NE Colorado RETAC

02/21/2026

Today we paid our respects to a deeply loved and respected husband, grandfather, friend, colleague, and community member.

In Memoriam – Jerry Morris
Lifetime Achievement Award

Today, we recognize a lifetime of service — and we do so with both gratitude and a heavy heart.

Jerry Morris devoted decades to Emergency Medical Services in Northeast Colorado. As a longtime member of Washington County EMS, Jerry exemplified steady leadership, clinical excellence, and an unwavering commitment to his community. He was the kind of provider who simply showed up — again and again — not for recognition, but because his neighbors needed him.

Jerry earned his EMT-Intermediate certification in 2002 through Morgan Community College and continued to serve with distinction for many years. He represented the very best of rural volunteer EMS: dependable, compassionate, and deeply committed to doing the job well.

Beyond patient care, Jerry also served as an unpaid board member for NCRETAC, ensuring that rural and volunteer voices were heard in regional conversations. He understood that strong systems are built not only in ambulances and emergency rooms, but also in meeting rooms, policy discussions, and collaborative partnerships.

Jerry was selected as the inaugural recipient of our Lifetime Achievement Award — a recognition of sustained, exceptional service and lasting impact on the regional EMS system. Though he is no longer with us, his influence remains woven into the agencies, colleagues, and communities he supported.

On behalf of NCRETAC and the entire regional EMS and trauma system, we honor Jerry Morris — for his service, his leadership, and the example he leaves for all of us.

02/20/2026

https://www.journal-advocate.com/2026/02/19/sterling-regional-medcenter-nurse-honored-with-regional-award/

A local nurse recently received some well deserved recognition. The Northeast Colorado Regional EMS and Trauma Advisory Council presented Jamie Groshans, an RN at Sterling Regional MedCenter, with …

02/19/2026

As part of our continued advocacy and system engagement efforts, NCRETAC Executive Director Nick Nudell maintains an active clinical role as a part-time paramedic with UCHealth EMS.

Recently, he was partnered with EMT Jeanette and joined by Larimer County GovernmentCommissioner Shadduck-McNally for a field ride-along. This provided a meaningful opportunity to showcase the realities of our EMS system firsthand — including workforce demands, rural response dynamics, and the operational complexity behind every call.

Having a local elected official and influential statewide leader observe patient care in real time creates a deeper understanding than any policy briefing ever could. The conversations were thoughtful, the calls were instructive, and the experience reinforced why continued advocacy for sustainable EMS systems remains essential.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ABZnhL7m2/?mibextid=wwXIfr

02/19/2026

🏛️ Advocacy in Action for Rural EMS

Our sustained advocacy at NCRETAC is producing meaningful results.

With the introduction of HB26-1238 (https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/HB26-1238), we are seeing strong legislative engagement that reflects the needs of Northeast Colorado’s rural EMS and trauma systems. Policy change does not happen by accident. It happens through data, relationships, persistence, and unified regional messaging.

From our nine-county NCRETAC region — Jackson, Larimer, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld, and Yuma — we are especially grateful for the legislators who directly represent our communities and are sponsoring this bill:

House Sponsors Representing NCRETAC Counties
• Representative Dusty A Johnson (Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld, Yuma)
• Representative Lori Garcia Sander (Weld County)
• Representative Kenny Nguyen (Weld County)

Senate Sponsor Representing NCRETAC Counties
• Senator Rob Woodward (Larimer County)

Their leadership signals recognition that rural EMS sustainability, workforce stability, and trauma system resilience are not local issues alone. They are statewide priorities.

This bill reflects years of work by county commissioners, EMS leaders, hospitals, medical directors, and frontline clinicians across our region. We are committed to continuing collaboration as HB26-1238 moves forward.

Resilient systems are not accidental. They are designed, funded, and governed intentionally.

02/19/2026

Yesterday was a special day for Northeast Colorado EMS.

NCRETAC held our First Annual EMS & Trauma Awards Ceremony, recognizing the individuals and agencies who go above and beyond to serve our communities.

These awards represent more than titles. They reflect years of dedication, long nights, missed holidays, steady leadership, and an unwavering commitment to caring for our neighbors.

🕊 We honored Jerry Morris with our inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award. Jerry devoted decades to rural EMS in Washington County and also served as a volunteer NCRETAC board member. Although he passed before he could receive this recognition in person, his colleagues accepted the award on his behalf. We paused for a moment of silence to honor his service and his legacy.

Congratulations to our 2026 award recipients:

🚑 Jim Rizor – ALS EMS Professional of the Year
🚑 Brophy – BLS EMS Professional of the Year
🏥 Thompson Valley EMS – EMS Agency of the Year
🎓 Skala (Aims Community College) – EMS Instructor of the Year
👩‍⚕️ Josh (City of Yuma Ambulance Service) – EMS Leader of the Year
👩‍⚕️ Keefer (UCHealth) – Registered Nurse of the Year
🩺 . Matthew Nowland ( District Hospital) – Trauma Medical Director of the Year
🏥 Groshans (Banner Health) – Trauma Program Manager of the Year

Rural emergency care is built on teamwork, professionalism, and heart. We are proud to serve alongside these outstanding professionals.

Please join us in congratulating this year’s honorees and thanking them for everything they do for Northeast Colorado.


Thank you, Ward, for the photos!

02/13/2026

We are deeply saddened to share that our Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and longtime Northeast Colorado EMT-Intermediate, Jerry Morris, has passed away after a courageous fight with cancer.

Jerry’s name became synonymous with dedication in rural EMS.

