Local paramedics are launching a new volunteer program to provide patients in hospice and palliative care with short outings in the community.
Lambton County has donated a dedicated ambulance and paramedic volunteers will provide the patients with medical and emotional support, if needed.
The program is supported by the county, St. Joseph’s Hospice and SEIU Healthcare, the union that represents the paramedics.
The trips requested could be to watch a grandchild’s sporting event, a trip under the Blue Water Bridge, or a visit to family and friends at their homes.
“Many paramedics who drive patients in hospice and palliative care have heard from those patients that they wish they could go see a location one more time or go to a family event, but they have no way of getting there,” said Stephen Adlington, a paramedic who initiated the program.
More than 50 paramedics have signed up as volunteers.