SOLUTION FOCUSED THINKING
From the moment a client retains CCG, we are targeted on their needs and focused on delivering a solution set that is customized to their specific issues, tailored to work within their unique operational and regulatory environment. CCG recognizes that each paramedicine service is different and functions with specific constraints and within certain boundaries. CCG also realizes the role government relations and oversight plays in the industry and the impact upon providers.
EXECUTIVE ADVISOR
Vincent D. Robbins, MSc, FACPE, LFACHE
| FOUNDER President & Chief Executive Officer |
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System Design
Governing Board Relations
Strategic Planning
Executive Leadership
Business Administration
Operations Management
Finance & Reimbursement
Union Negotiations & Relations
EXECUTIVE ADVISOR
Brian LaCroix, NRP (Ret), BS, CPPS, FACPE
Brian LaCroix’s career in paramedicine begin in the early 1980’s and has included work as a volunteer firefighter, EMT, paramedic, educator, author, peer counselor, manager and executive officer. In 2019 he retired as President and EMS Chief of Allina Health Emergency Medical Services in Minnesota, serving more than one million residents with 9-1-1 service in more than 120 communities. He is a founding partner and Chief Operating Officer of Cambridge Consulting Group. LaCroix is a Fellow in the American College of Paramedic Executives, holds both a paramedic degree and a degree in business administration. He has worked on international EMS projects in Nicaragua, France, Croatia and Saudi Arabia. A native English speaker proficient in French, LaCroix enjoys both mentoring and learning from his six grandkids.
| CO-FOUNDER Vice President & Chief Operating Officer |
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Leadership Team Development
Workforce Engagement
Operational Excellence
Physician Relations
Community Affairs
Hospital Relations
Meeting Facilitation
Executive Officer Recruitment
SENIOR ADVISOR
Mic Gunderson, NREMT (RET), FAEMS
| Chief Strategy Officer |
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Quality Improvement
Time Sensitive Systems of Care
System Design / Assessment
Process Design
SENIOR ADVISOR
A.J. Heightman
A.J. is the Editor-Emeritus and former Editor-in Chief of JEMS (the Journal of Emergency Medical Services), In addition, he served as Special Projects Coordinator for JEMS, and EMS Today Conference Chairman for 26 years. A.J. also served as Vice President of Jems Communications, Director of the Emergency Care Information Center and Director of the JEMS Conference Division.
A.J. has 51 years of experience in EMS. In addition to serving as a Senior Advisor with the Cambridge Consulting Group, he is an EMS educator, author and consultant, an Adjunct Instructor of Clinical Research and Leadership at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and a member of the San Diego Fire Rescue Department Paramedic Academic Advisory Committee.
Prior to joining the staff of JEMS in 1995, A.J. served as the Director of Operations for Cetronia Ambulance in Allentown, PA (1992-1995).
For seventeen years (1975-1992), A.J. was the Executive Director of the Eastern Pennsylvania EMS Council and regional MEDCOM Advanced Medical Communications System, one of the most advanced multi-county EMS systems in the country, serving a population of 1.2 million residents. During A.J.’s tenure at Eastern PA EMS, over 11 million dollars in State, Federal and local funds were obtained to develop the EMS System.
A.J. also spent 20 years as a volunteer paramedic and command officer for Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Company (BTVFC), a combination volunteer/paid department that offered multi-jurisdictional BLS/ALS/Rescue service. While at BTVFC, A.J. developed and helped supervise the BTVFC “Medic 1” Paramedic Response System, which provided ALS service to eleven (11) service areas.
A.J. is a graduate of Temple University and received his master’s degree in public administration from Lehigh University. A certified EMS and rescue instructor, A.J. has served on the faculty of university EMS degree programs, training divisions and fire academies. A.J. is an internationally recognized expert in the field of disaster and Mass Casualty Incident Management.
| Chief Development Officer |
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Emerging Technologies
Technical Writing
International Engagements
Medical Device Assessment
SENIOR ADVISOR
Anne Montera, MHL, BSN, RN
Anne Montera received a Master’s Degree in Health Leadership from Western Governors University and a BSN from Bethel College. She has over 20 years of nursing experience in Public Health, Labor and Delivery, Patient Safety/Quality Improvement, and EMS coordination in urban and rural hospitals and community settings, including the use of telemedicine. In Ms. Montera’s previous role as the Senior VP of Quality for Ready Responders, she worked to research, develop, and implement quality matrix to demonstrate program cost savings and health impact. She was also the Executive Director for the Central Mountains RETAC, supporting a 6-county EMS and Trauma region in Colorado. She is the Co-Creator and Public Health Partner for the first National Community Paramedic Pilot Program in rural Eagle, CO. She received the State of Colorado EMS Region of the year in 2019 and Colorado Nightingale Luminary Award for Innovation work on the Colorado community paramedic program in 2011.
