Capital Community College (CCC) has recognized the work of  Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel now on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis.

Capital CEO G. Duncan Harris officially acknowledged the work of EMS practitioners during EMS Week May 17-23 , a week observed nationally since 1974.

CCC’s nationally accredited Paramedic Program, established in 1988 in partnership with Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, prepares students for careers as paramedics, emergency medical technicians, hospital and public health coordinators and first responders.

“During my time at CCC, and as a member of the CCC Paramedic Advisory Board, I’ve learned much about the rigorous requirements to enter the paramedic field,” said Harris in a Commencement Week message to the campus. “CCC has one of the longest standing programs in the state and serves as a primary training ground for our state’s paramedics.”

Amid the COVID-19 public health crisis, the College has been authorized to educate a new cohort of incoming paramedic professionals this summer, one of only two on ground  programs to be offered at the downtown Hartford campus as distance learning continues for other programs.

Harris praised the work of Dr. Dan Tauber, Professor and Program Director, who last year received the Paul Winfield Smith Award for Educational Excellence from the Connecticut Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Council.  Tauber joined the faculty in 1994 and has been program director since 2018.

“I’ve seen the way he pours himself into his students,” said Harris. “It’s clear that he is aware that lives are on the line and are connected to the competency with which he ensures our students have the training and knowledge they need to meet the high standards.  It’s been an honor supporting his work and the work of the committed faculty and staff in the department.”