Abingdon, VA—The Southwest Virginia EMS Council, Inc., today announced the winners of the Regional EMS Awards, a yearly program recognizing the outstanding contributions of emergency medical services agencies and providers to improve the regional EMS system.

“The annual EMS awards program is an opportunity to recognize members of the EMS community who exemplify outstanding dedication and service to emergency medical services,” said Council Executive Director Gregory Woods.

In light of the recent attention concerning Swine Flu, the Southwest Virginia EMS Council has established this Swine Flu Information Portal to quickly link EMS providers and agencies with information and tools to help prepare for a possible outbreak. 

The Virginia Department of Health is investigating a confirmed measles case in a Prince William County resident.  This comes on the heels of multi-jurisdiction measles investigations involving confirmed measles in two residents of the District of Columbia and four residents of Maryland.  Contact with these cases has resulted in the exposure of residents from all parts of Virginia.  For this reason, health care providers should increase their index of suspicion for measles in clinically compatible cases.