Board Memberships
- National Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council (NEMSAC) Appointed by the Secretary of Transportation United States, Washington, D.C., representing the Public Health and Nursing Sector, 2015 – 2017 and 2018 – current
- Vice-Chair 2015 – 2017 and 2018 – present
- Nominated by American Nurses Association to represent the 4 million nurses in the USA
- Authored and co-authored many advisories for the Federal EMS Partners to improve, enhance, and change Paramedicine in the country
- Authored the Annual Report in the role as the Vice-Chair
- President of Board – First Few Moments Not-for-Profit, 2013 – Current
- Advisory Board Member – EMS World, 2014 – Current
Community Paramedicine
Government Policy
Telemedicine
Patient Safety & Quality
Public Health
SENIOR ADVISOR
Jim Davis, RN, Ed.D
Jim Davis is the fire chief in Fort Worth, Texas. He is a Columbus native having worked for thirty years with the Columbus Division of Fire rising to the rank of Assistant Fire Chief of training and emergency medical services (EMS) and then Administration prior to his appointment in Fort Worth. He has over thirty years of experience in EMS as a paramedic with a combination of private and public experience. He is a registered nurse with a critical care background in ER, ICU, and toxicology at both the adult and pediatric level. In addition, Jim worked in the critical transport area as both a paramedic and registered nurse on both ground, rotor-wing, and fixed wing environments.
Jim previously sat on the Ohio State Board of Fire, Emergency, and Transportation Services where he was the chair for two years assisting navigate the consolidation of two separate boards overseeing EMS care and transport. Additionally, as a board member of the Central Ohio Trauma Systems (COTS) he participated in the regionalization approach to disaster and trauma care throughout a multiple county region.
Jim currently sits on the Board of the Tarrant County 9-1-1 System and MedStar Mobile Health Care which provides ambulance transportation in Fort Worth. He holds a Master’s degree from The Ohio State University in Business of Operational Excellence (MBOE) where he obtained his Six Sigma Black Belt. He completed his Doctorate in Organizational Learning at the University of Pennsylvania Chief Learning Officer Program (CLO Program) where his dissertation focused on the use of medical simulation to understand additional contributing factors involved in sentinel events in healthcare.
Fire-Based EMS
Helicopter EMS
Practitioner Education
Urban/Suburban Operations
SENIOR ADVISOR
William McDonald, PhD, NRP, FACPE, CEMSO, CTO
Bill completed the New York State Certified Laboratory Instructor course and later completed the Certified Instructor Coordinator course. Bill was recently appointed as a member of the New York State EMS Education Regional Faculty and is a National Registry subject matter expert and exam representative.
In 2007 Bill went back to being a full-time paramedic in New Jersey while remaining per-diem in New York City. Bill worked in a variety of areas throughout New Jersey serving a diverse population. Bill became the Paramedic Program Educator for the joint Jersey City Medical Center (JCMC) and Hudson County Community College (HCCC) Paramedic Program where he also instructed all levels of AHA courses, including ACLS for the Experienced Provider, and coordinated all the NAEMT training center courses.
As a member of the JCMC leadership team, Bill was involved with the interview and hiring process among other ad-hoc committees. Bill provided paramedic refresher training and in-service sessions for staff and contributed to the New Jersey Association of Paramedic Programs unified National Registry transition program from NREMT to NRP. Bill was involved in EMS operations as needed, such as during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, where he served in various supervisory roles. Before his departure, Bill assisted in the reaccreditation of the paramedic program. Later, Bill was an Assistant Professor and coordinator of emergency management and fire protection for SUNY Empire State College for seven years.
Currently, Bill provides expert witness consulting services for medical malpractice cases, for either the plaintiff or defense, including document review, opinion report writing, and testimony at depositions and trials. To date, Bill has consulted on over 55 cases from 15 states and is a Certified Medical Professional Legal Consultant.
Bill holds a BPS in Emergency Management and Fire Protection, an MPA, a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration, and is currently enrolled in a Master’s of Legal Studies program. Bill has attended executive leadership programs at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and T.H. Chan School of Public Health as well as at Columbia University.
Bill is one of the first Fellows of the American College of Paramedic Executives, an IAEM Certified Emergency Manager, & holder of the National EMS Educator Certification. Bill is certified by the National Academy of Ambulance Compliance as a Document Specialist, Privacy Officer, Compliance Officer, & Coder and is a Six Sigma Blackbelt. Bill has also been awarded the Chief EMS Officer (CEMSO) and Chief Training Officer (CTO) credentials by the Center for Public Safety Excellence.
