Sunstar Paramedics’ clinical services department and employee
Stephen Glatstein received statewide awards
LARGO, Fla. (July 13, 2017) –Sunstar Paramedics was the recipient of two Excellence in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Awards from the Florida Department of Health. Sunstar Paramedics’ clinical services department was named EMS Educator of the Year, and special operations supervisor Stephen Glatstein was recognized with the EMS Disaster Preparedness and Response Award.
“We’re very excited to be recognized by the Florida Department of Health,” said Mark Postma, chief operating officer of Sunstar Paramedics. “The clinical services department has greatly improved EMS education at Sunstar Paramedics, and Stephen has been an invaluable asset to Pinellas County Emergency Medical Services.”
Sunstar Paramedics’ clinical services department was honored for its leadership role in EMS education and for making a positive contribution to EMS education in Pinellas County. The department provides education internally and externally through Sunstar Paramedics’ training center.
The department oversees Sunstar Paramedics’ provisional EMS academy, which trains paramedics and EMTs to provide high-quality patient care. The training processes for the academy were recently reworked, and paramedics’ first-time pass rate increased by over 50 percent in the first year. Now, an EMT moves from trainee to a fulltime employee in an average of 45 days and a paramedic can be move through the process in an average of 75 days.
The clinical services department also provides education to residents and local organizations. Free monthly training in first aid, hands-only CPR, cardiac event recognition, stroke awareness and other topics is provided to local schools and neighborhoods through a partnership with the American Heart Association.
Stephen Glatstein, special operations supervisor, was recognized with the EMS Disaster Preparedness and Response Award, which acknowledges an individual that has demonstrated exceptional proficiency in developing response plans and has made a significant contribution to prepare Florida for health/medical response to emergencies or disasters.
Glatstein leads the EMS planning for events, mass casualty incidents, natural or man-made disasters and civil disturbances in Pinellas County. Glatstein also serves as project lead for the ambulance bus project, which has placed three ambulance buses in service to provide disaster response support for Pinellas, Pasco, Manatee, Hillsborough and Polk counties.
Under Glatstein’s leadership, Sunstar Paramedics dispatched two of its ambulance buses to transport 18 critical patients from the Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point in Pasco County after it was struck by lightning and lost all power in August 2016.
The awards ceremony was held on July 11 at the Caribe Royale hotel in Orlando during the annual Clinical Conference on Emergency Medical Services (ClinCon), which focuses on the education of emergency providers and EMS personnel.
For more information about the awards click here.