Already we’ve seen a reduction in the number of patients who call an ambulance. We can do a lot more in house than ever before.
~ Adrian Stone
Adrian Stone
Northern Maine Community College
Community Paramedicine
The town of St. George in Knox County covers 177 square miles of one of the most scenic peninsulas in Maine. When a medical emergency arises, the nearest hospital is 40 minutes away.
A long ambulance ride can be costly, inefficient, and even life threatening.
When NMCC’s new advanced certificate in community paramedicine was launched with support from the Foundation, St. George officials took advantage of it and moved from an all-volunteer ambulance service to a community paramedicine model.
They hired Adrian Stone, a 2010 graduate of EMCC’s emergency medical services (EMS) program, to serve as St. George’s first full-time EMS director. The town then enrolled him in NMCC’s program to acquire the skills necessary to provide preventive health care and chronic disease monitoring. The goal: to improve health outcomes in the community and reduce hospital admissions.
NMCC’s community paramedicine program is the only one of its kind in the state and one of only a few programs nationwide. Because it is offered on-site and online, the residents of St. George and other small, rural towns all over Maine are benefitting from it.