Courtney Long Coppage, Paramedic of the Year Courtney Long Coppage, formerly of Colquitt, was recently named Paramedic of the Year for Lowndes County. The honor was bestowed upon her by her colleagues of emergency medical technicians and paramedics she serves with at South Georgia Medical Center (SGMC) in Valdosta. South Georgia Medical Center’s Mobile Health Care Services

MHCS) operates five stations throughout Lowndes County and also responds to emergencies in Echols County. They currently employ 13 EMTs and 49 paramedics. MHCS responded to 10,872 requests for emergency medical assistance in 2009.

The key attributes included in the nominations for this award are attitude, teamwork, dedication, loyalty, ethics, customer service, patient-care skills, interpersonal relations, dependability, personal conduct, initiative, integrity, diversity, communications, efficiency and effectiveness. Courtney has also received numerous LifeSaver awards in recognition of her success in resuscitating patients in cardiac arrest, which is a testimony to the top-notch training SGMC’s EMTs and paramedics receive. Courtney graduated from Bainbridge College as an emergency medical technician in 2004 and from South Georgia Technical College as a paramedic in 2007. She also serves as the vice-chairperson of Emergency Medical Services for Children, Region 8.

Courtney is the daughter of Steve and Susan Long of Colquitt, and is married to Eddie Coppage, a sergeant with the Valdosta Fire Department. They have one daughter, Hannalee Elaine, and live in Hahira, GA.