Two GAAA medics bring home the 2022 Texas EMS Children Crew of the Year award

Galveston Area Ambulance Authority (GAAA) Clinical Compliance Officer Bradley Starkey and Margaret Williams, who oversees GAAA quality assurance, won the EMS for Children Crew of the Year Award from the Texas EMS for Children State Partnership.

In May, the partnership recognized Starkey and Williams for their exceptional efforts in developing a more robust pediatric care program at GAAA aimed at improving emergency care for its youngest patients.

“Winning this award is unexpected, but very appreciated,” Starkey said.

“I want to thank the field crew for being so great and caring for our pediatric patients,” Williams said. “Brad and I would not have received this award without their ability to care for our county’s pediatric patients. To our field crew, you guys are absolutely resilient, and we are proud to work beside you all.”

GAAA responds to more than 1,000 calls a year involving pediatric patients. As pediatric-related call volume increased at GAAA, Starkey and Williams decided to enroll in an eight-month Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinator (PECC) program to improve their skills and learn how to build a more robust pediatric program.

“Our service has a high volume of pediatric patients,” Starkey said. “We all know how to treat children, of course. However, working with children in an emergency is not only stressful for the child, but also stressful for the health care workers taking care of them. Being a PECC allows us to better understand the needs and to work with our community partners to create better awareness and training with each other that benefits the patient.” 

As Starkey and Williams trained to be PECCs, they shared their knowledge with fellow crew members. As a result, GAAA achieved 100 percent quality assurance and quality improvement on every pediatric patient, provided direct feedback to GAAA crew members and made evidence-based changes to clinical practice guidelines. 

GAAA provides services to pediatric patients ranging from specialty care and emergency evacuations to a high volume of drownings due to the geographical region it serves.

The pediatric program is also set up to recognize real-time needs to increase quality of medical care to patients. Starkey said the next goal is to create a seamless transition in patient care between GAAA and local emergency departments.

Galveston Area Ambulance Authority (GAAA) Clinical Compliance Officer Bradley Starkey and Margaret Williams, who oversees GAAA quality assurance, won the EMS for Children Crew of the Year Award from the Texas EMS for Children State Partnership.

In May, the partnership recognized Starkey and Williams for their exceptional efforts in developing a more robust pediatric care program at GAAA aimed at improving emergency care for its youngest patients.

“Winning this award is unexpected, but very appreciated,” Starkey said.

“I want to thank the field crew for being so great and caring for our pediatric patients,” Williams said. “Brad and I would not have received this award without their ability to care for our county’s
pediatric patients. To our field crew, you guys are absolutely

resilient, and we are proud to work beside you all.”

GAAA responds to more than 1,000 calls a year involving pediatric patients. As pediatric-related call volume increased at GAAA, Starkey and Williams decided to enroll in an eight-month Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinator (PECC) program to improve their skills and learn how to build a more robust pediatric program.

“Our service has a high volume of pediatric patients,” Starkey said. “We all know how to treat children, of course. However, working with children in an emergency is not only stressful for the child, but also stressful for the health care workers taking care of them. Being a PECC allows us to better understand the needs and to work with our community partners to create better awareness and training with each other that benefits the patient.”

“We want to create an environment where we can maximize patient care and give our pediatric patients the best care and experience on what may be a very bad day for them,” Starkey said.

Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic created challenges in providing pediatric care. GAAA worked with the Galveston County Health District to put practices in place that created better patient outcomes and continuity of care when partnering with hospitals and other facilities.

“I couldn’t be prouder of Brad and Maggie,” said GAAA EMS Director Amy Weber. “They recognized a need and stepped up to better serve our team and community. We will continue to expand our pediatric program and plan on providing education to not only our EMS staff, but to the communities in Galveston County. Evidence-based medicine is critical to quality of life, and we are passionate about providing that to the communities we serve.” 

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