Emergency medical services in Citrus County are the best there is, according to a recent study. The Florida Department of Health named Nature Coast the top EMS provider in the state.

  • Nature Coast EMS ranked No. 1 by DOH
  • EMS has a 95 percent satisfaction rate
  • They've developed their own program for fall prevention, among other initiatives  

“You go home at night after a long shift and you know that you made a difference out there,” said EMT Paul Kennedy.

All their hard work and dedication is saving lives.  

“No. 1 for the whole state,” Kennedy said. “That's pretty good."

Nature Coast got the top spot for many reasons. Their success rate with heart attack patients, for starters, is four times better than the national average. They developed their own program to bring down the county's death rate from falls, and they are always looking for new equipment to save lives.

“Nature Coast is constantly striving to be on the cutting edge of emergency response whether it be equipment, training, methods, everything,” Kennedy said.

Another reason they were named "Provider of the Year" is because of their customer satisfaction rate. Ninety-five percent is pretty much perfect.

This is the first time Nature Coast has been at the top, and paramedic Brian Bentley says it feels good.

“By somebody recognizing on the outside the hard work that goes on inside means a lot to us,” Bentley said.

Nature Coast officials say they were nominated to get in the running for the top spot.