The South Carolina Emergency Medical Services Association (SCEMSA) announced the South Carolina EMS 2023 award winners at an awards reception on Friday, March 8, 2024 at 5:00 pm during the 2024 SCEMSA Symposium in Myrtle Beach, SC. In addition, the champions of the 2024 Paramedic Competition were announced. SCEMSA would like to congratulate all the winners on their achievements.
Emergency Nurse of the Year Award – Michelle Houck, Trident Health System
This award recognizes excellence as a nurse in the emergency care setting.
Michelle Houck earned the respect and admiration of her peers and EMS providers by consistently being regarded as the “go-to” person in times of need. Her reputation as someone who gets things done efficiently and reliably is well deserved. Beyond her clinical proficiency, she is deeply involved in community service. She takes the initiative to coordinate and manage EMS education and outreach programs and actively contributes to the improvement of EMS in the community through continuing education and unique course offerings that are not normally available to EMS providers.
Houck’s commitment to community well-being goes far beyond the hospital walls to the entire Lowcountry region. She provides Stop the Bleed classes at community events, works closely with local law enforcement agencies to distribute free gun locks and trauma prevention education to help prevent firearm injuries, and goes to local retirement homes to perform injury and fall prevention assessments and education. All of this demonstrates her passion for proactive healthcare and community engagement. Her exemplary service, leadership, and commitment to both clinical excellence and community welfare makes her truly deserving of this recognition.
EMT of the Year – Eddie (Catlin) Schroyer, Beaufort County EMS
This award recognizes an EMT who demonstrates excellence in the performance of EMS.
Eddie (Catlin) Schroyer is an EMT who has worked and volunteered with his local fire/rescue services while working for the county EMS service. His superiors describe him as an exemplary employee whose strong work ethic and compassion toward others does not stop when the 911 call is complete. He is often found both on and off-duty following up with his patients. This was apparent in February 2023 after the transport of a terminally ill patient. While this patient had hospice care in place, Schroyer noticed that she was unable to maintain a safe living environment and out of fear of leaving her home alone, he took matters into his own hands. He helped the patient with her financial arrangements, set up a medical alert device at no cost, and completed work around her home. He would often visit her just to sit with her and took her meals on special occasions. These actions were noticed by other first responders and the patient’s neighbors, who all began to chip in to look out for her whenever possible. That patient told her family before her passing, that if it weren’t for Schroyer and his partner, she would not have lived as long. His professionalism and caring traits are an excellent example of what an EMT should be.
EMS Telecommunicator of the Year – Angela Stallings, Colleton County Sheriff’s Office
This award is presented to an individual who has contributed most effectively to the dispatch operation of an EMS provider.
Angela Stallings has worked her whole life serving others. She has been a law enforcement officer, law enforcement supervisor, a detective, Communications Center Director, soccer coach, wife, and mother. She has worked diligently to improve Colleton County’s 9-1-1 Center and has successfully merged all municipal dispatch centers under one consolidated, county wide dispatch operations center.
Under her direction, her telecommunicators are trained by Fire-Rescue personnel so that they can better understand medical emergencies, fires, and other incidents. This not only provides better service to the citizens of Colleton County, but also the first responders who are responding to the service calls. She is constantly in search of new and innovative ways to improve the communications center. Some of these include providing redundant systems, implementing new technology, and executing improved operations. During times of limited staffing, she routinely staffs a dispatch console. She is a well-known and respected dispatcher in the county.
Robert D. Lesslie, MD Medical Control Physician of the Year – Dr. Wade Manaker
This award goes to an individual who consistently demonstrates commitment to clinical excellence in EMS, advocates for the advancement of emergency medical care and evidence-based EMS protocols, champions all aspects of EMS patient and practitioner safety, effectively mentors EMS practitioners throughout all stages of their professional development and serves as an outstanding role model for EMS agency personnel and within the community.
