In March 2015, Sunstar Paramedics responded to a 9-1-1 call for an elderly man who had fallen out of his wheelchair. After falling, the man had not been able to get back into his wheelchair and had laid on the floor for 16 hours.

When paramedic Craig Gesterling and EMT Jay Horne arrived, they found that the patient did not have any serious injuries, but he had soiled himself and wasn’t able to clean. The man insisted that a nurse would come the next day to help clean – an answer that Gesterling and Horne were not satisfied hearing.

Gesterling and Horne helped dress the patient in new undergarments, and disinfected the area where he had fallen. They offered to get food and water for the man and his cat, but he declined their offer. Then they contacted the patient’s son and confirmed that he would be coming to the man’s house before returning to Sunstar.

Gesterling and Horne went beyond the normal call of duty to provide excellent patient care and respect for the patient during the emergency, even though he did not require medical assistance.

Sunstar Paramedics is proud of the patient care that employees provide to Pinellas County. The Sunstar Care Plus Award is an internal award used to recognize Sunstar Paramedics employees for their excellence in patient care, professionalism and efficiency. Award winners are nominated by their co-workers and selected by Sunstar’s employee engagement and retention committee.