Orlando Health Air Care Team paramedic receives Liberty Shield Award

Orlando, Fla. (May 2, 2022) --- Orlando Health Air Care Team's Miles Morgan was recently recognized with the 2022 Liberty Shield Award from the Orange County Bar Association. The award recognizes a first responder who demonstrates exemplary services to the health or safety of the community. Morgan, CCEMT-P, critical care flight paramedic, received the award at the association’s Law Week Luncheon on April 28, 2022.

“It’s a huge honor to be recognized by the Orange County Bar Association,” said Morgan. “I am one of thousands who are also there when people need someone to be there for them. This award represents what we all do in the community for our patients and their families.”

As an emergency medical services professional for more than 30 years, Morgan has cared for injured patients as a paramedic and provided training to other professionals as an instructor. He started at Orlando Health in 2002 as a communications specialist in the Air Care Team’s Communications Center, while also serving as a paramedic for ground ambulance services in Lake and Sumter Counties. Morgan joined the Air Care Team as a flight paramedic in 2006.

Morgan began his career as a paramedic for ground ambulance services in his hometown of Desoto County, Mississippi to meet the needs of the community. Years later, after learning about the Air Care Team, he worked to become a flight paramedic. Morgan says that receiving the award in Central Florida, which is now home, is a full circle moment.

“I became a paramedic to help people, to make a difference in people’s lives,” said Morgan. “When we arrive on the scene, we are there for what could be someone’s worse day. I hope to bring calm in a chaotic situation, be a guide through a traumatizing period, and give hope to turn things around.”

The Orange County Bar Association presents the award annually.

"The Liberty Awards are one of the Orange County Bar Association's highest honors for recognizing outstanding citizens in Central Florida,” said Peonca Grier and Brittany Melendez, Co-Chairs of the OCBA's Law Week Committee. “We are delighted to acknowledge the extraordinary service of Mr. Morgan and we thank him for all he has done and continues to do in exemplary service to our community."

In nominating Morgan for the award, Michael Talento, MS, NRP, CCEMT-P, FP-C, assistant manager and chief flight paramedic, Air Care Team, highlighted the paramedic’s commitment to delivering exceptional patient care through countless hours of training, education, and professional development, along with Morgan his contributions to public safety and preventative education through public service events, activities, and outreach programs. 

“It is without question how hard Miles works to serve his community,” said Talento. “The dedication Miles demonstrates to his patients, Orlando Health, and the Air Care Team is second to none.  He has been an integral part of our team and has championed efforts to use technology to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of our team.   The technologies Miles has helped implement have ensured our team remains in compliance with the many rules, regulations, laws, and accrediting bodies. We are extremely proud to have Miles as a member of our team.”  

The Orlando Health Air Care Team is a hospital-based multiple aircraft flight program that provides on-scene and in-flight care, improving access to care for critically ill and injured patients across an 11-county region of Florida. In addition to responding to incidents on-scene, the air medical team also provides hospital transfers. The 65-member team is comprised of highly trained and experienced flight nurses, flight paramedics, communications specialists, pilots and mechanics.

“We have an exceptional team of hard-working professionals, who are challenged every day with the difficult task of transporting some of the sickest and most critically injured patients,” said Talento. “When you have a provider like Miles Morgan to work beside, it brings the entire tone of the situation down and reassures all involved that we can get the job done safely and effectively.”

Since it began in 1984 the flight program has safely transported more than 40,000 patients. The flight program has four helicopters, including the only Lake County based emergency medical helicopter at Leesburg International Airport. The Air Care Team is part of Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center which as the only level I trauma center in the state’s Trauma Service Area 8 (Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Sumter Counties), and one of 10 level I trauma centers in the state. The Air Care Team provides high level care to patients while providing rapid air medical transport to the most appropriate hospital.

Air Methods, a leader in providing emergency air medical services to the health care industry for 39 years, provides the aviation services to the Air Care Team.

About Orlando Health

Orlando Health, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, is a not-for-profit healthcare organization with $8 billion of assets under management that serves the southeastern United States.

Founded more than 100 years ago, the healthcare system is recognized around the world for Central Florida’s only pediatric and adult Level One Trauma program as well as the only state-accredited Level Two Adult Trauma Center in the St. Petersburg region. It is the home of the nation’s largest neonatal intensive care unit under one roof, the only system in the southeast to offer open fetal surgery to repair the most severe forms of spina bifida, the site of an Olympic athlete training facility and operator of one of the largest and highest performing clinically integrated networks in the region. Orlando Health has pioneered life-changing medical research and its Graduate Medical Education program hosts more than 350 residents and fellows. The 3,200-bed system includes 10 award-winning hospitals, 9 hospital based ERs, and 7 free-standing emergency rooms; rehabilitation services, cancer and heart institutes, imaging and laboratory services, wound care centers, physician offices for adults and pediatrics, skilled nursing facilities, an in-patient behavioral health facility, home healthcare services in partnership with LHC Group, and urgent care centers in partnership with FastMed Urgent Care. More than 4,200 physicians, representing more than 100 medical specialties and subspecialties have privileges across the Orlando Health system, which employs more than 23,000 team members. In FY21, Orlando Health served more than 160,000 inpatients and 3.6 million outpatients. During that same time period, Orlando Health provided approximately $648 million in total value to the communities it serves in the form of charity care, community benefit programs and services, community building activities and more. Additional information can be found at http://www.orlandohealth.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @orlandohealth.

About Orange County Bar Association

The Orange County Bar Association, established in 1933, is a voluntary association comprised of 3,000+ judges, attorneys, and other legal professionals whose mission is to serve the profession and the public with outstanding member and community programs. The association established and supports the work of the OCBA Foundation, Inc., and the Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association, Inc.