Orange County Deputy EMS Medical Director Earns Award For Leading the Way in Stroke Care
Orange County Deputy EMS Medical Director Dr. Desmond Fitzpatrick is a true lifesaver. He helps save lives across Central Florida by bringing hospitals, EMS agencies, and stroke centers together to ensure stroke patients receive proper care and positive medical outcomes. This collaborative initiative earned him special recognition this year from the Florida Stroke Registry (FSR).
Dr. Fitzpatrick is one of two individuals to receive the first-ever EMS Award Most Collaborative and Engaged at FSR’s 13th annual meeting that was held in Tampa on Sept. 18, 2025. The award recognizes his role in the founding of the Central Florida Stroke Coalition (CFSC), a first-of-its-kind partnership bringing hospitals, doctors, and Fire/EMS leaders across Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Lake counties together.
Dr. Fitzpatrick says the formation of the CFSC began in 2023, and it held the inaugural meeting earlier this year.
"Throughout my career, improving stroke care has always been a passion of mine," Dr. Fitzpatrick said. "This is a wonderful collaboration with our hospital and EMS partner, and I only play a specific role."
The Florida Stroke registry was established in 2012 and is made up of 189 stroke centers and hospitals across the state, all dedicated to improving stroke prevention, awareness, and treatment.
"In the early years of the FSR, not all hospitals were reporting their data to the American Heart Association's 'Get with the Guidelines' program," said Dr. Fitzpatrick. "Over the past few years, that has completely changed. All our hospital partners are reporting to the program, but some passionate leaders expressed interest in coming together to form the Central Florida Stroke Coalition."
CFSC is comprised of members and leadership from Orlando Health, AdventHealth, HCA Healthcare, and UF Health EMS Medical Directors from Lake and Osceola counties, Dr. Fitzpatrick represents Orange County, and Fire and EMS leadership from multiple agencies including Orange County Fire Rescue and Orlando Fire Department.
The organization’s mission is to increase alliances across the healthcare spectrum to improve quality of care, outcomes, and overall health for Central Florida stroke patients.
Currently, CFSC is tracking both the effectiveness of its community education initiatives and how quickly patients with serious strokes can get from community hospitals to definitive care at comprehensive stroke centers.
"This organization is an example of what is possible when we come together to find innovative ways to improve healthcare through research and data to improve care for patients here in Orange County and across Central Florida," said Dr. Fitzpatrick. "CFSC would not exist without our members coming together and realizing we can provide better results working as one rather than individually."
Pictured left to right: Dr. Desmond Fitzpatrick, Deputy EMS Medical Director for Orange County; Scott T. Egan, Assistant Chief of Orange County Fire Rescue; Dr. Danielle DiCesare, Orange County Associate EMS Medical Director