Community paramedicine improves client quality of life
In-home support from the Biggar community paramedicine (CP) team, in partnership with local home care services, helped one client and his wife achieve a milestone of more than two-years free of emergency room (ER) visits and hospital stays.
“Imagine the possibilities when a patient can maintain their health at home. It’s inspiring to consider what this extended period of stability meant for this couple,” said Sherri Julé, Director, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) North, Provincial Community Paramedicine, Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA).
Before the Biggar CP team started working with the client and his wife in late August 2022, weekly ER visits were the norm and often resulted in hospital admission or short stays. CP provided bi-monthly respiratory assessments, medication monitoring, and education on the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), nebulizers, and inhalers. Along with monthly visits from home care, the couple gained the confidence to successfully manage their health at home and were able to enjoy 762 days free of hospitalization and trips to the ER until late September 2024.
The client, who was designated a palliative care patient in 2019, passed away in February 2025. “This story underscores the importance of CP work,” said Julé.
Members of the Biggar CP team that worked with the clients included (left to right): Doug Beeson, Intermediate Care Paramedic (ICP); Kyle McCarty Primary Care Paramedic (PCP); Ryan Robillard, PCP; Candace Kennon, ICP; Mallory McCarty, PCP; and Kaitlynn Antonenko, PCP. Missing from the photo: CP members Kayla Pickett, Cheryl McKinley, and Kristi Schmidt.