REACH OUT & Touch Someone

     One thing that's clear as EMS enters its fifth decade is that if you want to thrive, you have to play the game. The self-promotion can seem far removed from the true calling of helping patients, but prosperity requires talents beyond the back of the rig. You have to work money and favorable legislation out of lawmakers. You have to be known by people who recognize the value of what you do. You have to be visible and appreciated across a range of levels.

     Achieving that in Washington and at the statehouse is important, but this story deals with the bottom-most of lines: the community you serve, and the citizens who will be calling you for help when they're injured or ill. As EMS must view politics, these are politicians too.

     What does Joe of Your Town think of his local EMS provider? Does he know how hard you work and all the ways you can help him and his family? How can you reach out to him, impact his life for the better and make sure he appreciates all you do before that next bond measure?

     There are many outstanding models for the kinds of effective community outreach practiced by wise organizations. Here we examine NorthStar EMS of Farmington, ME, and Friendswood EMS of Friendswood, TX. Both have recognized that proactive involvement in their communities can realize two important goals: achieving a safer, healthier and better-prepared population, and ensuring that it recognizes, respects and just plain likes its ambulance provider.

Scrub Club: Exposing Kids to Careers in Healthcare
     If the children are our future, we'd best mold them to our liking now. That means giving them an appreciation for EMS. That was one of the goals of the Scrub Club camp offered to 11–14-year-olds this summer by York County Community College in Wells, ME. The camp exposed kids to healthcare settings and activities and, hopefully, intrigued at least a few in potential healthcare careers.

     Over five days in August, campers received AHA first aid/CPR training, tried their hands at boarding and bandaging, and got tours of facilities like a fire station and a hospital, with opportunities to pose questions to caregivers.

     "We tried to make it fun," says camp coordinator Dan Limmer. "I think we had a good balance of material, and almost all the kids said they'd come back if we did it again. It was a great experience."

     In teaching kids about EMS, much as with teaching adults, it's important to keep them stimulated and engaged. This meant saving the more active stuff--the tours, etc.--for the afternoons, when drowsiness might creep in, and splitting up lengthier instruction--e.g., CPR--into little bits each day. Downtime was filled with diversions like anatomy coloring books, the game Operation and even a short skit.

     On the final day, campers demonstrated what they'd learned for their parents, acting through scenarios with bleeding, choking, backboarding and CPR. In addition to sending the kids away with a sense of achievement, this also underscored the camp's value to their parents.

     "To a certain extent, parents are the real customers," Limmer notes, "so putting on a show at the end really let them see what they'd done."

     Services considering this kind of outreach (especially without an existing support structure, as York had) must approach it with solid plans based on the age range and anticipated number of attendees. Have enough for them to do, make sure it's diverse, and be able to fill schedule voids if things run short.

     "Dealing with a bunch of kids is something dramatically different than EMS usually does," Limmer says. "It's a big thing to bite off. It's worthwhile, but there are a lot of logistics involved."

What Else They're Doing: Friendswood
     Other Friendswood outreach efforts: