GA: Gov. Kemp Issues Commendation to SWBC Employees for Saving Witness' Life

On June 8, 2022, Governor Brian Kemp issued A Commendation to several current and former employees of the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation (SBWC) in honor of a life-saving event that occurred just prior to the beginning of the COVID pandemic. After pandemic gathering restrictions were lifted, a special ceremony was held on June 8, 2022, at 270 Peachtree Street in Atlanta honoring the employees for their “swift and sure action taken on February 6, 2020 to help save the life of a fellow citizen." 

In 2019 SBWC obtained new defibrillators for the Atlanta office and offered CPR, first aid, and defibrillator training to all Board employees. Little did they know how soon this training would be put to the test. 

On February 6, 2020, a witness testifying in the courtroom collapsed, stopped breathing and had no pulse. The employees, working as a team, took immediate action by calling 911, administering CPR, obtaining and applying the defibrillator to the lifeless body, resuscitating him and comforting him while awaiting the paramedics to arrive. 

The honored employees are as follows: Executive Director Delece Brooks, Daniel Maldonado, Joseph Coker, Honorable Ricky Sapp, Honorable Liesa Gholson, Honorable Edwina Charles, Tammy Marshall, Melinda Vigna and Michelle Thomas. 

These SBWC employees proved that saving a life takes teamwork, dedication to your fellow man, and a willingness to obtain the necessary skills. These State employees remained calm and afforded life-saving minutes to a person who may not have otherwise survived.

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