He earned his EMT-Intermediate in 2002 through Morgan Community College and never stopped learning. He attended conferences, continuing education, and regional trainings whenever possible, remaining committed to clinical excellence throughout his career.

From his home in Last Chance, Colorado, Jerry provided ALS care to a region that might otherwise wait 45 minutes or more for an ALS ambulance from Akron or Brush. He answered a remarkable percentage of calls in his area and continued responding to his community’s needs until he physically could not.

Patients and colleagues described him as kind, steady, and reassuring. His clinical skills remained sharp, and his judgment was sound. He recognized when a higher level of care was needed and acted decisively, always placing patients first.

Jerry also served as an unpaid board member for NCRETAC for many years, where he provided a steady and authentic voice for rural volunteer providers dedicated to serving their communities. He understood the realities of frontier EMS and ensured those perspectives were represented in regional conversations.

Even after his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, Jerry remained devoted to EMS. He mentored newer EMTs and firefighters, supported training efforts, and stayed engaged in service for as long as he was able.

Jerry demonstrated a heart of dedication and clinical excellence that surpassed most providers in our area. His commitment set a standard that will not be easily matched.

Northeast Colorado is better because Jerry served here.

We extend our deepest condolences to his family, his department - Washington County Ambulance Service, and the many colleagues and patients whose lives he touched. His legacy lives on in the providers he taught and the communities he protected.

02/12/2026

We are proud to celebrate an important step forward for North Park School District and Jackson County.

Marcie Clendenen, School/County Nurse, has officially earned her certification to teach Stop The Bleed® — and she has already begun training 9th and 10th grade students. She will continue offering the course to upperclassmen and middle school students throughout February.

This matters deeply in a frontier community with no hospital. When severe bleeding occurs, survival depends on what happens in the first few minutes. In rural and frontier areas, empowering citizens with bleeding control skills is one of the most effective ways to improve outcomes from massive hemorrhage.

Jackson County Public Health secured instructor kits through a grant supported by RETAC, ensuring this lifesaving training could be delivered locally.

This is what regional partnership looks like: local leadership, public health collaboration, and students learning how to save lives.

Well done, North Park.

02/06/2026

🚑 Important National Update for All EMS Agencies 🚑

The U.S. DEA has finalized a new federal rule that directly affects how EMS agencies across the country store, carry, administer, and restock controlled medications under the Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act (PPAEMA).

This is not optional! If your agency carries controlled substances, this rule applies to you.

NCRETAC has published a plain-English summary explaining:
• What changed
• What did not change clinically
• The different compliance pathways for EMS agencies
• Practical next steps agencies should take before March 9, 2026

Our goal is to help EMS leaders, medical directors, and agencies understand this rule clearly and avoid unnecessary compliance risk.

🔗 Read the full overview here:
https://ncretac.org/dea-rule-ems-controlled-substances-ppaema/ #

Please share this with your colleagues, leadership teams, and medical directors. While this guidance comes from our work at NCRETAC, the information is national in scope and intended to support EMS agencies everywhere.

A clear, plain-English guide to the new DEA rule under PPAEMA. Covers EMS DEA registration, storage, restocking, and compliance steps before March 9, 2026.

02/05/2026

This story is from our region — and it’s exactly why NCRETAC exists.

When a Colorado rancher was critically burned in an explosion, his survival depended on a regional EMS and trauma system that worked the way it’s supposed to. Rapid response, the right triage decisions, and timely access to specialized care don’t happen by chance. They happen because of coordination, training, and strong regional partnerships.

That work is mostly invisible — until it saves a life.

Worth the read:
👉 https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/colorado-rancher-burned-explosion-doctors/

On Colorado's Eastern Plains, danger can strike faster than help can reach you. For one rancher in Sterling, a simple chore in his land turned into the fight of his life.

02/04/2026

🎉 Congratulations to the Aims Community College Paramedic Program! 🎉

Huge congratulations to the entire team, faculty, and students of the Aims Community College Paramedic Program for achieving accreditation — a recognition of excellence in education, clinical preparation, and commitment to advancing pre-hospital care.

This milestone reflects hard work, dedication, and leadership in building a program that meets rigorous national standards and prepares the next generation of paramedics to serve their communities with skill, compassion, and professionalism.

📌 Proud to celebrate this achievement with you: https://www.facebook.com/share/1AND5JeD5a/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Here’s to continued success, impactful training, and stronger EMS systems through high-quality education! 🚑🎓

Aims Community College Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Paramedic Program earned reaccreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) in January 2026.

01/31/2026

Today was the final day of the 40-Hour Peer Support Academy in Sterling—and every participant completed their certification.

More importantly, today we officially launched the Northeast Colorado Regional Peer Support Team.

This wasn’t just a class. It was a commitment.

Over the past week, responders and frontline professionals from across rural northeastern Colorado came together to build something our region has needed for a long time: a culturally competent, evidence-based peer support network designed specifically for all badges, uniforms, and scrubs.

This team understands that first responders are different—not in weakness, but in exposure, physiology, culture, and how stress and trauma accumulate over time. The work ahead is about prevention, early connection, and credible peer-led support, especially in communities where local resources may be limited or nonexistent.

We are deeply grateful to Karen and Joanne from First Responder Trauma Services for sharing their experience, insight, and evidence-based approach. Their guidance helped shape not just a course, but a stronger, more resilient region—and their work sets a standard that should be replicated far beyond Colorado.

Watching this group finish strong—ready to serve their peers and their communities—has been deeply meaningful and incredibly hopeful.

This is how we take care of our people.
This is how we build regional capacity where it matters most.
And this is only the beginning.

Thank you to everyone who showed up, leaned in, and committed to being there for others.



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