John Knox Village EMS Recognized With Two State Association Awards

The one-of-a-kind ambulance service was honored by peers and industry for service excellence.

John Knox Village Emergency Medical Services was recognized recently by two separate organizations for its work to provide excellent service to Village residents and members of the surrounding community.

In mid-September, LeadingAge Missouri honored the John Knox Village Mental Health Van Transportation Service with an Excellence in Service Award. The service, which debuted in late 2022, provides 24/7 interfacility transportation for patients who are having a mental health crisis. In addition to helping patients get the specialized care they need more quickly, the service assists hospitals free up beds and resources in crowded emergency rooms and enables first responders to handle medical emergencies more promptly. The Village currently has contracts with nine hospitals and anticipates it will provide 2,000 transports in 2023 and projects about 2,400 in 2024.

“John Knox Village EMS is proud to be able to serve our residents as well as the entire Kansas City area,” said Dan Rexroth, president and CEO of John Knox Village. “This added service is meeting a growing need and will only grow as the word spreads.”

In other award news, JKV EMS was awarded the 2023 Community Service Award by the Missouri Emergency Medical Service Association earlier this summer. The award recognizes organizations that make their communities a better place and provide service and programs that exemplify outstanding professionalism and service to the community and the people they serve, according to the association.

“Being recognized by our professional peers for the care and service we provide here on the Village campus and in the Lee’s Summit and the Kansas City area is a wonderful testament for the important work that we do,” said Brian Opoka, director of public safety. “We are proud of the care we provide and will continue to serve as many people as possible via our ambulance service and the mental health van transportation service.”

John Knox Village is the only retirement community in the nation with its own EMS service. As a result, the Village’s exceptionally quick response time is shorter than any other emergency service in Missouri.

“Residents have great comfort in knowing that when they need help, we will be there in just a very few minutes,” Dan said. “They also are proud that we are able to help them and their neighbors who live in Lee’s Summit and beyond.