EMS professionals are here for every emergency medical need. When an emergency happens, care often begins long before a patient reaches the hospital when a paramedic arrives at the scene. Across East Tennessee, EMS professionals are a critical first link in that chain of care when an emergency medical technician assesses an injury, starts treatment or helps stabilize a patient. When an ambulance begins the journey to the care someone needs.

On Sept. 11, more than 60 EMS professionals from 18 counties gathered for the inaugural EMS 9/11 Heroes Classic golf tournament, a day created to recognize the people who respond when their communities need them most. Through many generous donations the players enjoyed a day of golf, fellowship and great food at no cost.

Held on a date that carries special meaning for first responders across the country, the event offered an opportunity to reflect on the courage and sacrifice associated with Sept. 11 while honoring the paramedics and emergency medical technicians serving East Tennessee communities every day.

“As we reflect on Sept. 11, we remember the courage, sacrifice and selflessness demonstrated by first responders during one of our nation’s most difficult moments,” said Devan Johnson, chief administrative officer and president of Parkwest Medical Center. “Their example continues to inspire us and reminds us of the vital role EMS professionals play in caring for and protecting our communities.”

Across Tennessee, that role is significant. The state’s EMS system includes 210 ambulance services operating approximately 1,300 ambulances and providing more than 1 million patient transports each year.

The work can be especially important in rural communities, where the distance between a patient and the care they need may be greater.

The Tennessee Department of Health identifies limited health care facilities, long travel times and workforce shortages among the challenges affecting access to care in rural Tennessee. Research examining EMS systems nationally has also consistently found longer response and transport times in rural communities compared with urban areas.

That can make the care provided before a patient reaches the hospital even more important. EMS professionals bring treatment directly to patients, make rapid decisions in stressful circumstances and help bridge the distance between an emergency and the hospital teams ready to continue care.

Supporting those professionals means supporting the communities that depend on them.

The EMS 9/11 Heroes Classic did more than provide a day of recognition. The tournament raised more than $10,000 for the Region II EMS Scholarship Fund, helping support continued education, training and professional development for EMS providers across East Tennessee.

The scholarship program provides $2,500 awards to qualified advanced emergency medical technicians pursuing paramedic training. Recipients are expected to remain employed with a Region II EMS agency for at least one year after graduation, helping translate an investment in education into an investment in the region’s EMS workforce.

For patients and communities, that investment can have an impact long after the tournament ends.

Training helps EMS professionals build and maintain the skills they need to respond to serious injuries, cardiac emergencies and countless other calls that bring them into homes, workplaces and communities across East Tennessee. It also helps strengthen the pipeline of professionals available to provide that care in the future.

The tournament reflects the partnership required to make that possible.

Hospitals and EMS agencies work together every day, often meeting at one of the most urgent moments in a patient’s life. EMS teams provide care in the field and share critical information as patients arrive. Hospital teams continue that care once patients come through their doors.

By bringing EMS professionals together, recognizing their contributions and investing in their continued education, Covenant Health is supporting that partnership beyond the moments when an ambulance arrives at the hospital.

For the more than 60 EMS professionals who participated in the inaugural tournament, the day was an opportunity to gather with colleagues and be recognized for work that often happens during someone else’s most difficult moment.

For the communities they return to, that work continues with every call answered, every mile traveled and every patient connected to care.

That is what it means to be here for every first response — and for every person who answers the call.

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