Paramedic Hugo Badillo has been a member of the American Medical Response team for five years. Hugo earned his EMT certification in 2011 and completed his Paramedic studies last year. Hugo’s positive attitude and uplifting spirit inspire those around them.

Hugo is known for having a strong work ethic and can-do attitude, regardless of whether he is on or off the clock. Last December, Hugo was dropping a family member off at home when he heard a woman screaming. Hugo was off-duty but investigated anyway – and found an unresponsive toddler in the woman’s arms. Hugo assessed the situation, performed back blows and chest thrusts, and then began CPR on the pulse-less child. After approximately two minutes, the child began to breathe on his own and regained consciousness.

Throughout his 11 year career with Nature Coast EMS, Graham has consistently gone above and beyond to demonstrate dedication and commitment to his organization, fellow team members, and patients. Graham can always be counted on to represent Nature Coast EMS at many public events each year such as the annual Christmas parade, and he helps organizes the annual Nature Coast EMS Trunk or Treat which provides a safe place for the people of Citrus County to bring their families to for Halloween. Every October, Graham helps raise money for cancer awareness by selling t-shirts for team members to wear.

Additionally, Graham has received many accolades from his patients for his compassionate care and willingness to share his personal time giving back. In fact, the readers of the Citrus County Chronicle obviously agree as Graham was recognized as their 2016 Healthcare Hero. The “Healthcare Hero” is an award designated for individuals who truly make a difference in the health of the Citrus County Community.

Graham is a consummate professional who continues to be an engaged and active team member. Graham has flourished into a patient centered, compassionate paramedic, who is dedicated to serving his community. Nature Coast Emergency Medical Services is fortunate to have Graham as part of our family.

Lesyan and Liosdan Diaz are partners from AMR’s Miami Operations and have similar backgrounds. Both immigrated at a young age with relatives to the United States from Cuba. Their strong family values, along with a close knit childhood, have contributed to their success in EMS and in their abilities to help others in their times of need.

While on duty, these crew members discovered a horrific motor vehicle accident on the interstate. A stranded motorist, who had been trying to repair a stalled vehicle, was struck by a passing car and sustained life-threatening injuries. The crew immediately took charge and quickly responded. After radioing in a trauma alert, they rendered both BLS and ALS care, and provided treatment to the patient which has been credited as saving his life. Unknown to the crew at the time of the incident, the patient was an AMR co-worker who was on his way home from work.

Because of the partners’ quick thinking and their strong clinical abilities, they saved the life of a colleague.

Liosdan and Lesyan Borges are partners from AMR’s Miami Operations and have similar backgrounds. Both immigrated at a young age with relatives to the United States from Cuba. Their strong family values, along with a close knit childhood, have contributed to their success in EMS and in their abilities to help others in their times of need.

While on duty, these crew members discovered a horrific motor vehicle accident on the interstate. A stranded motorist, who had been trying to repair a stalled vehicle, was struck by a passing car and sustained life-threatening injuries. The crew immediately took charge and quickly responded. After radioing in a trauma alert, they rendered both BLS and ALS care, and provided treatment to the patient which has been credited as saving his life. Unknown to the crew at the time of the incident, the patient was an AMR co-worker who was on his way home from work.

Because of the partners’ quick thinking and their strong clinical abilities, they saved the life of a colleague.

Nick is a rising star in the Sunstar organization. He is being nominated for the 2016 American Ambulance Association Stars of Life for his leadership, mentoring of new employees, and outstanding patient care.

In 2015 Nick received the prestigious Care Plus award for patient care and attained multiple recognition levels within the Sunstar STAR program. In addition, Nick assisted Paramedics Plus in opening a new operation in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Nick was instrumental in preparing for a seamless transition in service to the community of Sioux Falls.

Sunstar is very pleased to nominate Nicholas Eberhardt for the 2016 American Ambulance Association Stars of Life.

Nature Coast EMS works hard to provide excellent and cutting edge prehospital medical care with integrity by “Serving with Excellence & Compassion.” It is with great pleasure that Nature Coast EMS announces Floyd Mead as our 2016 Star of Life.
Floyd has spent more than 27 years working in emergency medical services. He began working in Illinois as a Paramedic and firefighter before coming to Nature Coast EMS in 2004.

The last two years have forced Nature Coast EMS to be very flexible and Floyd is no stranger to that. With a changing medical climate, Floyd Mead has worn many hats. He rose from working as a Paramedic on the road to Lieutenant, and then on to QA Supervisor. This last year Floyd was tasked with the job of coming back out of the office and working as a Shift Supervisor.

Floyd has excelled in every job title he has held. He has proven himself to be a priceless asset not only to Nature Coast EMS, but also to EMS as a whole. Floyd was selected by his team members for this award for his dedication, compassion, and leadership in our organization. He has been described as a self-motivated leader who always does the right thing.

Floyd demonstrates the utmost level of integrity and cares for his patients and his team members as he would his own family. Floyd can be found on most holidays working for other team members who have young children so that they can be home with their families. The personal sacrifices he has made are countless.

As an organizational leader, Floyd provides the team members of Nature Coast EMS a tangible example of how to live and work with excellence. He developed and led a customer service education program to enhance our
patients’ and staff members’ experiences. Outstanding patient care and compassion for his fellow EMS workers are Floyd’s core values. He exemplifies what it is to be a forward thinking EMS leader.

Floyd and his wife, Hope, live in Inverness, Florida and have four children.

Jeremy is an outstanding example of what is right with Sunstar. As the head of the field training officer program and employee orientation, Jeremy has done an outstanding job ensuring clinical excellence by creating innovative ways to train employees. Jeremy and team have improved Capstone testing scores to near 100% passing rates and decreased the onboarding process by 30%. In 2015, Jeremy was promoted to Clinical Services Coordinator. Prior to his promotion, Jeremy was an assistant operations supervisor.

Sunstar is very pleased to nominate Jeremy Tinter for the 2016 AAA Stars of Life.