Dan Gernand
Medstar, Michigan’s largest EMS and mobile healthcare provider, announces the promotion of Dan Gernand to Deployment Manager. In this role, Dan will oversee the make-ready function and clinical fleet logistics, ensuring vehicle readiness, fleet safety and consistent deployment processes for clinical teams at the start and end of their shifts.
“Dan has been a dedicated team member at Medstar for over twenty-one years, starting his career as a paramedic, advancing into supervision, and investing additional time into our driver’s training program and culture of safety,” said Medstar CEO Kolby Miller. “We are fortunate to have Dan dedicate his career to providing care and service to the patients and personnel we serve and know Dan will thrive in this new role.”
Dan has over 25 years of experience in EMS. He attended Western Michigan University before switching his career to prehospital care.
“I feel lucky to be chosen for this promotion and to work at a company that rewards longevity and hard work,” Gernand said. “In this position, I will be able to combine my operations background with my deployment knowledge to enhance and improve our systems and performance metrics. In this new undertaking, I can support our EMTs and paramedics on a larger scale, which will be incredibly rewarding.”
Nancy Olind
Medstar is pleased to announce hiring Nancy Olind as the vice president of Human Resources. Nancy will oversee the not-for-profit’s development and execution of strategic initiatives of its people and practices. She will be responsible for the employee experience while overseeing compensation, benefits and inclusion efforts.
“It’s more important than ever to have a workplace that prioritizes people in its culture. Nancy’s operational background and solution-minded approach will align well with our goals,” said Miller. “Nancy has proven to be valuable to personnel at every level of the teams she has served. We are fortunate to have her join our team.”
Nancy brings over 25 years of HR experience, including four years of HR consulting in the medical field and three years in EMS operations for local municipalities. She has recently worked as a labor and employment law attorney at Kelly Law Firm. She received her law degree at Cooley Law School and her undergraduate degree from Eastern Michigan University.
“My passion for people has driven my work in HR. Being able to help people grow and develop their careers is a highlight for me,” Olind said. “I want to ensure that our team members can come to work daily and enjoy what they do. Creating environments for our team to thrive in every role is my top priority.”
Jay Blaskowski
Medstar announces the addition of Jay Blaskowski as a communications manager. He will oversee our current Northern Operations Communications Center in Flint and lead the project to implement our Southern Operations Communications Center in Detroit. In this new leadership role, Jay will ensure the communication centers provide optimal support to our clinical teams while assisting and supporting our 911 callers and facility stakeholders.
“As we continue to move beyond the limitations and challenges of the last few years, we are excited to have Jay join us and expand our commitment to our communications teams, EMS crews, and communications stakeholders, ” Miller. “We are grateful to have him on our team, and we look forward to seeing him impact our organization.”
Jay brings over 12 years of emergency dispatching experience, recently serving as a dispatch manager. He is certified as an emergency medical dispatcher (EMD) and EMD-Q through the International Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatch. Jay holds an Associate’s Degree in business management.
“I am incredibly fortunate to continue my career at Medstar. It is refreshing to join an organization that values its people and patients as individuals and is known for its partnerships and leadership position in Michigan EMS organizations,” Blaskowski said. “I am passionate about the value that communications teams provide in the continuum of care. I look forward to adding value to the existing Medstar structure and assisting in the expansion of quality programs and organizational growth.”
Lainie Budzynowski
Medstar has named Lainie Budzynowski as vice president of Finance. With responsibility for financial management strategy, she will oversee financial analysis, cash management, reporting and audit engagement.
“Lainie brings a unique blend of experience to our organization. Her financial background and strategic leadership abilities will provide great value as we navigate an ever-changing reimbursement and expense environment,” said Medstar CEO Kolby Miller. “I am confident she will contain and enhance our commitment to providing the best personnel with the best training and equipment so that they can provide the highest level of quality to the patients, communities, and facilities we serve.”
Lainie brings over 25 years of accounting and finance experience. She most recently worked at the Detroit Medical Center (DMC) as a market controller, responsible for six hospitals. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science from The University of Phoenix and also attended Michigan State University, Eli-Broad Graduate School, where she was certified in Emergency Financial Management.
“This is such an exciting opportunity to work for a company I have admired for a long time,” said Budzynowski on Friday. “Medstar is respected throughout southern Michigan. I look forward to being a part of a mission-driven organization committed to its people, quality care, and compassion.”