By Robbie MacCue & Bryony Gilbey
American actress and producer Sarah Jessica Parker, named one of “Time” magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2022 and six-time Golden Globe Award winner, has been officially announced as the narrator for the advocacy film project, “Honorable But Broken: EMS in Crisis,” in 2023.
The documentary was announced in 2022 and is being produced by Bryony Gilbey, a former “CBS News,” “60 Minutes,” “ABC News” and “Discovery Channel” producer, and mother of three EMS professionals; and Rich Diefenbach, a former deputy bureau chief for “CBS News” in New York & Los Angeles. They were inspired to produce this film after learning about the plight of EMS workers further stretched to the brink with the pandemic.
Gilbey noted, “EMS professionals have been telling us for years that the system is unsustainable and we haven’t been listening. While our film shines a spotlight on their irreplaceable value to society and their urgent need for an updated funding mechanism, Sarah Jessica Parker took that spotlight and increased the wattage 1,000%. We are beyond grateful that she supports our cause and wanted to narrate.”
Paramedic Alanna Badgley is president of the IAEP Local 20 and was featured on the April 20, 2020 cover of “Time” magazine. She is also the cofounder of Make EMS Essential, an ongoing campaign to change laws in NY state and beyond.
“Our members risked their lives on the front lines of the pandemic here in New York, and when they finally had a moment to reflect on what happened, they wondered why we didn’t have more dedicated public resources available to us. They wanted our union to fight for parity with other first responders and healthcare professionals, and ensure more equitable prehospital healthcare for our communities,” Badgley said.
“That’s when our campaign to Make EMS Essential was born,” Badgley continued. “It was only natural for us to join forces with the ‘Honorable But Broken’ team to ensure our adversity could be seen by a wider audience, and our goals achieved.”
Last year, it was announced that this documentary is being funded by the film’s producers. Tax deductible donations can be made to support this worthy endeavor to help tell the story of EMS systems and professionals who are underfunded and undervalued in the United States.
The film project’s funds are managed through the 501(c)3 non-profit, Partnership for Change EIN: 88-0303288 and will be directed to this project by President & CEO Ms. Jacqueline Miller.
If your organization would like to contribute support directly, visit: www.4giving.com/donation/340F or checks can be mailed to: Partnerships For Change Project: Honorable But Broken - EMS in Crisis, PO Box 29455, San Francisco, CA 94129.
As an added bonus, every $100 donation to fund this documentary through August 31 can get a VIP voucher to access the EMS Leadership Academy’s most recent EMS Leadership Summit, including 15 CAPCE approved CME credits. In your donation message, add a comment: #AdvocatesUnite then email support@emsleadershipacademy.com so they can verify and reply with your VIP bonus voucher and access.
Donations of $1,000 and above will receive a half-page film credit; $5,000 and above will receive a full-page film credit.
Read next:
'Life in plastic': The history of Barbie’s multiple public safety careers
Ahead of the new film based on the iconic doll, we look back on Barbie’s multiple roles as a first responder
About the authors
Bryony Gilbey, MA
Bryony Gilbey, MA, is a writer and producer of the advocacy film, “Honorable But Broken: EMS in Crisis.” She is a former “CBS News,” “60 Minutes,” “ABC News” and “Discovery Channel” producer, and mother of three EMS professionals.
Robbie MacCue, FP-C, MBA
Robbie MacCue, FP-C, MBA, is the cofounder of the EMS Leadership Academy, and cohost of the EMS Leadership Summit, an annual virtual conference attended by over 7,000 people in 28 countries around the globe. Robbie served as the president of a non-profit EMS organization for 14 years in Upstate New York. Currently, he is a paramedic assistant chief with the Town of Colonie EMS Department. Robbie graduated with a master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management in its Cleveland Clinic healthcare leadership program. For more information and resources, visit www.EMSLeadershipAcademy.com or www.EMSLeadershipSummit.com.
