Colorado Emergency Medical Services Week May 18-24
May 15, 2008 - DENVER - Gov. Bill Ritter has
proclaimed the month of May as Colorado Trauma Awareness
Month and the week of May 18-24 as Colorado Emergency
Medical Services Week.
Howard Roitman, director of the Colorado Department of
Public Health and Environment’s Health Facilities and
Emergency Medical and Trauma Services Division, said the
designated month and week are well-deserved tributes to
Colorado’s nearly 15,000 emergency medical services
providers.
“On any given day,” Roitman said, “emergency medical service
providers deal with the stress that implicitly accompanies
their life-saving responsibilities. They are required to
respond at any time and also must work to maintain the
state’s high certification standards. And the majority of
Colorado’s emergency medical service providers are
volunteers. I believe it is appropriate to express
appreciation for their contribution to public health, as
Gov. Ritter has done, without being prompted by an actual
emergency.”
Roitman said his division will continue to ensure the
integrity of emergency medical service certification and
uphold the continued high quality of Colorado’s full range
of emergency medical services. He noted that emergency
medical service providers are making special efforts
throughout May and particularly during Colorado Emergency
Medical Services week, to spread the word about how to
prevent injury and handle an emergency.
Colorado Emergency Medical Services Week has coincided with
annual recognition of the life-saving care provided by the
nation’s emergency medical service personnel since 1973,
when President Gerald Ford signed the first official
proclamation.
For more information about Colorado’s Emergency Medical and
Trauma Services Section, visit
www.coems.info.
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