June 1, 2007

Dear Friends,

As we move into the summer season, I want to take a moment to recognize the efforts of the dedicated men and women of Medstar, and the incredible impact of our personnel and our organization in the communities that we serve. While our personnel are widely recognized for their skill and compassion, few realize the level of off-duty service and community involvement that our personnel undertake.

The week before Memorial Day, Medstar personnel hosted a blood drive on behalf of the American Red Cross. Coincidentally, two days prior to the drive, the Red Cross announced that the blood supply for the holiday weekend had reached critically low levels and that they had actually run out of one blood type. Medstar personnel, along with their families and friends, community leaders, and other public safety professionals from throughout the area, donated blood in an amount that significantly exceeded the Red Cross's target amount.

Our personnel have been involved in the Macomb County Fallen Heroes Organization fundraising efforts which honors the lives lost by police, fire, and EMS professionals throughout Macomb County. Medstar has continuously provided sponsorship for the efforts of the organization and has offered a matching grant program to strengthen the donations provided by our personnel. Currently, Medstar matches, dollar-for-dollar, the money raised or donated by our personnel to this extremely important cause.

Medstar employees also recently launched an initiative to collect used cell phones for donation to the Macomb Seniors Association. The cellular telephones that are collected are reprogrammed and distributed to senior citizens within the community who would otherwise be without a means of access to emergency services. Medstar personnel have spent countless hours volunteering their time to staff donations sites and advocating the cause with community leaders, cell phone retailers, and other health care agencies.

Along with our EMS education department, Medstar paramedics recently participated with area high school students in a somber mock-accident designed to demonstrate the devastating effects of drunk driving on young adults. Medstar has also introduced and fully-sponsored a scholarship program that provides funding for area high school seniors who wish to attend our Emergency Medical Technician training programs.

As a non-profit community service, the foundation of our organization is providing service to communities and health care facilities. In the past two years, we have invested well over two million dollars in enhancing our clinical care equipment, patient safety programs, emergency vehicle safety and mapping software, along with providing additional ambulances, equipment, and highly-trained personnel to the communities that we serve.

As our organization continues to invest in our communities and advance the level of emergency care provided by our personnel, it is both refreshing and rewarding to see that the men and women of Medstar take the mission of our organization beyond their professional duties and freely give their personal time and efforts to improve the lives and well-being of those whom we are called to serve. I am proud to serve among such caring, compassionate, and dedicated professionals.

With respect and admiration,

Kolby Miller