American Medical Response
Company: American Medical Response, Greenwood Village, CO
Company Description: American Medical Response Inc., America’s leading provider of medical transportation, provides services in 39 states and the District of Columbia. AMR’s 18,500 paramedics, EMTs and other professionals transport more than four million patients nationwide each year in critical, emergency and non- emergency situations. AMR is headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colo.
Nomination Category: Company Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year
Nomination Title: American Medical Response's Home for the Holidays
Tell the story about what this nominated company achieved since January 1 2008 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:
Smiles ear to ear – and the occasional tear, too. That’s the joy when nursing
home patients and their families reunite at the family residence each holiday.
American Medical Response’s (AMR) Home for the Holidays program transports
skilled nursing facility residents to their family homes to spend time and
share a meal with loved ones over the holiday season. AMR provides the service
free of charge.
The program allows ambulance crews to bring some holiday cheer to nursing home
residents and their families. It is rewarding for the EMTs and paramedics, who
have to work over the holidays because of the nature of their work, and
provides a change of pace from the stress of responding to 9-1-1 calls. The
program in no way interferes with response times to 9-1-1 calls.
These transports are fulfilling and happy for everyone involved and the
participating families are delighted to have their loved ones home for a few
hours. By the end of their shifts, many crews have received more cookies and
treats than they get all year. In Colorado Springs, Colorado, one family was so
pleased with the program they nominated it for recognition by the Center for
Non-Profit Excellence, which honored Home for the Holidays with its 2008
Corporate Service Award. In very special situations an extra crew is called in.
AMR Mississippi transported a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic patient in one
of the company’s mobile intensive care units. The patient, a resident of a
specialized nursing home in Jackson, had not been to the family residence in
three years. An AMR registered nurse attended the patient to and from the
family home, which was in a county well outside AMR’s service area. AMR’s crew
stayed with the patient at the family home and shared the Christmas meal with
the family and patient.
While many AMR operations across the country participate in Home for the
Holidays, some for almost 30 years, in 2008 AMR began a national effort to
include all its operations in the program. As you can see from the media
coverage, the program was well received in the areas it was offered. Depending
on their size and staffing, participating AMR operations can transport between
five and 15 people home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and other
national and religious holidays.
With each new operation that adds Home for the Holidays, there are a few
obstacles learning how to integrate this program with a busy 9-1-1 system. But
the joy the crews bring to the families far outweigh any challenges to
implementing the program.
List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:
http://www.sandiego6.com/news/local/story/Holiday-at-Home/ITAEBmUNGUeW3_ciefAtTQ.cspx
http://www.ems1.com/ems-news/articles/331019/
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=9581471
http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/18159762/detail.html
http://www.wapt.com/news/18359050/detail.html
http://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=9579752
http://www.tuscmoms.com/article/20081226/NEWS/812250297
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Nov-25-Fri-2005/news/4478815.html
http://www.wjtv.com/jtv/news/local/article/-JTV_2008_12_25_0002/9620/
http://www.examiner.net/archive/x776465750/Home-for-the-holiday
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-11013269.html
http://www.amrpikespeak.com/html/holidays.html
Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader of this nominated company:
Involved in EMS for more than 24 years, Mark Bruning has worked as a paramedic,
supervisor and in a variety of operational leadership positions at AMR,
including vice president. Mr. Bruning started as an EMT in Colorado Springs,
Colorado, and for many years participated in Home for the Holidays in his
community. He holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at
Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. He has served as the president of the
Emergency Medical Services Association of Colorado (EMSAC). In 2005, he was
awarded the Peg Hamilton Award by the EMSAC board of directors for outstanding
service to the association and its members.