Expert EMS Witness
EMS Malpractice Review
EMS Medical/Legal
EMS Education Design
SENIOR ADVISOR
Walt Stoy, PhD, EMT-P
Walt’s accomplishments in his early years in the School of Medicine include the creation of the fourth year Elective in Emergency Medicine as well as classes for third year and first year medical students. He oversaw numerous continuing educational programs for all levels of healthcare providers. His primary goal was the creation of paramedic education at CEM. The first class started at CEM in 1982.
Walt assisted with the creation of STAT MEDEVAC and worked part-time as a flight paramedic for 12 years (84-96). His prior efforts as a paramedic date back to 1975 working initially for two funeral home-based EMS systems prior to joining the City of Pittsburgh EMS bureau in 1977 through 1981.
Upon the completion of his doctoral degree, he was sought by U.S. DOT-NHTSA to serve as the Principal Investigator over the EMT-B national standard curricula revision project. Following that successful undertaking, he was contracted to direct the revisions to the First Responder, EMT-Intermediate and Paramedic curricula projects.
In the later part of the 1990’s his efforts saw the implementation of the nation’s first and only Emergency Medicine undergraduate degree at SHRS. Although there are other programs similar in nature, PITT has the only BS degree in Emergency Medicine.
During this same time frame, Walt was finding likeminded colleagues to create the National Association of EMS Educators (NAEMSE). This organization has thousands of members across the nation that are engaged in the education of EMS personnel.
He has a rich history of involvement internationally in the Middle East and directed one of the projects with UPMC International. A contract was in place for several years in Qatar to enhance emergency medicine aspects including EMS, emergency medicine as well as a trauma system.
At the request of the former Dean of SHRS, Walt was asked to oversee the creation a Physician Assistant Studies Program. The process started in 2008 and by January 2010 the first class of 22 students were seated.
Over the many decades, Walt worked with various individuals and organization to create instructional materials. Over 80 publications that included videos, textbooks, workbooks, textbook chapters, and instructional texts have been created to enhance the EMS domain.
Walt continues to serve as a site visitor and reader for Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the EMS Professions (CoAEMSP). His efforts with this organization assist in ensuring the integrity of EMS educational facilities across the country.
Walt will continue to teach in the EM program in the fall and spring terms. The Cognitive Psychology of Clinical Decision Making is team taught with Dr. Paul Paris.
EMS & EM Education
EMS Operations
Federal DOJ Expert Witness
Pandemic Response
Medical Ethics
Technical Assessment EMS Systems
SENIOR ADVISOR
Chuck O'Neal, MBA
Mr. O’Neal focuses many of his professional efforts in research and development of EMS leaders and managers, strategic planning, EMS operations accountability, and fiscal management of EMS systems. Mr. O’Neal has extensive experience that includes service in EMS regulatory leadership in state government, leadership roles in the ground ambulance and air medical environment, leading national accreditation process preparation through the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS), and management turnarounds in both public and private EMS systems.
Chuck is a Past-President of the Kentucky Chapter of the Association of Air Medical Services, was appointed as board member for the Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services, as well as to the Kentucky Community & Technical College System Board of Regents. Mr. O’Neal currently maintains an appointment to the National Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council (NEMSAC), membership with the National EMS Management Association (NEMSMA), International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), National Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMSO), and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).
Government Regulations
Regulatory Standards
Pandemic Response
Emergency Management
CAMTS Accreditation Preparation
EMS Preparedness
SENIOR ADVISOR
David Shotwell, Esq.
For several years, Dave combined his expertise in both disciplines serving as the Corporate Compliance Officer and Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) Coordinator with the Monmouth-Ocean Hospital Service Corporation (MONOC) before accepting the corporate counsel role a few years later. In addition to certificates in Healthcare Corporate Compliance from George Washington University, and Labor Negotiation from Cornell University, he maintains certifications from the National Academy of Ambulance Coders in billing coding, compliance and privacy.
David remains active in the volunteer fire service, serving with a local engine company and as the part time clerk/administrator for a local fire district. He continues to qualify annually to lifeguard on the beach where his career began.
Medical-Legal Issues
HIPAA Compliance
CMS Compliance
CAAS/CAMTS Accreditation
Billing Compliance
SENIOR ADVISOR
Lillian Bonsignore, EMT-P
After being promoted to Captain in 2010, she served as Station Commander of two EMS Stations in Brooklyn and was promoted to Deputy Chief in the EMS Academy, in 2013.
She was appointed Chief of EMS Academy at Fort Totten in 2016, where she was responsible for the continuing education and EMS recertification of nearly 13,000 members of the FDNY. In addition, Chief Bonsignore was responsible for all FDNY EMS Officer training and commanded the FDNY EMS Probationary School.
