Lt. Felix Shanahan has been an EMS officer for more than three decades. He’s seen the medical field evolve over that time, and he knows the importance of continued training to provide the best in-field care to his patients.

Your gift provides Lt. Shanahan and the Springfield Fire Rescue Division with training from Mercy Health - Springfield Regional Medical Center. Last year, one such training featured essential information about stroke.

“Not all strokes are the same. If you treat them that way, people aren’t going to have the best outcomes. Now we are able to screen patients differently and provide the right care quickly.”

Your support plays a valuable role in helping EMS teams meet the increasing expectations placed upon them. “We are always aggressively trying to be better,” he says.

“Mercy is out of sight with that. They have been able to make systems of care, including this training, available. That really has been massive in aiding us in doing a good job.”

Lt. Shanahan sees Mercy Health as an essential partner to his continued education. He's seen how the most recent training is already paying dividends for his team.

“Since the training, we’ve had two cases where we have identified specific strokes. We did the screening, made the call and got those people into Springfield Regional where they had very successful thrombectemys.”

As much as patients are glad Lt. Shanahan is there for them during an emergency, he's glad donors are there for him.