Ernie Doss (Deputy Director for the State Office of EMS and Trauma), Benny Atkins, EJ Dailey (Program Director for Atlanta Region 3 Office of EMS)

For the second time in three years, Benny Atkins, Chief Operating Officer with National EMS, has been recognized as the EMS Director of the Year for the Region 3 Atlanta area during annual EMS Week ceremonies at Gwinnett Medical Center.

The annual award, presented by the Region 3 EMS Council, honored Atkins for his three decades of service to Emergency Medical Services system in the region, as well as his dedication and commitment to his community.

Through Atkins’ leadership, National EMS has established a close partnership with the hospitals in their service area and continues to look for opportunities to be a part of their fully integrated health care system. He has been involved in developing several programs with the hospitals including the Coverdell Acute Stroke Program and the Mission Lifeline Program for cardiac patients. During his tenure, National EMS has also doubled in size, and is now providing coverage with eighteen ambulances, covering Rockdale, Morgan, Athens-Clarke, and Oconee Counties.

In addition to working as Chief Operating Officer, Benny serves as President of the Kimberley Chance Atkins Foundation for Breast Cancer, which sponsors several events annually to raise money for Breast Cancer care and research. Benny is also an active member of the Rotary Club of Conyers and has served as a member of the Hospital Authority of Rockdale County.

In 2013, National EMS, the first accredited EMS provider in Georgia, was recognized as one of only eight EMS providers in the United States to consistently maintain accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services for over twenty years.

The Keynote speaker of the evening ceremony was Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Lee F. Ellis, an award-winning author and international consultant, who spoke on his experiences as a POW in Hanoi. Gwinnett Medical Center hosted the annual dinner on May 28, which honored and recognized EMS professionals in the entire metro Atlanta area.