Chief Bonsignore graduated from the FDNY Fire Officers Management Institute (FOMI) and completed several leadership programs including the Naval Post Graduate School-Executive Leadership program, FDNY Officer’s Management Institute, FDNY/USMA Counterterrorism Leadership- Combating Terrorism, TEEX –EMS Operations and Planning for Weapons of Mass Destruction and multiple National Incident Management systems courses.
Assigned to the four-star post as Chief of EMS in May 2019, Bonsignore led the city’s 4,640 EMS members during the COVID pandemic, unrest over the murder of George Floyd and the death of EMS Lt. Alison Russo, who was viciously stabbed while on duty outside her Queens EMS station.
During her tenure, Bonsignore spearheaded efforts to improve communications and technology for rank-and-file first responders. She also cleared the way for city ambulances to be equipped with motorized power stretchers that can self-lift and lower. She is also credited with making structural changes to the EMS hierarchy and increasing the number of chiefs to modernize the division’s organizational structure.
EMS Operations
Executive Leadership
EMS Education
Training Program Design
EMS Curriculum Development
SENIOR ADVISOR
Paul Satterlee, MD
Dr. Satterlee spent the first part of his EM/EMS career in Minneapolis and St. Paul working with multiple different EMS agencies. His first position was with a large healthcare-based EMS system that provided ground and air services to urban, suburban and rural parts of Minnesota.
During that experience, his focus was scene response and national disaster medical response as well has provider education. He was the medical director for the Century College Paramedic education program and supported them through multiple accreditation visits while the program was a local leader in paramedic training.
Later, he became more involved in the state and local regulatory bodies that guide EMS in the communities with which he worked. This included participation in national state medical director meetings, state EMS data management and acquisition as well as work with the states complain review committee for EMS providers.
This led to a change in focus from on scene care to quality assurance, best practice implementation and provider instruction. He worked with a large healthcare-based EMS service as they implemented programs in community paramedicine, critical care transport and neonatal transport. He provided much of the education and interacted with the healthcare systems to support the role of the various programs throughout the region.
Throughout his time in Minnesota, Dr. Satterlee worked with a variety of EMS services. This included healthcare-based EMS with interfacility transfers as well as 911 response. It included fire department-based EMS that provided care in rural areas as well as the department that provided care in the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. This provided an opportunity to experience multiple ways to provide care in various out of hospital settings. It allowed him to develop a breadth of knowledge and experience in various versions of EMS care. This experience allows him to anticipate challenges and obstacles to providing optimal prehospital care.
Dr. Satterlee also has extensive experience with EMS dispatch. He was part of an organization that had its own secondary PSAP providing prearrival instructions for multiple ems agencies. He worked with and taught dispatchers to better understand the nuances of providing prearrival instructions successfully while working with laypersons over the phone.
Dr. Satterlee has worked with hospital systems to establish and fine tune interfacility transport systems so that the interests of all parties can be aligned. This includes building a critical care transport program de novo in a large urban setting as well as providing education and guidance to the providers. He has also worked extensively within the hospital systems to build and monitor interfacility transport programs for newly developed free-standing emergency departments. These programs can require coordination, understanding and agreement between hospital systems, community-based EMS services and care providers who are part of the community. He has also been part of the development of a hospital ems based community paramedic program with emphasis on education of chronic disease monitoring and management.
After recently relocating to Western Washington, Dr. Satterlee continues to work with EMS and healthcare systems to ensure optimal prehospital care is provided based on quality assessment, progressive minded education and collaboration among the communities he works with.
Medical Treatment Protocols
System Medical Direction
Medical Command
ED Relations
Practitioner Oversight
SENIOR ADVISOR
Mark Merlin, DO
Dr. Mark A. Merlin is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and Vice-Chairman, Emergency Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center/RWJBarnabas Health. He has over 35 years’ experience in EMS as a volunteer first aider, paramedic and EMS Physician. Dr Merlin is currently the CEO of MD1 which is a fifty member nonprofit dedicated to advancing prehospital care. Dr. Merlin has been involved overseeing prehospital physician response since 2002. For MD1, manages teams participating in event medicine, tactical response, flight medicine (both rotary and fixed wing) and ground field response. Dr. Merlin is the founder of MD1 and Board Chairman. At MD1, Dr. Merlin has created numerous revenue streams and developed relationships between the business and EMS community to develop support for numerous programs. He has developed EMS grant and community support and public awareness via social media and community engagement.
Dr Merlin has published over 75 peer reviewed publications and abstracts and has obtained grant dollars (including NIH) over 1.5 million. He has presented nationally and internationally in multiple areas of Emergency Medicine, Emergency Medical Services, physician field response, EMS Operations and medical care. His research has been highlighted in the NY Times, JEMS, EMSWorld, multiple PODcasts and meetings for various specialties. Additionally, he is a frequent commentator on Fox, CBS and NBC on multiple EMS and Emergency Medicine Topics.
