It is the first of its kind for the Waterville Fire Department. They partnered with Northern Light Inland Hospital to bring paramedicine to the community. That program launches in February.
“My goal is that community paramedicine will help in reducing readmission rates for the hospitals as well as creating a safe environment for these high risk medical patients at home,” Everett Flannery, EMT Deputy Chief with Waterville Fire said.
To ensure the quality of care, 15 EMTs with the department started training for the program at the Inland Hospital and Purdue Global Simulation Center.
“We are going to be able to practice a lot of these techniques here,” Flannery said.
“Learning things like collecting blood samples, how to draw labs in homes, assessment skills of wounds, and how to treat them,” Courtney Cook, VP of Nursing/Patient Care Services at Northern Light Inland Hospital said.