“One fellow had maple syrup pulsing through his veins. His blood sugar was astronomically high. He had no idea,” paramedic Mike Wright told Lake Cowichan town council last week.
He was unveiling a new program for the area.
It’s called community paramedicine and it’s a gapfiller in the healthcare net.
Wright will be four days a week in the Cowichan Lake area, working primarily with older adults living with chronic conditions including heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, or who are at risk if they fall.
“We can backfill around RNs,” he said, answering a question about where his work fits in with services already in place.
“This started on the mainland in 2016, with part timers, but I’m one of the very first full-time people.”
Wright has taken a nine-week course to top up his 20 years as a paramedic.
There’s “reactive” and proactive” health care, he said, explaining that reactive is 9-1-1 while proactive is exemplified by community paramedicine.
“By us going in there and working with the primary health care provider, we can bridge gaps in primary health care. We’re not replacing anything. We’re adding value to the system.”
Community paramedics come to homes for regularly scheduled visits, help people stay connected with their family doctor or nurse practitioner, support people in managing their health so they can keep on living safely at home, and check in with people about their medications.
Wright has already been out in the community, checking some blood pressures and glucose levels at an information day at Country Grocer.
“One fellow had maple syrup pulsing through his veins. His blood sugar was astronomically high. He had no idea,” Wright said.
In addition, one of these paramedics can look for hazards in your home and suggest ways of correcting them, refer you to the right health care resource, and listen to concerns about your health and help you get the assistance you need.
It’s all driven by a push from the province to see people staying safely in their homes.
A rural health services police statement from 2015 says, “With an aging population in many rural and remote communities, there are more people having difficulty coping with activities of daily living because of health-related problems or a life-threatening illness.”
After listening to Wright’s presentation, Mayor Ross Forrest said, “We’re lucky to have you here.”
To learn more, check out www.bcehs.ca and click on Our Services or email CommunityParamedicine@bcehs.ca