Dr. Wade Manaker’s professional journey is marked by a blend of military service and medical expertise. He attended medical school on a US Army Health Professionals Scholarship and entered active duty upon graduation where he completed his residency. Following his military service, he transitioned into emergency medicine in Florida only to feel a renowned calling to serve again following the aftermath of 9/11. He supported classified missions overseas until 2006, when he became a medical control physician of a helicopter program in South Carolina. In 2014, he shifted his focus to serving military veterans.
Currently, he serves as the medical control physician for eight agencies and his influence extends across the Charleston area. He consistently goes above and beyond his duties by answering emergency calls on an ambulance or QRV, answering clinical questions, and contributing to various educational initiatives. One of his most notable attributes is his involvement in the EMS service’s Quality Assurance Program in which he reviews PCRs, provides education to EMS providers, and advocates for a ‘just culture’ that provides patient and EMS provider safety. His extensive and diverse medical career combined with his unwavering commitment to education, patient care, and safety leaves an impact on the Charleston community that is the epitome of exceptional leadership and dedication to advancing the field of emergency medicine.
AEMT of the Year Award – Jason Schroyer, Beaufort County EMS
The AEMT of the Year Award recognizes an advanced EMT who demonstrates excellence in the performance of EMS.
Jason Schroyer has shown an exceptional work ethic while providing the highest quality medical care to the residents and visitors of his local community. He has a true servant’s heart, cares deeply for others, and shows this through his actions. It is not unusual to find him off duty mowing an ill patient’s lawn, making home repairs, providing them with food or clothing, or any other needs they may have. Not only does he go out of his way for his patients, but he always makes sure to recognize co-workers’ anniversaries and special occasions and is known to check in on them when they are ill or are going through a personal tragedy.
His superiors are impressed with his commitment to continuous learning. He actively seeks out opportunities to enhance his knowledge and skills. His dedication to professional development is evident in his attendance at regular training sessions, conferences, and workshops, and with his most recent passing of the National Registry Paramedic exams. His leadership skills and passion to teach are reflected in the quality of the students he produces as a Field Training Officer and is always more than willing to not only teach, but to explain the “why.” His humility, kindness, and remarkable skillset make him an exemplary clinician who has positively impacted the lives of numerous patients and inspired his colleagues.
Jack Niles Award for Excellence in Education – Justin Miles-Miller, Central Berkeley Fire and EMS
This award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding contributions to the improvement of EMS through education and training of the community and/or EMS providers.
Justin Miles-Miller had an early start to teaching in his career, which made him a stand-out provider. During his career, he has been a lieutenant, flight paramedic, and currently holds the title of Assistant Chief. He has taught everything from bystander CPR through certifying paramedics; but what sets him apart from other instructors is his interest in his students’ continued success at all levels. He is more interested in the real-life tangible lessons learned than test scores as he knows that is the real measure of success- when students are able to apply what they learned in the classroom to the streets and make a difference in someone’s life. Education is more than just a job for him, and he provides a great level of motivation to all of his students as he wants to see them successful.
Outside of the education initiatives, Miles-Miller has provided planning support with the county-wide mass casualty incident plan updates, public education, community outreach, and overall mentorship for new providers coming into EMS. This coupled with his unwavering commitment to his patients has left an everlasting impact on his students and his co-workers, making him the ideal recipient of this award.
Paramedic of the Year – Heather (Nickie) Jarrell, Beaufort County EMS
This award recognizes a paramedic who demonstrates excellence in the performance of EMS in direct patient care.
As a first responder for more than 17 years, Heather (Nickie) Jarrell has served as a paramedic, a firefighter/paramedic, a transport paramedic with several private services, and has been with her current service for the last two years. She continually goes above and beyond, not only in providing highly skilled medical care, but also her dedication to improving the circumstances of many patients’ living conditions. When there are stressful incidents and critical calls, her calm personality and leadership abilities can quickly bring a chaotic scene under control.
Her quality of care often extends past the emergency calls as she will follow up with her patients throughout their medical journey. It is not uncommon to see her provide food, clothing, bathing assistance, and housekeeping to a patient in need. In 2023, she and her partner befriended an ill patient who had no family close by to help maintain a safe quality of living. She worked to provide assistance with personal, financial, and social needs on her own time and out of her own pocket. As a result of this friendship, she is working to create an Adopt-a-Grandparent program where fellow first responders and/or citizens can befriend a senior who is in need of companionship or assistance at home. She is kind, compassionate, and humble. She is the last person to seek recognition for her service, but she exhibits what we should all strive to be.