He founded three EMS Fellowships including the NJ EMS fellows which became the largest one in the U.S. consisting of nine EMS fellows and generating 23 publications and abstracts. He has worked with C-Suite personnel in numerous hospitals to build relationships to promote concepts of EMS and the importance of financial support and community outreaches.
Dr. Merlin is the Medical Director of Medway Air Ambulance providing fixed wing medical care to 250 patients each month. He is actively engaged with fixed wing protocols and has provided consultation with multiple companies through the accreditation process. He has developed numerous protocols for AirMedical and maintains daily oversight of critical patients being transferred around the world. He has coordinated review articles on topics of AirMedical Transport.
Previous he held positions as the active medical director of both state police rotary and private rotary system.
Currently, Dr Merlin is the Chair of the NJ EMS Council for the NJ Department of Health. He still responds on 911 requests as an EMS Physician and provides training on advanced prehospital procedures including TEE, REBOA, and Field Amputation and best EMS medical practices. He routinely provides consultation on physician field response and fixed wing best practices. Dr Merlin has been involved as a consultant for multiple major legal and intellectual property cases involving EMS and Emergency Medicine.
Previously, Dr Merlin was the Chief Medical Officer of MONOC EMS overseeing an educational budget of 1.4 million with 800 paramedics and EMTs. He has provided medical direction and Chief Medical Officer services to multiple organizations for the past twenty years. Additionally, Dr Merlin has been a board member for multiple medical related start-ups and organizations including the American Heart Association. He has provided consultation to companies through the 510K approval process for medical devices.
System Medical Oversight
In-Field Physician Response
Large Event & Tactical EMS
SENIOR ADVISOR
Charles Foat, PhD, NRP, FAEMS
His journey in EMS spans over three decades, beginning with his service as a Hospital Corpsman and Field Medical Service Medical Technician with the U.S. Navy. He is a Nationally Registered Paramedic, as well as EMS Instructor showcasing his dual proficiency in both practical and instructional aspects of emergency medical services. Dr. Foat’s career has seen him in varied roles, from a field paramedic, educator, Clinical Manager, Regional Director, Professor, and Program Director, across several states, including California, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Texas, and Kansas.
Dr. Foat’s contributions to EMS education are profound. He has taught a wide range of EMS courses, from entry-level to advanced paramedic classes, and has provided education to medical professionals at all levels, including physicians and nurses. His international teaching experiences further underscore his commitment to global EMS education.
As a visionary in EMS education, Dr. Foat has led numerous research projects; he is also a Section Editor and peer reviewer for the International Journal of Paramedicine, contributing significantly to the body of EMS knowledge. His commitment to the EMS community extends beyond education and research. Dr. Foat is an active member of several professional organizations, including the National Association of EMS Physicians, the National EMS Management Association, and others. As a Fellow of the Academy of EMS (FAEMS), Dr. Foat has been recognized for his significant contributions to the National Association of EMS Physicians, the EMS profession, and the advancement of EMS as a vital subspecialty.
Dr. Foat’s dedication to creating an engaging, student-centered learning environment, coupled with his focus on evidence-based instruction, positions him as a pioneer in EMS education. His efforts not only prepare his students for successful careers but also ensure the advancement of EMS practices through his comprehensive and forward-thinking approach.
EMS & EM Education
EMS Expert Witness
EMS Educator Training
Instructional Design
EMS Research
CAAHEP Accreditation Preparation (CoAEMSP)
SENIOR ADVISOR
Amy C. Mauro, Esq.
Amy C. Mauro, Esq. is an accomplished attorney and transformative leader who has worked on critical policy issues and strategic organization change for over 25 years, in both local and federal agencies and in three branches of government.
She is a results-oriented manager and problem-solver known for her depth of knowledge on policy, legal, agency operations, and budget issues. She has vast executive, legal, legislative, public safety and criminal justice experience from her time as General Counsel and Chief of Staff at the DC Office of Risk Management (DCORM), as well as her time as a staff member in the Office of the City Administrator, DC US Attorney’s Office and DC Council.
In 2015, Ms. Mauro was appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser as Chief of Staff for the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, during a time of significant challenges within the Department. She worked with retired Chief Gregory M. Dean and current Chief John A. Donnelly, Sr., and their executive leadership teams, to drive strategic budget investment, cultural and organizational change, and data-driven service improvements. The Department’s reforms and innovations, particularly in the area of EMS, have received national recognition and emulation. In her role as Chief of Staff, Ms. Mauro directly supervised Department’s media and community relations, labor relations, office of the general counsel, budget, performance and data analysis, and EEO and diversity offices.
