Southcoast Health awards local EMS and fire departments with 2021-22 Hero for Health Award

Southcoast Health announced that 36 municipal departments providing emergency medical services across southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod, and Rhode Island are the recipients of the not-for-profit community health system’s 2021-22 Hero for Health Awards.

“We recognize that your departments continue to go above and beyond the call of duty, especially during these past two years, placing your lives on the line throughout the pandemic,” Southcoast Health President and CEO Dr. Ray Kruger, a onetime emergency medical technician (EMT) himself, told first responders during a National EMS Week ceremony. “The sacrifice, dedication, and service you and your teams provide cannot be overstated. All of us owe you a debt of gratitude.”

The annual Southcoast Health Hero for Health Award is presented to outstanding leaders who, through their work, advocate for optimal health and wellness in the region. Marylou Sudders, Secretary of Health and Human Services for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, accepted the 2020-21 award.

“Southcoast Health has played an indispensable role in improving the health and safety of the people of our area,” said Acushnet Fire & EMS Chief Kevin Gallagher, who announced during the event his upcoming retirement after 34 years of service. “From Charlton Memorial’s Heart and Vascular Center to the new Level II Trauma Center at St. Luke’s and the Tobey Emergency Center opening in Wareham on May 25, our neighbors’ lives have been saved and will continue to be saved by this organization. I’ve seen it firsthand, many times over.”

The following departments are Southcoast’s 2021-22 Heroes for Health:

· Acushnet Fire & EMS

· Barnstable Fire Department

· Berkley Fire & Rescue Department

· Bourne Fire Rescue & Emergency Services

· Carver EMS

· Centerville Osterville Marston Mills Fire Department

· Cotuit Fire Department

· Dartmouth STAT Dartmouth EMS

· Dighton Fire Department

· Fairhaven Fire Department

· Fall River Fire Department

· Falmouth Fire & Rescue

· Freetown Fire Department

· Hyannis Fire Department

· Lakeville Fire Department

· Little Compton Fire Department

· Marion Fire & EMS

· Mashpee Fire & Rescue

· Mattapoisett Police EMS

· Middleborough Brewster Ambulance Service

· Middletown Fire Department

· New Bedford EMS

· Newport Fire Department

· Portsmouth Fire Department

· Raynham Fire Department

· Rehoboth Ambulance Service

· Rochester Fire Department

· Sandwich Fire Department

· Seekonk Fire Department

· Somerset Fire Department

· Swansea Ambulance Corps

· Taunton Brewster Ambulance Service

· Tiverton Fire Department

· Wareham EMS

· West Barnstable Fire Department

· Westport Fire Department