By Tammy Hale
Perception is different from person to person. That definitely applies to the Community Paramedicine Program. I see it as a valuable program that is in place to assist some of the most vulnerable people in our county — people who may be struggling to access the care and resources they need. However, for one Gilchrist County woman, it is a visit from Ryan Clemons sitting on her porch, drinking a Coke and talking for a few minutes. For another, it may mean help getting the medication they need or receiving clinical care. What that support looks like can be very different from person to person. The needs, different. The goal, the same. They need someone to show up.
Ryan Clemons, coordinator of Mobile Integrated Health and Community Paramedicine, and Donna Lee, a certified community health worker, are showing up for people all over Gilchrist County.
What does the Community Paramedicine Program do? In the simplest terms, Ryan said, “We’re just supposed to make sure that you don’t fall through the cracks.”
Wait. What cracks? Who is falling through them?
While Gilchrist County is a beautiful place to live, we also live with the challenges of being a rural, fiscally constrained county. What that means is there is no hospital, no public transportation, limited pharmacy access, and sometimes acres of land between neighbors that can lead to loneliness. We have seniors living at or below the poverty level, people who don’t know how to navigate the healthcare system, limited resources, and unfortunately, addiction.
For example, Donna shared a story about a couple in their 80s who had no home phone, in an area with limited cell service, no vehicle, and no nearby neighbor. The man fell and ended up spending the night on the floor because they had no way to call 911.
Yes. That happens here.
So how do we combat situations such as this? The Community Paramedicine Program is not just about ambulances; it’s about connection. Connecting people to the necessities that most of us take for granted. It brings peace, quality of life and dignity.
The program accomplishes this by connecting at-risk residents with food, access to medicine, doctors and social workers. They assist with communication to the outside world, connect people with palliative care, address substance-use issues, distribute Narcan, provide access to services, and, sometimes, simply provide caring human connection.
However, this program isn’t about handouts; it’s a partnership.
Donna described it as helping people “learn to fish.” A large part of that is patient education — helping people understand their options, learn how to navigate the healthcare system, and become more able to manage their own needs. The goal is to meet people where they are and then help bring them to a more stable place. “The goal is to bring you out of that, and that requires work on both ends.”
Something as simple as helping someone place a Walmart grocery order can prevent a situation from deteriorating to the point where they are calling 911. And Ryan does exactly this. He visits a local woman every Thursday to help her place a grocery order for delivery.
In another instance, a local person called 911 78 times in one year. Today, those calls are no longer happening because services are in place and needs are being met.
Ryan and Donna are out there doing the “small things” that are preventing the big problems. I quickly came to realize that “small things” do not equate to quick and easy. These are often the things requiring the most time and patience.
And while the program helps residents, it also helps the entire community. How? Each unnecessary ambulance trip takes a unit out of service for an extended period of time. Ryan explained that a non-emergency trip to the hospital can take more than two hours from the time the ambulance leaves its station until it is back in service. That makes the unit unavailable to respond to true life-threatening situations.
They work hard to find a solution other than 911 whenever one is available.
Donna and Ryan talked about CarePortal, an online system designed to connect vetted needs with churches and community organizations that are able and willing to help. They expressed their desire to see churches work together through the program, as well as find a safe and organized way for volunteers to help meet needs they encounter.
Ryan admitted that keeping the momentum going isn’t always easy when the needs are so great. But then you could hear a difference in his voice when he started to talk about the people he helps. Those “small things” may seem insignificant to some, but to the person on the receiving end, they can mean everything.
So what does the Community Paramedicine Program actually accomplish?
Sometimes it means finding resources or transportation and coordinating them.
Sometimes it means helping someone get the medication they need.
Sometimes it means making sure an elderly couple has a way to call 911.
And sometimes it means sitting on a porch with somebody who simply needs somebody to show up.
That’s what’s good.