Healthcare Workgroup – Amy Ashe
- Regional Trauma Program – Cassie Herman, RN, Riverside Regional Medical Center
Partnership Awards:
- PEMS Platinum Partnership Award – Sentara Healthcare
- PEMS Gold Partnership Award – Riverside Health System
- PEMS Silver Partnership Award – Bon Secours Health System
- PEMS Silver Partnership Award – Busch Gardens Williamsburg
- PEMS Bronze Partnership Award – Chesapeake Bank/Chesapeake Wealth Management
Peninsulas EMS Council Recognizes Statewide Effort to Assist EMS Agencies Meet New Regulations
PEMS also recognized 14 organizations and agencies, as well as 54 individuals, who worked for eighteen months to assist the Commonwealth’s over 500 EMS agencies to successfully accomplish a forced transition in how they received emergency patient care medications.
The transition was required by FDA regulations created by the Drug Supply Chain Security Act, which ended a four-decade process that allowed EMS agencies to receive their medications through hospital-stocked regional EMS medication kits, according to the organization. These EMS medication Kits were exchanged one-for-one at the hospital when an agency delivered their patient to a hospital emergency department.
Virginia’s regional EMS councils had a little more than a year to help EMS agencies complete the transition from hospital-stocked regional EMS medication kits to EMS agency-owned and stocked medication kits, PEMS noted. That deadline was ultimately extended another five months until April. Working with stakeholder groups, agencies and organizations throughout the Commonwealth, along with subject matter experts, they developed the Virginia Regional EMS Medication Kit Transition Workgroup to provide EMS Agencies with information, tools and guidance to help them transition their medication supply and resupply systems by the deadline.
For the last eighteen months, PEMS noted the Workgroup helped the Virginia Board of Pharmacy develop new EMS-informed emergency regulations as well as final regulations. They staffed tool teams for Controlled Substance Registration and DEA Licensure, and assisted with the development of Policies and Procedures, Purchasing, Financial Assistance, and Environmental Quality and Pharmaceutical Waste. They also created educational workshops for EMS Agencies and acted as subject matter experts to provide guidance in the use of their tools. The workgroup was supported by dozens of individuals and agencies who also shared their time and expertise to assist the transition.
As a result of their work, almost all the over 500 EMS agencies in the Commonwealth successfully transitioned from hospital-stocked regional EMS medication kits to agency-owned and stocked kits, PEMS said.
The 2025 Peninsulas EMS Council Regional Special Recognition was awarded to the Virginia Regional EMS Medication Kit Transition Workgroup. Recognized were:
Virginia Regional EMS Council Directors Group
- Gill B. Abernathy, MS, RPh, EMS Pharmacy Committee, Northern VA Emergency Response System
- MaryKathryn Allen, MPA, Regional Director, Blue Ridge EMS Council
- Laura Atwell, EMS Project Coordinator, Northern Virginia Emergency Response System
- Christopher Christensen, NRP, Senior Field Coordinator, Western VA EMS Council
- David Coulling, Regional Field Coordinator, Tidewater EMS Council
- Heidi Hooker, EMT, Executive Director, Old Dominion EMS Alliance
- Daniel W. Linkins, MPH, NRP, NCEE, Regional Director, Central Shenandoah EMS Council
- David C. Long, MA, NRP, Executive Director, Tidewater EMS Council
- Tracey McLaurin, Executive Director, Lord Fairfax EMS Council
- Karen B. Owens, DBA, EMT, EMS Program Manager, Northern VA Emergency Response System
- Michael B. Player, MPA, NRP, Executive Director, Peninsulas EMS Council, Workgroup Co-Chair
- E. Wayne Perry, NRP, Regional Director, Rappahannock EMS Council
- Edward Rhodes, Rhodes Consulting Group
- Ryan Scarbrough, AAS, EMT, EC, Deputy Director, Old Dominion EMS Alliance
- Steven Simon, NRP, Executive Director, Western VA EMS Council
- Travis Veach, BA, NRP, EMS Field Coordinator – Operations, Peninsulas EMS Council
- RD Peppy Winchel, MPH, MAT, NREMT, Executive Director, Thomas Jefferson EMS Council
- Gregory Woods, PhD, MHA, MA, EMT-I, Regional Director, Southwest VA EMS Council
Virginia Department of Health Office of EMS
