News

Tawny Province-Ward
Life EMS
Enid, OK

Life EMS congratulates “Star of Life 2018” recipient Tawny Province-Ward.

Tawny joined the Life EMS team in 2017 as an EMT/EVO, and has been an integral part of the team since. She generously gives of her time and does whatever is asked of her unselfishly.

Tawny attended EMT-Basic training after which she attained a National Registry Certification and State of Oklahoma EMT License. Tawny had long been in the public safety field prior to becoming an EMT. Previously, she served as a reserve patrol and juvenile detention officer.

Tawny is married to her husband, Michael Ward, and they have a two year old daughter, Juliana.

Congratulations, Tawny, on being chosen by your fellow employees to represent Life EMS as a 2018 Star of Life.

Jozcelynne Luellen
EMT-A
Bryan County EMS
Durant, Oklahoma

Jozcelynne "JB" Luellen has served Bryan County EMS for the past six years.

JB has a personal passion for ensuring the safety of the children in our community. For the last three years, she has led Bryan County EMS's car seat program. JB also assists with the annual Bryan County car seat inspection weekend. Throughout the year, she completes inspections at the Bryan County EMS Station in Durant.

JB is happily married to Jacob and a proud aunt. In her free time, she enjoys crossfit.

Casey Dodson
Emergency Medical Technician
LifeNet EMS
Stillwater, OK

Casey Dodson joined LifeNet in April 2011 among a group of new employees who helped create an entirely new EMS delivery model for the Stillwater, Oklahoma area and surrounding communities. This new venture was challenging for all involved, and Casey contributed his years of EMS experience and knowledge to our success. He now has served in EMS for seventeen years.

His coworkers know Casey as a senior partner who can handle any scenario or difficult scene. He is frequently paired with new employees during Field Training and employee development processes. A new medic can be comforted knowing that if Casey is his partner the shift will go well.

Casey also likes to have fun at work. He revels in ‘poking the bear’ whenever a manager is around, usually to get a reaction, but often to bring attention to an issue with possible solutions. When he is away from work, Casey enjoys spending time with family and friends. He helps with charitable functions in the community as a member and an officer of the Stillwater Elks’ Lodge.

Nicholas Goff
Paramedic/FTO Team Leader
Pafford Medical Services
Sequoyah County, OK

Chris Cates Miller
Clinical Operations Supervisor
Hughes County EMS
Holdenville, OK

Hughes County EMS is proud to nominate Christopher Miller, NRP as a 2018 Star Of Life. Since 2015, Chris has been instrumental in the growth and advancement of Hughes County EMS.

Chris began his career at HCEMS as a field paramedic. He then rose in rapid succession to Field Training Officer and Clinical Operations Supervisor.

In his position as Clinical Operations Supervisor and Lead Instructor, Chris has implemented training programs to help HCEMS provide the most advanced levels of care possible. He was also instrumental in the campaign for the 2016 HCEMS Bond and Capital Improvement Project.

Chris strives for excellence in all he does, and he is always available to help medics advance their skills or learn new procedures as they are developed.

Chris has become one of the public faces of HCEMS. He is always the first person to volunteer to represent us at community meetings, education festivals, and health fairs across the county. Our community knows that if they have a concern, Chris will do his best to find a solution.

It is for these attributes that HCEMS is proud to nominate Chris Miller as our 2018 Star of Life recipient.

Kristy A. Lashbrook
Director
Hughes County EMS
Holdenville, OK

Hughes County EMS is proud to submit Kristy Lashbrook as an OKAMA Star of Life. Kristy, a Holdenville native, is very passionate and driven in her role as Director of EMS, where she has served since 2010. Prior to that time, she served first as an EMT and then a Paramedic, starting her career at HCEMS in 2006.

When Hughes County EMS was on the verge of financial ruin in 2010, Kristy was tapped by the EMS Board to serve as director, where she played a significant role in reorganizing the service and mapping out a sustainable plan for its future. She implemented the use of a new billing company and a new electronic patient care reports vendor, as well as hired of grant writers. She worked diligently to help the service become a bigger partner in the community, helping to pass a $1 million EMS bond as well and the largest capital improvement plan in HCEMS History.

