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LANSING — On Wednesday, the Michigan EMS Practitioners Association honored Josh Kay of Southwestern Michigan Community Ambulance in Berrien County as its EMS Practitioner of the Year. Each year, the association honors an EMS provider who goes above and beyond to save lives and advance the emergency medical services profession.

“Josh is an excellent example of what it means to be an EMS practitioner,” said Angela Madden, executive director of the Michigan EMS Practitioners Association. “He always goes above and beyond to serve the people of the Southwestern Michigan community and we are lucky to have Josh representing Michigan emergency responders.”

Kay has over 27 years of service in EMS and holds his Critical Care Paramedic License and serves as the Operations Manager at SMCAS. Kay is known for his willingness to lend a hand when things get tough and is often seen working alongside his team to care for the community, said those who work with him.

“Josh is known in EMS as someone who goes above and beyond to ensure that his team members are protected and that patients continued to receive top notch care,” said Brian Scribner, executive director of SMCAS. “We are proud to have Josh on our team and his recognition is well-deserved.”

SMCAS officials said that over the course of the pandemic, Kay worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of his crews by making sure they had all of the necessary personal protection equipment and by remaining vigilant over the health and safety of his team. As a result of these efforts, SMCAS has had zero work-related COVID infections and has remained 100 percent staffed in order to continue serving southwestern Michigan.

Kay serves the residents of Berrien and Cass counties.

For more information, visit miemspa.org.