Texarkana, Texas- In commemoration of National EMS Week, Wadley Regional Medical Center and Wadley at Hope hosted an awards ceremony last night, May 19th,  to recognize four of the communities’ brave first responders. The honorees included Clayton Lester, a Pafford EMS and volunteer firefighter since the age of 15; Alan Laxton, a Pafford EMT and former Tollette Fire Chief and former Howard County Deputy Coroner; Earl Kelsoe, a LifeNet Air flight paramedic with 14 years of service; and Tim Tolleson, a LifeNet EMS paramedic with 23 years of service.

L-R Earl Kelsoe, Tim Tolleson, Alan Laxton, Clayton Lester

EMS professionals respond to nearly 28.5 million 9-1-1 calls a year.  During this past week, Wadley Regional Medical Center and Wadley at Hope took the opportunity to recognize and show appreciation to our local heroes.  “In addition to hosting our 2nd Annual Stewards of the Community Awards event, we had daily tokens of appreciation throughout the week,” said Brittany Walter, EMS Manager for Wadley and Wadley at Hope.  “The entire Wadley family took part in letting our EMS partners know that we are thankful for what they do.”

“Emergency Medical Service (EMS) professionals put their lives on the line to meet the needs of others. [BS1] Their courage to serve our community, especially in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been a lifeline for our communities in the Texarkana area and the Hope-Hempstead county region over the past two years and beyond,” says Tom Gilbert, president of Wadley Regional Medical Center and Wadley at Hope. “To say they have difficult jobs would be an understatement.”