Kristy led Hughes to become an affiliate campus for our Voc-Tech, providing free EMR classes to area fire departments, stocking the medical supplies for all fire department and law enforcement vehicles, attending countless community meetings, tireless outreach support, and so much more. Kristy ensures that even though we are a county service that the county citizens know we are there for them in every way.

As a paramedic, Kristy is best exemplified by the following words: professional, reliable, passionate, caring and community-focused. As director, Kristy never fails to lift the spirits of a coworker with a kind word or to take extra time to ensure staff really understands Hughes County EMS’ goals and their role in helping attain them. For these reasons and more, Hughes County EMS and our Board of Trustees nominate Kristy Lashbrook as a 2018 Star of Life.

Brandon Jones
Paramedic & Emergency Medical Dispatcher
EMSA
Tulsa, OK

Some people are known to wear their hearts on their sleeves. Brandon Jones is known to wear his life’s mission on his forearm—literally. Two verses from the 82nd Psalm are tattooed on Brandon’s arm and speak to his commitment to be a servant and protector of those in need. It’s both ironic and poignant, given that Brandon has found himself in great need more than once.

Brandon joined the EMSA team as an EMT in 2009. He started paramedic school in 2010, but battled alcohol abuse, financial crises and, ultimately, homelessness. With support from his EMSA family, Brandon got back on his feet, stopped drinking and graduated. But Brandon relapsed after responding to an apartment fire that killed two children. Then, while working to maintain good health, Brandon suffered a devastating injury that took him off the ambulance. He was offered a position as an emergency medical dispatcher in 2014 and has since flourished, personally and professionally. Brandon is renowned for making quick, strategic decisions and championing the interests of patients and field crews alike.

Brandon Levi Holsapple
Paramedic, CRC/ Supervisor/ Safety Officer
Creek County Emergency Ambulance Service
Sapulpa, OK

Brandon has been with Creek County since September of 2009. Originally employed as a paramedic, Brandon was promoted to Field Training Officer in 2011. In 2014, Brandon was promoted to Supervisor / Compliance Resource Center position.

Brandon is highly respected by his peers and his opinion is frequently sought by other staff members. He has always shown great mentorship to junior paramedics. In 2017, Brandon was tapped to become the company's Safety Officer. As he is self-motivated and highly attentive to detail, Brandon has brought the safety program for our agency to fruition. He developed policies and implemented features that enhance the security and protection of every aspect of our organization. His development as a safety officer has become a valued asset to our company. Brandon is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in environmental health and safety management.

He is a member of the Oklahoma Safety Council and the American Society of Safety Engineers. To help support his lovely family consisting of a spouse and two daughters, Brandon works part time with a flight service and is a mem ber of the International Association of Flight and Critical Care paramedics. In his very limited spare time Brandon enjoys hunting and is a firearms enthusiast.

From Novitas

The Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) Satisfaction Indicator is the best way to share your opinion of our service directly to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This survey should only take about 10 minutes of your time and helps us understand how we can better serve you.

To take the survey beginning Monday, March 12, 2018, click here.

If you would like us to contact you about your responses to the 2018 survey, send your name, telephone number, and email address to Education@novitas-solutions.com (optional).

We found your 2017 feedback helpful, and we made improvements to our services.

Here are some highlights of changes and enhancements made to our website as a result of your feedback in 2017:

• Added a "Was this page helpful?" feature to all content pages to enlist real-time website feedback
• Redesigned new information centers for Enrollment, Appeals and Claims to assist with website navigation
  
• Enhanced and expanded many of our self-service lookup tools
  

Thank you for your feedback.

Thanks to all of the legislators and staff who joined the Oklahoma Ambulance Association board of directors for breakfast on Wednesday. The event, held in Senate Room 535 at the OK State Capitol, was a huge success. View pictures on OKAMA's Facebook page.