Gunnison Valley Hospital’s Advanced Emergency Medical Technician,(AEMT), Vikki McClaskey, was nominated and selected to receive the State of Utah “AEMT of the Year award!”
Gunnison Valley Hospital CEO, Brenda Bartholomew said, “There couldn’t be a more deserving person for this award. We are so fortunate and grateful to have Vikki on our team. She leads through her selfless service to patients, co-workers, and community members alike! She is a wonderful example to me and embodies our mission and values at GVH.”
She will be honored for this award during “National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week”, on Wednesday May 21 at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Draper.
McClaskey has worked as an EMT for over 15 years, starting as a basic EMT in 2009 and becoming an advanced EMT in 2013. Gunnison Valley Hospital hired McClaskey in 2010 and she has served as Gunnison Valley Hospital’s EMS director for the past five years.
Vikki McClaskey was nominated to receive this award by Rich Wirsch, an EMT who works at the Central Utah Corrections Facility in Gunnison and as an EMT with Gunnison Valley Hospital.
An example of McClaskey’s “above and beyond” personality include when Governor Cox received an email from a couple who were from New Jersey and happened to be traveling through Gunnison when they got in an accident. The couple said,
The people could not have been more gracious and helpful. We had to go to the hospital to be checked out and the staff, doctors, nurses, EMTs were amazing! One person in particular, Vikki McClaskey, was kind enough when our Rent-A-Car was smashed up actually drove us north to Provo to help us Rent-A-Car. You should be very proud of the people of this little town because they deserve a shout out as one of the kindest communities I’ve ever encountered. Thank you Gunnison Valley! We will never forget you and your people!
This is just one example of many where Vikki McClaskey goes the extra mile to show genuine care and love for those she serves.
When talking to McClaskey about the award, she continually repeats how much she wishes this award could have been an “agency award” instead of an individual award. She said, "I really do not want to be recognized individually. I seriously cannot do this job without my EMT's. I feel like this shouldn't be an individual award. It should be an agency award, because I seriously have the most amazing group of EMT's who I get to work with side by side daily. They are definitely my heroes."