Centre LifeLink EMS Medical Director Receives Statewide Award for Leadership and Innovation

Centre LifeLink EMS’ longtime medical director was honored this week with a statewide award for leadership and innovation.

Dr. Clifford Neal received the 2023 David J. Lindstrom EMS Innovation Award on Monday from the Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council (PEHSC) and the Department of Health.

Neal has been Centre LifeLink’s medical director for 24 years. His work has included helping to develop a search and rescue team, encouraging the use of state-of-the-art equipment and treatments and advocating for innovative practices in EMS. He was instrumental in the establishment of LifeLink’s tactical EMS program, which was one of the first in Pennsylvania.

The award is presented to an EMS provider who “has demonstrated effective leadership in the field of emergency health care by creating innovative programs or projects to improve the quality of prehospital patient care, emergency care education, or emergency medical services operations,” according to the PEHSC. It is named in honor of one of the organizers of the PEHSC, who is recognized for his leadership in improving Pennsylvania’s EMS system.

Janette Swade, PEHSC executive director, and David Jones, PEHSC president, presented the award to Neal, while Lindstrom attended remotely to speak during the ceremony.