Ms. Mauro is a Washington, DC native and lives on Capitol Hill with her husband and two children.
Legislative Advocacy
Governmental Relations
Organizational Transformation
Cultural Change
Public Safety Expertise
SENIOR ADVISOR
John Todaro, BA, NRP, RN, TNS, NCEE, CHSE, CHSOS
EMS Education
EMS Simulation Training
EMS Quality Improvement
Education Conference Planning
ASSOCIATE ADVISOR
Jeff Behm, MBA, FACPE
EMS Operations
Inter-facility Medical Transport
Helicopter Medical Transport
ASSOCIATE ADVISOR
Ray Barishansky
His most recent position was as the Deputy Secretary for Health Preparedness and Community Protection at the Pennsylvania Department of Health, a role he recently left after several years. Prior to this position, he served as the Director of the Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) at the Connecticut Department of Public Health.
Mr. Barishansky holds an earned doctorate in Public Health (DrPH) from the Fairbanks School of Public Health at Indiana University. In addition, Mr. Barishansky holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Touro College, a Master of Public Health degree in Health Policy and Management from New York Medical College and a Master of Science degree in Homeland Security Studies at Long Island University.
Governmental Relations
EMS/Public Health Interface
Strategic Planning
EMS Regulation
EMS Legislation
ASSOCIATE ADVISOR
Hilary Gates, MAEd, NRP
Hilary began life as a high school English and journalism teacher, and after hearing some of her students tell stories about volunteering in EMS, she agreed to go on a ridealong. The rest is history. She is proud of her career that began as a volunteer with the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad in Montgomery County, MD, then as a paramedic, EMT instructor and FTO at AFD. Hilary implemented AFD’s MIH/CP program in 2017. She then served as senior editorial and program director for EMS World for 3 and 1/2 years.
She now commits her time and energy to innovating in the EMS space, while finding time to ride her bike often, ski as fast as she can downhill, travel to foreign lands and dream of becoming a surfing instructor and/or seaplane pilot. Hilary lives with her husband in the D.C. area.
EMS Education
Curriculum Writing
Community Paramedicine
Media Relations
Conference Planning
Meeting Facilitation
ASSOCIATE ADVISOR
Tom Bouthillet, NREMT-P
Currently, he is a member of NREMT’s Continued Competency Agenda Steering Committee, NEMSMA’s EMS Quality Improvement Committee, and NENA’s Telecommunicator CPR Working Group. He is also a member of Editorial Advisory Board for EMS World and a Content Reviewer for the British Paramedic Journal.
Previously, he was a member of NHTSA’s High Performance CPR Working Group, Director of the South Carolina Resuscitation Academy, Co-Producer of the Code STEMI Web Series, Content Expert for the 12-Lead ECG Challenge smartphone app, and Editor of EMS12Lead.com.
Tom is interested in process improvement, system performance, human factors, crew resource management, and evidence-based performance measures for time-sensitive diagnoses.
Fire-Based EMS
Quality Improvement
EMS Operations
High-Performance CPR
EMS Operations
ASSOCIATE ADVISOR
James Tanis, MD
Florida. His EMS experience spans over 2 decades in pre-hospital and emergent medical
care. Starting out at the bottom he has clawed his way to the top, graduating from the largest,
most intense EMS fellowship training program in the world. He has previously held educational,
operational and supervisory roles in EMS systems both large and small. Known both for
teaching as well as doing patient care and rescue operations.
Dr. Tanis joined his small, home town, first aid squad as a teenager after high school, running calls and
how people live and survive. Some days were very refreshing and satisfying, others can temper
your soul so you can live to fight another day.
Few people in the world know what it takes to be a first responder, to go to the place
everyone else is running from. His leadership style is built on the fact that a leader should lead
from the front and never ask someone to do something he won’t or can’t do himself. To go
under a train to find a struck pedestrian, up a ladder for a seizing construction worker,
underwater in a dark lagoon to find a child, into a burning building to pick up a fallen brother,
search the woods to find a missing person, follow a tactical team into a hot zone, wear a
hazmat suit to treat a contaminated patient, wait in a triage station as the towers fell, plan out a
response to a mass shooting, bring a critically ill patient home from another land, or tell a family
that their loved one died and won’t be home tonight. To be an effective leader one must lead
from the front and know what you ask is worth the effort. Dr. Tanis has been there and done
these things and many more; his knowledge, training and experiences have molded him into an
effective leader, mentor, educator, author and provider few can compete with.
Currently he is working as an Emergency Medicine Physician in all of the Central Florida
Advent Health Emergency Departments with FEP of TeamHealth; Associate EMS Medical
Director of Advent Health Orlando EMS and Flight-1; EMS Physician for MD1 and Cambridge
Consulting Group, Medical Director for AER Consulting Services, Flight Physician for Medway
Air Ambulance, and Telemedicine Physician for TalkDocGo and Signify Health.
