MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Services (CAMTS) proudly announces that Manatee County Community Health Program, part of Manatee County Emergency Medical Service, has become the first organization in Florida, and only the second in the U.S., to earn full accreditation under CAMTS Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) Accreditation Standards.
The accreditation was granted during the CAMTS Board meeting in January 2025. Developed over two years with input from subject matter experts nationwide, the MIH Standards were first published on April 22, 2022, with the nation’s inaugural application occurring in 2023, CAMTS stated in a press release.
Manatee County EMS is the primary 911 provider for over 403,000 residents and visitors, operating more than 20 ALS and four BLS units across 748 square miles on Florida’s west coast. Its Community Health Program features a diverse team, including a social worker, case managers, paramedics, a nurse practitioner, a nurse, and a resource coordinator.
“We are ecstatic to be the first MIH program accredited in Florida,” Clinical Supervisor Sonia Shuhart said. “It shows all the hard work we have put into making a great program even better.”
“We knew it would take some time after we published the Standards for programs to apply and complete the process. To meet the standards, most programs need as much as a year to prepare documents, policies and procedures, education records, meeting minutes, safety documents, etc,” CAMTS Executive Director Jan Eichel said. “We ask for a lot of documentation and interview many people in the program as part of the process.”
To earn accreditation, the program completes a self-assessment, followed by a compliance review. Site surveyors then conduct staff interviews, and their report is reviewed by an expert committee, which makes a recommendation to the CAMTS Board for final approval.
