Catina Lumpkin, GA-CEM, EMHP, received the J. Patrick O’Neal Safety and Health Preparedness Award at the 2022 GPHA Annual Meeting and Conference on Jekyll Island. The J. Patrick O’Neal Georgia Public Health Association Safety and Health Preparedness Section Award was established in 2018 in honor of Dr. J. Patrick O’Neal, and is presented to an individual who has contributed to the work of Emergency Preparedness and Response to recognize outstanding commitment and service in the promotion of public health safety and preparedness.

Lumpkin is a valued 18-year Coastal Health District team member who has worked her way up through the ranks. She started as a customer service representative at the Glynn County Health Department and then transitioned into the emergency preparedness world, eventually becoming the district’s Training Coordinator.

Lumpkin took on the daunting task of implementing a district-wide CPR/first aid program. The initial lofty goal of that program was to achieve 100% CPR certification for all staff in the district. Lumpkin serves as the CPR coordinator and lead instructor, making sure all staff are certified as well as ensuring that other instructors across the district remain up to date on their certifications. She was instrumental in rolling out Stop the Bleed training to all staff and providing resources to all the clinics for ongoing training. She is also responsible for onboarding new employees and providing hands on Incident Command training and Emergency Preparedness program overview for all new employees as part of our orientation program.

Lumpkin recognizes the value of working with community partners and continuously strives to include partners in training opportunities. She is involved in local faith-based organizations as well as many other community-based groups that serve the most vulnerable populations.