Wade Spruill, Jr., State EMS / Trauma Director, Named Chief Executive Officer of AAA Ambulance Service
Hattiesburg, MS - September 2000 - The leader and developer of Mississippi’s emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma system has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of AAA Ambulance Service. Wade Spruill, Jr. will assume the position October 16. He succeeds Harvel Smith, AAA founding CEO, who died recently.
Lowery Woodall, President of the AAA Board of Directors, made the announcement today. In Woodall’s words, “Harvel Smith’s unexpected death this past summer required our board to take swift and decisive action to continue the stability and ensure the growth of AAA. We looked to find the best person to lead our community based ambulance service in the 21st Century, and that person is Wade Spruill.
“Under his leadership Mississippi has incorporated more national standards than any other state in the nation and ranks among the finest in data collection systems, accreditation of EMS education programs, continuing education offerings, and coordination. The Pine Belt area is truly fortunate that Wade Spruill will now lead our emergency medical services team,” said Woodall.
Chairman of the Southeast Mississippi Air Ambulance District (SEMAAD), Dr. Richard Clark says Spruill’s appointment “means this area of Mississippi will continue to be on the cutting edge in services and technology, providing communities the very best in EMS.” Spruill’s contract includes management of the nine county air ambulance district.
Spruill wrote and guided the passage or development of Mississippi’s first EMS authorization law, the first paramedic law, the first (and nationally acclaimed) innovative EMS funding law, the state trauma plan and trauma systems law, the first state trauma registry, the first (and nationally acclaimed) subscription ambulance services law, and the first road name law.
State EMS Medical Director, Briggs Hopson, MD, said, “With enthusiasm, foresight and determination, Wade worked on many problems that dealt with the sick and injured in the pre-hospital arena…he took and molded a system second to none in the U.S. Many states have tried to hire him to direct their emergency medical services but he has chosen to remain and serve here in his native state. He is a pioneer who has served on multiple national committees that have set standards, guidelines and regulations for the country. I congratulate AAA on recruiting Wade.”
As State EMS Director, Spruill wrote the state’s original plan for emergency care and led Mississippi from the “funeral home days” of the past, in which businesses of obvious conflicts of interest picked up and delivered emergency victims with little or no care given to either the hospital or the funeral home, to the forefront of nationally recognized EMS programs.
Today Mississippi boasts an excellent pre-hospital care system with over 130 licensed ambulance providers, 471 ground ambulance vehicles, 11 air ambulances, and over 6,800 certified EMS personnel. Together, these services respond to more than 328,000 calls for help each year.
Spruill has worked with 30 legislative sessions, eight governors, and three state health officers. He co-authored the book, Principles of EMS Systems, A Comprehensive Text for Physicians. Spruill has earned the outstanding performance certificate from the State Board of Health, two gubernatorial commendations, and is one of only eight nationally recognized trauma system faculty designated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Spruill has been honored by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians
(NAEMT) with the Rocco V. Morando Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions to EMS. The Mississippi Public Health Association also presented to him the Felix J. Underwood Award, an honor reserved only for those who share concern with “the father of public health in Mississippi,” for protecting the health of Mississippians.
About AAA Ambulance Service: AAA Ambulance Service, founded in 1965, created one of the first licensed emergency medical services providers in Mississippi. The community, tax-supported nonprofit organization’s mission is to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce trauma-related personal anguish and health care costs. For more information, visit http://www.aaaambulance.net.
Contact: Christy M. Joy
PO Box 17889
Hattiesburg, MS 39404
207 South. 28th Ave.
Hattiesburg, MS 39401
(601) 264-0175 SND.Email
