Yuma Ambulance, District Hospital Earn Multiple Regional EMS Awards

Three members of Yuma's emergency medical community claimed top honors at the Northeast Regional Emergency Trauma Advisory Committee awards ceremony in Loveland on April 2, with Yuma Ambulance Service and Yuma District Hospital each walking away from the event as regional standouts.

Keriann Josh of Yuma Ambulance Service was named EMS Leader of the Year, a distinction reserved for individuals who demonstrate exceptional vision and collaboration within the broader EMS and trauma system. Her colleague Michael Brophy received the BLS EMS Professional of the Year award, which recognizes front-line clinical excellence among Basic Life Support providers. Yuma District Hospital's Dr. Matthew Nowland was honored as Trauma Medical Director of the Year for his role coordinating trauma care protocols and system-level decisions that shape patient outcomes across the region. The awards were presented at the Thompson Valley EMS building during the RETAC ceremony.

The Northeast RETAC awards benchmark individuals and agencies against a regional peer group that includes paramedics, physicians, administrators, and first responders across northeastern Colorado. Earning three distinct recognitions in a single ceremony is uncommon and signals that Yuma's EMS infrastructure is performing well beyond its county boundaries.

That carries practical weight for a community with an injury profile unlike most of rural Colorado. Yuma County's agricultural operations and proximity to active military corridors generate high-acuity trauma calls that demand coordinated, protocol-driven responses. Seasonal population shifts add further pressure on dispatch and field crews. When RETAC evaluators single out local leaders, it reflects consistent performance under those conditions, not just a strong year.

Regional recognition also has downstream consequences for the agencies themselves. Awards of this kind improve competitiveness for state and federal EMS grants, strengthen recruitment pipelines, and support continued investment in training and equipment. For a system where Dr. Nowland's trauma protocols and Josh's organizational leadership directly shape how crews respond when seconds count, that reinvestment cycle matters.

The recognition reinforces what Yuma County residents can expect when they call 911: providers who are being measured against, and meeting, the standards of the broader regional trauma system.