PHILADELPHIA, New York (WWNY) – While on a call one day, a paramedic from Indian River noticed the lack of training on how to handle calls involving patients with autism or special needs. She quickly came up with a solution.
At the Indian River Ambulance Service station, paramedic Kelly McDougle says a call came in one day which flipped a switch.
“It was to an autistic friend, and after the call, my partner kind of looks at me and goes, ‘I don’t know how you did that, I don’t know if I could do it,’” she said.
That’s when McDougle got concerned about the lack of training on responding to autistic patients. McDougle is not only a paramedic but a parent to two children with special needs.
“As a parent, I was scared because this is my community too, this is where my kids go to school, and I want to make sure that people are trained and know how to handle emergencies with my kiddo,” she said.
With a budget of nearly $3,000, McDougle not only got autism awareness training and sensory kits for her team but also for every ambulance agency in Jefferson County.
The kit includes a whiteboard, a marker, and communication cards.
Also in the bag are sensory fidgets, emergency response toy cars to explain the current scene, and other objects to help the patient feel safe and understood.
EMS team member, Destiny Da Silva took the training.
“It would really help in those situations when we do get that call. Now we have the equipment to communicate with them in case that there is no parent or guardian around, we do have the tools to communicate and, like, possibly help treat this patient even better,” she said.
“I feel so much better as a parent in the area with special needs kids knowing that my family here in Indian River is trained,” said McDougle.
McDougle says the goal now is to get more funding and get a bag in every single ambulance in the county.
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