Thirteen new Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) have completed HEMSI’s rigorous 10-week EMS Academy, made official by a graduation ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 21. This diverse group is now ready to join the frontlines responding to medical emergency calls across Madison County.

HEMSI’s hands-on EMS Academy is a unique “earn-as-you-learn” workforce development program that helps fill a local, critical need for more trained EMTs and continues to support their development into Advanced EMTs and paramedics. Huntsville Hospital Main is the only hospital for critical care and trauma patients across 15 counties, and the majority of these come in via ambulance – up to 100 patients every single day. HEMSI and Huntsville Hospital are addressing this demand proactively by training students to join the HEMSI team.

“These EMT graduates are not only be a huge asset to HEMSI, but to the overall health and well-being of our community,” said HEMSI CEO Jon Howell. “These students have excelled in their training and are now on the path toward a more stable, successful career of service. We are excited and honored to work with them and to help them continue learning, growing and succeeding.”

An example of this in action is past program graduate Mardaisha Derrick. Before the HEMSI program, Mardaisha was working multiple jobs and felt she did not have a clear path forward. Today, Mardaisha is working full-time as an EMT for HEMSI while also receiving pay and time to continue her training as an Advanced EMT through Calhoun Community College.

“I want to help people – that is my calling. I really think this step opened up a lot of doors for me and helped me get to where I am right now,” Mardaisha said. “I would not have thought about going to college if it weren’t for the HEMSI program.”

This free training and stories like Mardaisha’s are made possible, in large part, by donor funding through Huntsville Hospital Foundation (HHF). The Regions Foundation, a nonprofit primarily funded by Regions Bank, generously awarded a $150,000 grant to HHF to help two classes of EMS Academy students train, graduate, and pursue their dreams. Regions Foundation representatives were onsite at the recent graduation to celebrate the graduates’ success.

“The EMS Academy embodies Regions Foundation’s priority of supporting education and workforce readiness in the communities we serve,” said Regions Foundation Executive Director Marta Self. “Our desire is to help more individuals prosper and have brighter futures by having access to opportunities like this. We applaud Huntsville Hospital, HEMSI and all of these new graduates on a job well done for their community.”

To learn more about the HEMSI EMS Academy, visit hemsi.org/emt-and-paramedic-education.

To read Mardaisha’s full story, visit huntsvillehospitalfoundation.org/our-stories.