The President of the Ambulance Paramedics of BC is pushing to have community support teams expanded to include paramedics responding to calls in communities such as Kamloops.
Union president Troy Clifford says he has met with over 100 local governments over the past year, looking at how paramedics could support the community with homelessness, addiction, and mental health issues.
Since paramedics attend those types of calls with police officers already, Clifford explains they would be an asset to community support groups.
“These community support teams with the help of mental health nurses and other referrals are very good programs. But one thing that’s missing from those programs is the paramedic to do the assessments and the treatments.”
He explains paramedics are well positioned in every community to be that support, noting that is what he has been working on with the government.
“What that will help with is not only the homelessness, but the palliative patients, and the seniors that are in community and support communities,” explained Clifford.
“We already have this in rural and remote BC in our community paramedic program. So what we’re suggesting is we simply expand that program.”
He suggests expanding the program to larger cities was intended years ago, noting Kamloops is in a good position to pilot the initiative.
“Nanaimo and Kamloops have similar dynamics and we could be out there in the community, in non-traditional ambulances responding to calls,” explained Clifford.
