Friday, May 3, 2024
A Hood County EMS employee recently received a prestigious honor from the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council (NCTTRAC).
Ricky Reeves, executive director for Texas EMS in Hood County, was honored with the Journey of Excellence Award in September.
According to the NCTTRAC news release, the Journey of Excellence Award is awarded to an individual, group, or organization recognized for exemplary performance and whose contribution has exhibited integrity, vision, collaboration, inspiration, leadership and a strong commitment to the mission, goals, and values of NCTTRAC.
Reeves — who has served 45 years total in both EMS and the fire service — was described by the NCTTRAC as someone who is “well-respected” and “valued” for his knowledge and expertise in “all things EMS.”
"To me, the Journey of Excellence Award says a lot (coming from) from your peers,” Reeves told the HCN. “I've lived in EMS my entire 45 years, and I still do it. I love it. God gave me the knowledge and expertise to be able to help manage and help my community and that is giving back to the community that I love. This award comes from our North Central Texas Trauma Advisory Council, so it was a group of people from hospitals and EMS, so getting the award from your peers is just very rewarding for recognizing what you've worked on and achieved (is being noticed).”
Reeves’ EMS journey began when he was only 18 years old, as his servant’s heart led him to pursue a career where he could not only provide for his mother but also give back to the community of Mount Pleasant.
"I grew up in a very, very poor family,” he explained. “My mom and dad split when I was very young, so I was raised by my mother, who couldn't work. I had a lot of the community help us, like churches, organizations, and mentors of mine who helped mold me. When I turned 18, I went to the local hospital and started inquiring about how you get into the medical field. They had an EMT class, so I got enrolled and then from that point, I went to medical school in Texarkana.”
Reeves said once he got his paramedic’s license, he returned to his hometown to “give back to the community” that had supported him and his family over the years.
In 1978, he started working as an EMT for the Mount Pleasant hospital district, while also serving on the Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department, where he eventually moved up the rank to become a captain.
In 1992, the Texas Board of Health divided the state into 22 regions, called “trauma service areas,” and a regional advisory council (RAC) was formed in each region to develop and implement the trauma system for that region, according to texasjrac.org.
Reeves then served on the F region committee for Mount Pleasant, where he eventually became chair elect and then chair — remaining as chair until 2000.
In 2000, he went to work for the Lewisville Fire Department as the EMS chief, where he became involved with that region’s RAC as the finance chair and then later the chair elect, and chair.
"I was on one of the original forming committees that created the Emergency Task Force that we have today,” he explained. “We respond to the hurricanes and the fires, and then I was on all kinds of committees with the state.”
Reeves was a member of the Texas EMS Alliance Board of Directors, as well as the Governor’s EMS & Trauma Advisory Council (GETAC) EMS Committee.
In 2015, however, an unpredictable finding from doctors changed Reeves’ life forever, when it was discovered that he had a tumor on his brainstem, leading him to have immediate brain surgery.
“It wasn't supposed to be a very good outcome, but I actually had a blessed, successful surgery — two of them actually in one week — and they removed the tumor,” he explained. “With all that, in 2016 I was awarded the Department of State Health Services EMS Administrator of the Year Award which is one award given out in the state for that role, so I've received it and numerous other accolades over the years.”
He was also recently awarded the President's Award for his commitment to EMS in Texas from the Texas EMS Alliance (TEMSA), a Texas EMS trade organization representing all EMS providers across Texas.
In 2018, Reeves retired from the Lewisville Fire Department as EMS division chief and moved to Granbury, where he began his role as executive director.
“I knew where Granbury was, but I never dreamed I would come to this," he said. "I had never been down here. I had never seen it until I came and did my interview, but I just kind of fell in love with the place.”
Reeves has now been the executive director of Texas EMS in Granbury for five years — but there’s one component of the job that he wishes more residents understood.
“Texas EMS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit,” he explained. “We do not receive subsidies from the county, city, or hospital. We are only run through our reimbursements from our transports and any donations. We are unique in that we've been here 22 years, and it's one of the very few agencies in the state of Texas that has that business model.”
Texas EMS was formerly called Granbury and Hood County EMS before it was rebranded to its current name in 2006. However, Reeves explained how the name led to some misunderstandings that the city or the county owned the emergency medical service organization, which is not the case.
“It's not financially supported by anybody, but now people think that because we say Texas EMS, they think it's owned by the state of Texas now," he explained. "People see that thinking we're a big organization owned by somebody else and we're not. We're homegrown, we're home owned, and we have a board of directors that manage the organization.”
Reeves compared Texas EMS to other nonprofit organizations like Ruth’s Place and United Way of Hood County.
“We rely on donations and reimbursements to keep us flowing and it's beginning to get harder and harder with the changes in the healthcare industry, but people need to know that the 911 ambulance service they rely on is nonprofit,” he said.
Due to the growth in Hood County, Reeves said it’s becoming harder for Texas EMS to bring in enough revenue to support the organization.
"We're out and we ask for donations,” he said. “We have a membership that people can pay to help cover and offset the cost of an EMS ambulance ride.”
Not only does Reeves have 45 years of experience in the EMS and fire service, but he has also served over 30 years working with Regional Advisory Councils, specifically NCTTRAC, and over 15 years serving at the state level, working in support of EMS and hospitals with GETAC and other associated organizations.
“It is a long journey, 45 years,” he added. “Most medics are in the business about five years, so to be able to be where I'm at today, it's a blessing, and it's something that I love to do.”
Reeves said he will continue to serve in some capacity with Texas EMS for the foreseeable future until he decides he’s ready to retire.
“We have a bunch of professional men and women dedicated to making sure that everyone they come in contact with is treated like their family and gives them the best care,” he added. “That's what I push and that's what I believe in.”
Reeves is a resident of Granbury, where he lives with his fiancé Kathy, and stepson Kealon.
ashley@hcnews.com | 817-573-1243