Director of the Year – Michael Hall, First Priority Medical Transport
This award recognizes an agency director who serves as an outstanding role model for EMS agency personnel within their organization and within the community and is someone who effectively mentors EMS practitioners in all stages of their professional development.
Michael Hall embodies and exemplifies all of the things listed above and has improved outcomes in EMS across all of South Carolina for both employees and patients. While the state was facing a crisis of recruitment in the next generation of pre-hospital providers, Hall implemented a program that acts as an on-ramp to the profession by covering student’s living expenses through their time in school and operates as a loan that is fully paid off by the company once all terms are met with no financial payback from the student. He also created a partnership with Midland’s Tech to establish an apprenticeship program that pays the tuition of EMTs and paramedics while providing them with real time experience working with his agency. These programs led to a 44% increase in students and employees and an immeasurable increase in employee engagement and retention. Hall also created a community paramedicine program within his agency. This allowed for a partnership with a local rural health clinic that integrated community paramedics into a rural community to decrease barriers to much needed quality care and health disparities in the rural population.
Aside from his improvements to EMS, Hall spends a significant amount of time in his community through the “WeCare” program that supplies food for those in need, he is an avid supporter of the Special Olympics, and always ensures that the local high schools have an ambulance at all of their large events free of charge.
Finally, Hall has made a profound impact on all of his employees and co-workers. His nomination stated, “He has the unique and wonderful ability to walk alongside you, motivate, teach, and leave small parts of himself imprinted on you along the way. He will nurture your growth and somehow turn experience into wisdom, all while staying right beside you on your journey up the mountain, only to stop short of the summit, having provided you the courage to reach the goal on your own without you even realizing he was doing it.”
H. Dean Douglas South Carolina EMS Advocate of the Year – George Rice
This award is presented for significant efforts to educate and build foundational relationships with elected government leaders in South Carolina and serving and engaging South Carolina EMS professionals through advocacy activities.
While the award is entitled H. Dean Douglas Advocate of the year, this year’s winner has a lifetime of advocacy for EMS. George Rice has dedicated his life to increasing awareness of EMS and serving as a humble ambassador for the profession in every way imaginable. From his philanthropy to his amazing ability to empower those around him to be better, George Rice is an inspiration and a role model to countless EMS and non-EMS across the state.
2023 Warren D. McBride Award – Greg Shore, Medshore Ambulance
This award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding contribution to the improvement of EMS through a continuing long-term commitment to the citizens of South Carolina.
Greg Shore has served his community for more than 50 years as an EMS professional, a field provider, and a visionary for a successful and impactful EMS agency; one of which he started at just 18 years old. Beyond his work in EMS, he has served on multiple boards of directors and foundations and has served as a county coroner. In addition to his contributions to the medical field, he has become a local advocate for many social issues including drug addiction, mental health, and homelessness. When not spending time with his family, he donates much of his free time to his community by donating helicopter rides as a licensed pilot to several non-profit organizations to help fundraise.
His story reminds his friends and co-workers of the quintessential American dream. He saw a need and took personal responsibility to meet that need. He faced multiple challenges but threw himself into his business, working long hours and always putting the needs of the citizens before his own. That little ambulance company that started with one ambulance and a dream, has grown into a large, thriving business that provides care across his community and beyond.
PIER Award for Public Information and Education In EMS – Central Berkeley Fire and EMS
This award is given to recognize an agency’s outstanding public relations and education initiatives in their community.
Central Berkeley Fire and EMS combines their public relations efforts with other local first responder agencies to freely share content between each other to maximize their public outreach to its fullest potential. This agency’s office has a public information office with several talented members who strive to serve their community through the release of information and educational content. With a solid grasp on the merits of social media and how it can be utilized to inform and educate the public, many agencies and organizations rely on their public relations team to help promote their events and to share awareness toward identified issues that pose a danger to the public.
