Sunstar’s community outreach coordinator Charlene Cobb, NR-EMTP was honored as a finalist in the Community Outreach category of the Tampa Bay Business Journal‘s Health Care Heroes Awards on September 25, 2014. She was among 29 individuals selected for their significant impact on the quality of health care in Tampa Bay.

Working in the emergency medical industry since 1980, Cobb began working for Sunstar Paramedics as an Emergency Medical Technician in 1989. She became a paramedic in 2001, and has held many positions throughout her career with Sunstar including field training officer, EVOC Instructor, education coordinator and now community outreach Coordinator.

Cobb was a key contributor in launching Sunstar’s countywide public safety campaign, “Stay Alert, Stay Alive,” which focuses on keeping Pinellas County residents safe. She provides prevention tips, safety resources, traffic information, and common-sense reminders through social media and safety columns in local publications, including Tampa Bay Newspapers.

Active in the community, she serves as Vice Chair and occupant safety committee member of the Florida Suncoast Safe Kids Coalition, a child safety campaign led by All Children’s Hospital. Sunstar partners with Safe Kids to check car seat, host safety events and provide safety information.

Additionally, she’s a voting member of the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Bicycle and Pedestrian committee. The MPO committee focuses on bicycle safety for adults and children, and identifies ways to make bicyclists and pedestrians safer for Pinellas County residents.

Read more from the Tampa Bay Business Journal.