George Johnson Award

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The Dr. George Johnson, Jr. EMS Award

NC OEMS Logo In August, 2000, the State EMS Advisory Council voted to establish an award to be named for the late chairman emeritus of the council. The Dr. George Johnson, Jr. award is awarded to individuals deemed by the council to individuals who have made significant and outstanding long-term contributions to EMS in North Carolina. Dr. Johnson chaired the Advisory Council from November 1977 until August 2006.

The award is given at the pleasure of the council and may be awarded to more than one person during a year, or it may not be awarded if no suitable nominee is presented for a given year.


The first award (2000) was presented to Dr. Charles P. Blomely of Polk County in recognition of his pioneering efforts toward the development of EMS in Western North Carolina and for his 27 years of dedication and service to Polk County EMS and the citizens of his region.	The second award (2001) was presented to Dr. Llewellyn W. (Lew) Stringer, long time medical director of Forsyth County EMS and a key national figure in the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (D-MAT) Program. He is also founder and head of the North Carolina-based Special Operations Response Team (SORT).	The third award (2002) went to Dr. Donald Vaughn, longtime medical director for Wake EMS, and someone who was hugely instrumental in working with the NC Medical Society to develop and implement the Pre-hospital DNR form which is used all across the state.	The fourth award (2003) was given to P. Michael Eddinger, who recently retired as Assistant Chief of the Office of EMS. Eddinger was recognized for 30 years of EMS service which included much of the work on the recent rewrite of EMS regulations in the state. Eddinger's career began as a paramedic in Guilford County.

The fifth award (2005) was given to Wayne Ashworth, retired director of Surry and Rowan County EMS and longtime member of the State EMS Advisory Council. He was one of the state's first paramedics and is webmaster of the NCEMS web page.	The sixth award (2006) was presented to former OEMS Assistant Chief Ed Browning. Ed was recognized for his long term service and in particular for his work in the areas of education and rules updates.

To nominate someone for the award, please submit a nominating letter to any member of the EMS Advisory Council or to any OEMS staff member by end of July of each year. The nominations will be reviewed by a committee of the Advisory Council and then recommendations made to the full council at their August meeting. All awards are made at the annual Emergency Medicine Today Conference banquet.