In-field Physician Response
EMS Physician
Medical Director
Air Medical Director
Medical Treatment Protocols
ASSOCIATE ADVISOR
Dr. Kelly Bouthillet
During her tenure as program coordinator and clinical supervisor for the adult-gerontology acute care NP program at Armstrong Atlantic University/Georgia Southern University from 2012 to 2019, Dr. Bouthillet left a profound impact. Her involvement extends as an adjunct nursing faculty member at the University of South Carolina, Beaufort.
Her collaboration with Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue underscores her commitment to enhancing care delivery. Dr. Bouthillet has actively championed initiatives involving health assessment, resuscitation, geriatric care, and community education on vital topics like hands-only CPR, AED utilization, and stop the bleed techniques. The challenges posed by the pandemic saw her assuming a dual role as NP/CNS with the Town of Hilton Head Island, offering essential medical support to Fire Rescue staff, contributing to the COVID-19 management team, facilitating care coordination across EMS, hospitals, and the community, and participating in the advancement of clinical quality initiatives.
Dr. Kelly Bouthillet is devoted to patient well-being and an unyielding commitment to advancing the field of healthcare. Her profound impact continues to resonate through her collaborative endeavors, educational contributions, and resolute efforts to elevate the standards of care.
Emergency Care and Services
Advocacy & Policy
Care Coordination
Quality & Patient Safety
Evidence-based practice & Research
ASSOCIATE ADVISOR
Cptn. Kelly Robbins
Cptn. Robbins has been involved in the criminal justice world for the past two decades.
Beginning as an intern for Garden State Youth Correctional Facility while working towards her B.S. in Criminal Justice, Robbins knew that she had a passion for working in the criminal justice field. After completing her B.S., she accepted a job as a parole counselor for the NJ State Parole Board (NJSPB). Later, she accepted a research intern position with the NJSPB’s Research and Planning Unit as she returned to school at the University of Pennsylvania to complete an accelerated Master’s program in Criminology. Upon receiving her M.S., Robbins was promoted to Unit Head of the Research and Planning Unit of the NJSPB where her primary duties included applying for government grants and designing/conducting scientifically rigorous studies to determine the effects of NJSPB programs on the recidivism of parolees. She also developed a Motivational Interviewing training curriculum and managed a team that trained the agencies’ parole officers in these techniques.
Additionally, Robbins was instrumental in designing the computer program used by parole officers to conduct their routine interviews and checks on parolees. The program was the first of its kind to hold parole officers accountable for the quality and quantity of services provided to parolees.
In 2007, Robbins answered her calling to join the Philadelphia Police Department. Graduating at the top of her academy, Robbins was assigned to the 25th district in the heart of North Philadelphia. This district is affectionately known as the “Badlands” and was the only district to have its own radio band due to the highest volume of emergency calls for service in the city. After three years, Robbins was promoted to the district’s elite pro-active five-squad and served as its only female officer until she was promoted to Sergeant in 2015. During her service as a five-squad member, Robbins was also selected and trained as the district’s first crime analyst under the Smart Policing Initiative. As a crime analyst, Robbins was responsible for using ArcGIS and i2 software to conduct analysis of crime hotspots and trends. She provided superiors with executive summaries used for the deployment and strategy of resources.
In 2015, Robbins was promoted to Sergeant and served in the 9th district for a short period until being recruited by then Chief Wilson to help facilitate command meetings and write the operations orders for the 2015 Papal Visit. She was then appointed by Chief Wilson as the planning Chief for the 2016 DNC where she was honored to be an integral member of planning committees that involved partnerships with various city departments, outside law enforcement agencies, the National Guard, and the US Secret Service. After Chief Wilson was promoted to Deputy Commissioner, Chief Vanore recruited Robbins to run the Regional Operations Command, South office as well as to plan the 2017 NFL Draft. Robbins remained as the head of Chief Vanore’s staff until she was promoted to Lieutenant in 2018. Robbins has earned twelve departmental awards during her service over the past thirteen years.
Cptn. Kelly Robbins, MS
Adjunct Professor
Law Enforcement Relations
Police Staffing
Law Enf. Deployment Modeling
Emergency Preparedness
ASSOCIATE ADVISOR
Steven Kroll, MHA, EMT
Steven Kroll, MHA, EMT, is an executive level EMS leader, front-line EMS provider, and EMS consultant. He has over three decades of experience in urban, rural, and suburban EMS in both career and volunteer roles. Steve is currently the Executive Director and volunteer Chief of Delmar-Bethlehem EMS in Albany County, New York.
