Press Contact
Tristan North
Senior Vice President
American Ambulance Association
tnorth@ambulance.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Congresswoman Gluesenkamp Perez Awarded 2024 Legislator of the Year by the American Ambulance Association

Washington, D.C. — September 23, 2024 — Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has been recognized as the 2024 Legislator of the Year by the American Ambulance Association (AAA) for her outstanding leadership in addressing the critical workforce shortage facing the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) industry.

In a time when the EMS sector grapples with a significant shortage of qualified personnel, Congresswoman Gluesenkamp Perez has emerged as a vital advocate for meaningful change. Her introduction of the H.R. 6433, the PARA-EMT Act, has been a pivotal step in advancing solutions to recruit and retain EMS professionals across the nation.

“Congresswoman Gluesenkamp Perez’s commitment to the EMS workforce is not just commendable; it is essential,” said AAA President Randy Strozyk. “Her leadership has laid the groundwork for policies that will help alleviate the workforce crisis, ensuring that our communities receive the emergency care they deserve.”

The PARA-EMT Act aims to create an EMS Workforce Grant to help recruit, train, and retain EMS professionals and tasks the Department of Labor and Department of Health and Human Services with creating a study of the EMS workforce shortage and the training and education needed to meet the demands of the pre-hospital industry over the next decade. Additionally, the legislation includes a provision to assist combat medics with first response experience in transitioning into the civilian workforce.

Introduction of this legislation reflects the Congresswoman’s dedication not only to securing a strong future for emergency medical services to meet the needs of  our communities, but also her dedication to serving our nation’s veterans.

The American Ambulance Association is honored to award our Legislator of the Year Award to Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a true advocate of emergency medical services.

The award will be presented at the AAA Stars of Life event in Washington, D.C. on November 12th.

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About AAA

The American Ambulance Association represents ambulance services across the United States that participate in serving more than 75% of the U.S. population with emergency and non-emergency care and medical transportation. The AAA was formed in response to the need for improvements in medical transportation and emergency medical services. AAA views pre-hospital care not only as a public service, but also as an essential part of the total public health care system.

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