- Michael D. Berg, MPA, NRP, EMS Systems Funding, Division of Administration and Funding, VDH Office of EMS
- George Linbeck, MD, FACEP, FAEMS, State Medical Director, VDH Office of EMS
- Ronald D. Passmore, NRP, TS-C, Division Director, Regulation and Compliance Enforcement, VDH Office of EMS
- Scott Winston, Deputy Director, VDH Office of EMS
State EMS Advisory Board — Next Steps Workgroup
- Beth L. Adams, MA, BSN, RN, NRP, FAEMS, Northern VA EMS Advisory Board Representative, Quality Manager, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department
- Travis L. Pruitt, EMT, Ridgeway District Rescue Squad/Henry County Board of Supervisors
- Andrew P. Slater, MA, EMT-I, Deputy Executive Director, Northern VA Emergency Response System
State EMS Advisory Board — Medical Direction Committee
- Allen Yee, MD, FACEP, FAAEM, FAEMS, Chair – State EMS Advisory Board Medical Direction Committee
Virginia Board of Pharmacy
- Caroline D. Juran, BS Pharm, D.Ph. (Hon.), Executive Director, Virginia Board of Pharmacy
- Beth O’Halloran, RPh, Deputy Executive Director, Virginia Board of Pharmacy
US Drug Enforcement Agency — Washington Division
- Justin G. Wood, Diversion Program Manager, US DEA, Washington DC Division
Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association
- Matthew Allen, Emergency Preparedness Assistant Director, Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association
- Robert Hawkins, Emergency Preparedness Director, Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association
- R Brent Rawlings, MHA, JD, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association Virginia Society of Health System Pharmacists
- Joshua P. Crawford, PharmD, BCPS, System Director, Clinical Pharmacy Services – Bon Secours Mercy Health, Co-Chair Enterprise Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee
- Catherine Ford, Commonwealth Strategy Group for the Virginia Society of Health System Pharmacists
- Nikolaus J. Lawson, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, Director of Pharmacy, Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters
- Tyler Martinson, PharmD, BCPS, Regional Director of Pharmacy, Sentara Central Region Hospitals
- Bradford L. McDaniel, PharmD, MBS, BCCCP, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist/Trauma and Critical Care, Carilion Clinic, Chair, Virginia Society of Health System Pharmacists Legislative Committee
- Natalie Nguyen, PharmD, MSHA, Medication Safety Manager, VCU Health Systems, President -Virginia Society of Health System Pharmacists
- Ian Orensky, PharmD, MS, CPEL, Vice President, Pharmacy Services, Capital Division – Hospital Corporation of America
- Amy Schultz, PharmD, BCCCP, CPEL, PACHE, Director of Pharmacy, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare
- Cynthia Williams, BS Pharm, FASHP, FVSHP, Vice-President, Chief Pharmacy Officer – Riverside Health, Workgroup Co-Chair
Virginia Ambulance Association
- Steve Higgins, MBA, RN, EMT-I, President – Virginia Ambulance Association
- Curtis Sheets, MPA, EMT-I, Vice-President – Virginia Ambulance Association
- Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads
- Edward “Bubby” Bish, EMT, Executive Director, Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads
- Kim W. Craig, NRP, Executive Director, Staunton Augusta Rescue Squad
Virginia Fire Chiefs Association
- Ryan T. Ashe, NRP, Fire Chief, James City County
- D. Wayne Bowen, II, NRP, Battalion Chief – EMS, Chesterfield County Fire and EMS
- Melissa M. Doak, NRP, Battalion Chief – EMS, York County Department of Fire and Life Safety
- Brian J. Frankel, NRP, Deputy Chief – Operations, Stafford County Fire and Rescue
Virginia Association of Governmental EMS Administrators
- Jeffrey J. Meyer, NRP, EMS Division Chief – Field Services Division, Virginia Beach EMS, President – Virginia Association of Governmental EMS Administrators
- Ray Whatley, MBA, CEM, NRP, Adjunct Faculty, George Washington University, City of Alexandria Fire Department (Retired)
Virginia Association of Counties
- Jeremy R. Bennett, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Virginia Association of Counties
- Dean A. Lynch, CAE, Executive Director, Virginia Association of Counties
Virginia Municipal League
- Michelle L. Gowdy, JD, Executive Director, Virginia Municipal League