Steve uses his accumulated experience in EMS and health care to provide consulting assistance to leaders seeking to advance their organizations through positive change and innovation. Specific interests include EMS strategic planning and problem solving, organizational restructuring, government affairs, external relations, hospital-EMS relations, EMS telemedicine/MIH, agency governance, and coalition building.
Steve has extensive experience in EMS, hospital, and health care policy, advocacy, and operations. Steve was the Chief Delivery Officer at UCM Digital Health, a telehealth triage, treatment, and navigation medical practice from 2019-2023. He guided the development of UCM’s EMS treat-in-place telemedicine program. Prior roles include serving as Vice President of Governmental Affairsand External Relations at the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS); the Executive Director of The Arc New York, the state’s largest developmental disability services organization; Associate Director of the American Hospital Association Office of Federal Relations: and health staffer for the U.S. Senate.
Steve has served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of EMTs (NAEMT) and is Vice-Chair of NAEMT’s Advocacy Committee. He was recognized as the NAEMT/Braun Industries EMT of the Year in 2018.
Steve is a member and past Chair of the NYS Emergency Medical Service Council and a Director and government affairs committee Co-Chair of the NYS Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Association.
Steve holds a Master of Health Administration from Duke University and a Baccalaureate in Business Administration from the University of Buffalo. In addition to his work in prehospital care, Steve isthe chairperson of the Board of Trustees at Cobleskill Regional Hospital of the Bassett Healthcare Network in Schoharie County, New York.
EMS Strategic Planning
Organizational Restructuring
Legislative Advocacy
Change Management
EMS Telemedicine
ASSOCIATE ADVISOR
Robert P. Holman, M.D.
In 2016, the life expectancy gap between African American men and White men in Washington, DC, was more than 17 years, a larger gap than that of any other state, territory, or peer city. Dr. Holman has had direct experience working with the medically and economically vulnerable as the Internal Medicine Discipline Director at Unity Health Care—Washington’s largest federally qualified health center system. At Unity, he practiced medicine both in a community health center and a homeless shelter clinic. Dr. Holman gained practical insight into our country’s enormous health care disparities which stubbornly reflect our racial divides. As the medical director of DC Fire & EMS, Dr. Holman has directed his team to address systemic shortcomings in emergency healthcare delivery, especially those which again mirror racial disparities in cardiac arrest rates, stroke incidence, and the use of 911.
With the support of two thousand EMTs and paramedics, Dr. Holman launched an innovative program designed to respond effectively to low acuity 911 calls. His signature project—the Right Care, Right Now nurse triage line—was set up with the input of a hundred-and-sixty governmental and non-governmental participants. Right Care, Right Now (RCRN), the nation’s largest such effort has reduced healthcare costs, decreased unnecessary low acuity Emergency Department visits, and increased the use of primary care. Right Care, Right Now, publicly instituted as a District of Columbia collaborative effort is proving to have enduring stability and in its first six years diverted 35,000 of the 911 callers to alternative destinations.
His teams have also led the development of novel educational efforts, spearheaded improvements in clinical outcomes of cardiac arrest and stroke care, collaborated in the establishment of the DC Stabilization Center (DCSC), launched Whole Blood transfusions by EMS in April 2024, and will launch a Buprenorphine pilot for patients suffering from Opioid Use Disorder in June 2024. The DCSC is on track to admit 3.8% of all EMS transports in 2024. In 2023, DC was tied for first place with the State of Washington for cardiac arrest survival rates when the arrest is witnessed and when the patient is found in a shockable rhythm.
Alternative destinations
911 Nurse Triage Lines
Sobering Centers
Public Health
MIH & Community EMS
911 Dispatch systems
Cardiac & Stroke Care Systems Design
ASSOCIATE ADVISOR
Christopher Montera, MHL, BS, NR-P
Community Paramedicine
Mobile Integrated Healthcare
EMS Operational Performance Improvement
Financial Analysis
Billing Practices
Cambridge Consulting Group occasionally utilizes independent subject matter experts from the industry to provide us with their expertise on discrete, specific issues, in order to enhance our engagements. We select these individuals carefully, assuring no conflicts of interest with clients or the scope of work for which we are retained. We understand that our advice to clients needs to be completely free of any bias and we regard the ethical performance of each engagement as paramount.
In Remembrance of Allison J. Bloom
Cambridge Consulting Group was founded by three esteemed colleagues: Vincent D. Robbins, Brian K. LaCroix, and Allison J. Bloom.
Tragically, just a year and a half after the firm’s inception, Allison Bloom passed away from cancer. Despite battling the disease for several years and sharing her journey with her co-founders, she succumbed in December 2021. Throughout her illness, Allison remained passionately dedicated to her work with Cambridge Consulting Group until her final days. We profoundly mourn her loss and deeply miss our cherished colleague and friend.