POTSDAM – This year's recipient of the Canton-Potsdam Hospital Board of Directors' Award is Donald Thompson, EMT-CC, firefighter, and New York State Instructor for the EMT program.
Thompson has served the local communities for more than 44 years and has likely trained every emergency medical technician serving St. Lawrence County today.
From the child injured in a snowmobile accident, the critically injured patient in a car accident, the heart-attack survivor, to the elderly woman who lives alone and has broken a hip from a fall, Thompson's expertise has helped countless individuals within our community.
"Don is an extraordinary teacher and as every law enforcement officer, fire-fighter, volunteer EMT, and emergency room doctor will tell you, he's a stern task-master who cares deeply about making sure that emergency medicine works as it should in the field so our practitioners at the hospital can do their best work," said Margaret Madden, Canton-Potsdam Hospital Board of Directors Chair.
"Don not only volunteers his time as an educator; he is also a highly skilled Critical Care EMT who mentors others in action. He has saved countless lives and helped others to save lives too," Madden added. "Don has made a lasting impact on emergency medicine in our community; we are healthier and safer for his contribution."