Central Berkeley Fire and EMS also has a strong relationship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation South Carolina and has worked with children to make their wishes come true in the form of a parade of first responders and another tribute that had a showing of 25 agencies, 3 military groups, and over 175 vehicles. Another facet of their community involvement is being awarded the Fire Safe SC Community Designation. While this is primarily a fire service-based achievement, the basis of this designation is to unite fire service organizations to engage influential community stakeholder to support local fire departments and to serve their citizens through strategic community risk reduction programs. This program installs smoke detectors free of charge in homes around the community and helps reduce the risk of structure fire fatalities. This agency has also taken part in and shared a community Prom Promise event, Stop the Bleed course, and numerous other events that has allowed them the opportunity to speak with and engage members of the public. Their social media presence is well-known in the area and the public information team is the go-to for agencies around the Lowcountry.
Small system of the Year – Prisma Health Specialty Services- Midlands Specialty Care
This award recognizes a small ambulance service which exemplifies outstanding professionalism and service to its community.
Midlands Specialty Careworks to take care of the sickest of all populations. Their specialty includes neonatal, pediatric, and adult critical care and their team consists of Critical Care RNs, Respiratory Therapists, Critical Care Paramedics, and EMTs. The advanced technology available on their ambulances allows them to provide specialty therapies to their patients.
This small system is part of a larger organization that is dedicated to their community and both work in collaboration with their Trauma, Stroke, and STEMI programs to ensure the national standards are exceeded in each field. This system also promotes public education with events at elementary schools and at USC and works to place a strong emphasis on worker safety and well-being through their LiveWell program.
Large System of the Year – Charleston County EMS
This award recognizes a large ambulance service which exemplifies outstanding professionalism and service to its community.
Charleston County EMS implemented several new initiatives of safety, training, operations, employee engagement, and community outreach to improve the quality of service for their community and their employees. With the ongoing healthcare workforce shortages and an ever-expanding population in Charleston County, this EMS service has proven exemplary in their willingness to innovate and grow. In an effort to grow the workforce needed to serve their community, they implemented an EMT academy which utilized qualified paramedics from Australia and expanded the number and types of response units available. In addition, as a partner with researchers at MUSC, they succeeded in a first-of-its-kind care by conducting an MRI on a human subject in the back of a moving ambulance. This service continues to approach their large county with novel staffing and coverage solutions while keeping safety and patient care at the top of their priorities by adding portable ultrasound to their emergency vehicles. Another notable outreach in their community is partnering with local agencies to implement a Narcan leave behind program along with referrals to substance use counseling to help with the ongoing opioid epidemic.
Charleston County EMS responds to approximately 65,000 calls a year with a staff of over 280 personnel and just celebrated their 50th anniversary as an EMS system. They continually demonstrate their commitment to the citizens and visitors of Charleston County and are constantly pursing clinical excellence.
Paramedic Competition
In addition to the annual awards, SCEMSA recognized the regional Paramedic Competition winners and announced the champions of the state competition held during the 2024 SCEMSA Symposium.
Regional Winners
Midlands – Kershaw County EMS: Scott Dunham and Donya Irby
Upstate – Greenville County EMS: David McKay and Conner Slaughter
PeeDee – Lifelink Air: Alex Watson and Cody Chavis
Lowcountry – Central Berkeley Fire and EMS: Justin Miles-Miller and Scott Miles-Miller
Returning Champions from 2023 – Spartanburg EMS: Jason Scruggs and Grant Cogdell
2024 Paramedic Competition State Champions: Spartanburg EMS: Jason Scruggs and Grant Cogdell
The South Carolina EMS Association (SCEMSA) is a nonprofit organization committed to creating a unified voice for EMS providers across all sectors in the state of South Carolina. Our mission is to advance EMS through advocacy, collaboration, and education. No matter what sector of EMS you work in, we will work for you and your colleagues to foster a safe and successful environment in which every provider can thrive. Learn more at scemsa.org.
