Our Leadership

Paula Poirier

                                                      President/Chief Operating Officer                                                                                                                                                           

Paula Poirier has been Chief Operating Officer (COO) and President of Emergency Medical Care Inc. (EMC) since February 2009. As COO, Paula provides leadership and direction for the day-to-day operations of the EHS Ambulance Operations system in Nova Scotia (ground/air/medical communications) as well as 811 Telecare for both Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
 
Paula has more than 35 years experience in health care, specifically in the field of emergency health services. She served as Director of the Emergency Health Services (EHS) Provincial Programs for the Department of Health and Wellness for over eight years. In this role, she was responsible for four provincial programs, with a key focus on the continual development and implementation of the Nova Scotia Trauma Program, Simulation and Training Centre, Medical First Responders Program and the day-to-day operations of EHS LifeFlight, Nova Scotia’s critical care transport program.
 
Paula graduated from St. Martha’s School of Nursing. She holds a Bachelor of Nursing degree and a Master of Nursing degree from Dalhousie University.
 
Paula began her clinical career in nursing in many areas (e.g., general surgery, orthopedics and emergency) at the Halifax Infirmary Hospital (HIH). She progressed through diverse management roles: Nurse Manager, General Surgery Unit, Medical/Surgical ICU HIH, Medical/Surgical ICU and Neuro ICU VGH, Capital District Health Authority (HIH) Medical/Surgical/Neuro ICU; Acting Director – Cardiac, Emergency and Thoracic Portfolio (QEII).
Paula’s work has positively impacted the standard of pre-hospital, trauma and critical care that patients receive in Nova Scotia today. This work has also helped to establish Nova Scotia as one of the best-in-class within Canada.

Paula Martell

Director of Development, Air Medical Transport, TeleHealth, Medical Communications Centre & Integrated Health Programs

Paula Martell is the Executive Director of Health Services, Risk Management and Compliance, Telehealth & LifeFlight Operations at EMC Inc. Prior to assuming the role of Executive Director, Paula was Program Manager for EHS LifeFlight. Paula’s previous portfolio included Performance & Development; however, with recent corporate restructuring she is now responsible for a broad corporate portfolio covering clinical services and education, risk management, patient safety and compliance. As well, Paula is responsible for Health & Wellness portfolio and two operations Telehealth and LifeFlight.
 
Paula has over 37 years’ experience as a medical practitioner as both a registered nurse and former paramedic, highlighted with specialized training and experience in areas of critical care, pre-hospital care and air medical transport.
  

In addition to her comprehensive clinical training, Paula completed a Masters of Business Administration degree in 2009, which also included specialized certificates in Fundamentals of Business, Advanced Business Management, and Advanced Business Strategy.

Colin Flynn

Senior Manager, EHS LifeFlight