Andy Smith, EMS Director at Coffee Regional Medical Center, is the Georgia Emergency Medical Services Association (GEMSA) EMS Director of the Year. He received the award Tuesday, March 28, 2023, at Peachtree Pointe at Lake Lanier in Buford.
GEMSA presents the award to a current Georgia EMS director who has contributed significantly to EMS at the community, regional, and/or state level.
As director of EMS services for Coffee Regional Medical Center, Andy leads a team of 14 EMTS and 21 paramedics. This team is responsible for the 603 square miles of Coffee County and oftentimes travels outside of Coffee County to transport patients back to Coffee Regional Medical Center. In 2022, his team responded to 8,000 calls.
Andy is an avid supporter of his staff, the service, the patients, and his community. He understands that to make his organization run the best; he must take a holistic view and make sure that his work environment has a positive outlook, integrity, effective communication, high morale, and respectfulness.
Andy started his career in 1994 at Tift County EMS and over a 23-year period he served as an EMT, Paramedic, Lieutenant, Captain, and Major. Additionally, Andy was an EMT instructor for 15 years as well as a SWAT medic and EMS leadership graduate. Andy joined Coffee Regional Medical Center in 2017 where he has played a pivotal role in growing and improving the EMS services for Coffee County. Under Andy’s leadership, in 2018, Coffee Regional Medical Center EMS received EMS Service of the Year from GEMSA, a significant honor.