SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
Micah Wilcock, Regional Emergency Medical Service Authority (REMSA) paramedic, and Karen Thiele, RN, clinical development coordinator for Care Flight, have been named as recipients of the Trauma Intervention Program’s (TIP) Heroes With Heart award that honors emergency responders who go above and beyond the call of duty in helping victims of trauma receive the assistance they need. Wilcock and Thiele will be honored at TIP’s annual gala on Thursday, Oct. 6 at Harrah’s Hotel Casino in Reno.
TIP is a national voluntary non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that those who are emotionally traumatized in emergency situations receive the assistance they need. TIP works closely with local communities to establish emergency services volunteer programs. In these programs, well-trained volunteers are called to emergency scenes to assist family members, witnesses and other bystanders whom the emergency system often must leave behind.
Wilcock received the award for his work during a motorcycle accident in August 2010. Wilcock and his partner responded to the scene of the motorcycle accident where a 14-year-old male sustained severe traumatic injuries. Wilcock and his partner initiated treatment, packaged the patient and transported him from the scene within six minutes. Due to Wilcock’s exemplary treatment of the patient and quickly getting him to the hospital, the boy was able to bypass the emergency room and go directly to surgery. Wilcock returned to the hospital the next day while off duty to check on the patient. In the Intensive Care Unit he met with the patient’s family and sat with them patiently answering each of their questions to bring understanding and closure to the family. The family was so moved by Wilcock’s compassion that they submitted a letter of appreciation to the REMSA organization thanking him for his ability to “relieve their anxiety.”
TIP honored Thiele for her work with a couple in rural Nevada from 2009 until February 2011. After repeatedly being called to a home in rural Nevada to transport a man who had end-stage pulmonary disease and was on a ventilator, it was discovered there were very few local resources for information and support for the man and his wife. Upon discovering this, Thiele drove 80 miles to the patient’s home multiple times to educate them about the ventilator, find and deliver supplies and offer emotional support. Due to her efforts, the number of unnecessary transports decreased substantially. Thiele was able to get supplies donated, which also decreased the already financially burdened family. Due to her continued assistance the patient and his wife became more comfortable with his disease. Thiele continued to provide emotional support to the patient and his family before he died.
REMSA is a private, not-for-profit emergency medical services system serving northern Nevada. REMSA’s state-of-the-art 9-1-1 dispatch communications center is fully accredited, as are all emergency medical transport services of the company. REMSA provides quality patient care with no taxpayer support or other subsidies.
