DEER GROVE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE
Serving the Villages and Townships of Cottage Grove and Deerfield, and portions of the Town of Pleasant Springs in Dane County, Wisconsin
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Community Medic | October 13, 2024 |
Deer Grove EMS Paramedics and EMT’s are professional healthcare providers who are working
towards developing a “Community Paramedic” program to help improve our community’s health. One of the related
initiatives that was recently undertaken and is now benefiting the community is enhancing our Blood Pressure clinics. Now, in addition to
screening for the presence of elevated blood pressure and completing My Medic sheets, we also provide information such as what people can do to
help lower their BP, what stage of the disease they may be in, what serious events like heart attack and stroke they may be at a higher risk for,
why high blood pressure is called the silent killer, and why it's important to keep it well controlled. This was accomplished with additional
education for many of our EMTs and Paramedics, and by creating a patient handout with helpful information.
As you may know, Deer Grove EMS visits several locations on a monthly basis (Glenwood, Taylor Ridge, Deerfield Senior Center), and we are always open to including other groups for this free service. Another task that we are currently focusing on is creating a community CPR program for the area. The intent of this is to help improve survival from sudden cardiac arrest by increasing the number of people who are willing to help in an emergency. The shorter classes (<1 hour) will provide training on giving chest compressions, rescue breaths, the Heimlich maneuver, and information on how to recognize heart attack and stroke signs and symptoms.
Down the line we will also be looking at fall prevention and home safety checks for our older residents. Falls are a relatively common reason for our ambulance to be called or for unplanned patient visits to their doctor’s office. Often times falls can be prevented by fixing things like poor lighting, loose rugs, or slippery floors. Deer Grove EMS will offer to schedule a one-on-one in-home assessment for fall risks and other hazards and if they would like, we can help residents make changes to make their home that much safer.
We are very excited about the possibilities that our Community Medic Program may offer, and welcome your questions, suggestions, or comments. Please feel free to contact us at communitymedic@deergroveems.com
As you may know, Deer Grove EMS visits several locations on a monthly basis (Glenwood, Taylor Ridge, Deerfield Senior Center), and we are always open to including other groups for this free service. Another task that we are currently focusing on is creating a community CPR program for the area. The intent of this is to help improve survival from sudden cardiac arrest by increasing the number of people who are willing to help in an emergency. The shorter classes (<1 hour) will provide training on giving chest compressions, rescue breaths, the Heimlich maneuver, and information on how to recognize heart attack and stroke signs and symptoms.
Down the line we will also be looking at fall prevention and home safety checks for our older residents. Falls are a relatively common reason for our ambulance to be called or for unplanned patient visits to their doctor’s office. Often times falls can be prevented by fixing things like poor lighting, loose rugs, or slippery floors. Deer Grove EMS will offer to schedule a one-on-one in-home assessment for fall risks and other hazards and if they would like, we can help residents make changes to make their home that much safer.
We are very excited about the possibilities that our Community Medic Program may offer, and welcome your questions, suggestions, or comments. Please feel free to contact us at communitymedic@deergroveems.com