Bill Text: VA SJR150 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending the Tidewater EMS Council.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-04 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ150ER) [SJR150 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-SJR150-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, the Tidewater EMS Council, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the emergency medical services systems in the cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach and the counties of Accomack, Isle of Wight, Northampton, and Southampton, celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2024; and
WHEREAS, the Emergency Medical Services System Act of 1973 was passed when there was growing recognition that prompt medical treatment in the field, followed by appropriate hospital care, could greatly reduce the incidence of death and disability; and
WHEREAS, the Tidewater EMS Council was incorporated in 1974 to serve as an entity that could obtain funding through the Emergency Medical Services System Act, with a board that included emergency medical services (EMS) providers and consumers from 10 different jurisdictions in the region; and
WHEREAS, early accomplishments of the Tidewater EMS Council included establishing a regional EMS communication system and acquiring ambulances and other EMS equipment, including Nightingale, a hospital-based helicopter ambulance that was the first of its kind in the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, the Tidewater EMS Council facilitated the introduction of the universal emergency number 9-1-1 and established the standards and procedures that were necessary to properly integrate and coordinate the various facilities, personnel, vehicles, equipment, and more that make up an effective EMS system; and
WHEREAS, over the ensuing decades, the Tidewater EMS Council has continued to diversify and evolve its training, protocols, and services to respond to new challenges and maximize advances in health care and technology, maintaining its status as a model EMS system at the forefront of patient care; and
WHEREAS, the achievements of the Tidewater EMS Council in improving public health and safety are the result of the visionary leadership of its founders, officers, and directors; the unwavering support of its health care partners and the Tidewater community; and the tireless efforts of the region's EMS personnel; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Tidewater EMS Council on the occasion of its 50th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Tidewater EMS Council as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the organization's history and its contributions to the Commonwealth.
