Idaho Paramedic Director Wins Pinnacle Award

On July 28th, Ada County Paramedics Director Troy Hagen was announced as the winner of the 2010 Pinnacle Award of Excellence at the Pinnacle EMS (Emergency Medical Services) Leadership Forum in San Diego, CA. This award is presented annually to recognize an individual, program, or group who has achieved outstanding performance and excellence in EMS, while challenging the status quo.

Hagen was recognized for his outstanding dedication to improving EMS, and for his lead role in developing a white paper entitled “EMS Makes a Difference (http://www.ems.gov/pdf/nemsac-dec2009.pdf),” which was recently published on the ems.gov website. In developing the “EMS Makes a Difference” white paper, Hagen researched around 400 studies spanning two decades. “There is all kinds of literature out there about EMS, but typically research tries to answer one question at a time,” Hagen said. “To our knowledge, no one had taken a global look at all the research that’s been done.”

Hagen was also recently appointed by the United States Secretary of Transportation, to the National Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council (NEMSAC) finance committee. One of the NEMSAC finance committee’s missions involves suggesting ways of improving the funding structure for EMS. “Before we could say we needed to change the funding structure, we needed to establish that EMS makes a difference in the United States as far as patient outcomes and overall savings to the health system,” said Hagen.

Jay Fitch, president of Fitch & Associates, the organization that sponsors the Pinnacle EMS Leadership Forum said “Troy’s dedication to improving EMS, both locally and globally, helps our profession make a difference in people’s lives.” Fitch also indicated that the Pinnacle Award speaks to Hagen’s passion as well as to his accomplishments.

Hagen’s career in emergency services began as a lifeguard while he attended high school. He then began working as an EMT for a hospital-based ambulance provider at South Dakota State University, and also volunteered for the fire department’s rescue squad in Canistota, S.D. Hagen was hired as a paramedic in Ada County after graduating in 1993, where he became commander of the County technical rescue team, and served in several supervisory roles before he was named Director of Ada County Paramedics in 2004. Additionally, Hagen spent time volunteering as a reserve officer for the Ada County Sheriff’s Office.

For more information about the Pinnacle EMS Leadership Forum, go to pinnacle-ems.com. Information about Fitch & Associates can be found at fitchassoc.com. Visit Ada County Paramedics at http://www.adaweb.net/Paramedics.aspx.