WASHINGTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — For two years U.S. Navy veteran Ryan Cork and Bella Vista Fire Department / EMS Battalion Chief Ronnie Crupper have been working to build a community paramedics program.
"How can we help identify veterans that have this experience in the real world with healthcare in the past, bring them in northwest Arkansas, put them in school, give them jobs, and help them, but also help our community," says Cork, the executive director for healthcare transformation for the NWA Council.
Cork says when veterans get out of the military there isn't a direct path for them to transition into civilian jobs "and so we're helping the veteran find their way after they're honorably discharged from the service, and helping our local firehouses find employment from those that wish to work and have real-world experience with providing paramedic care."
The program would have 10 veterans who would work through a Benton or Washington County fire department.
"It doesn't cost any money to the community, they will have the post 9/11 GI bill that will pay for school, they'll be working as a firefighter paramedic which will provide income to them for their housing and their living. They can also go to school and work at the same time for those credits to go toward their ultimate graduation as community paramedics," Cork explained.
Cork says the goal of the initiative is to help address non-life-threatening injuries and help patients who have issues with traveling. An example Cork gave was "If it's too far away, or if you have three kids and one kid is sick and you can't manage transportation, the service would put these community paramedics in your home, to be able to provide this at-home service to you... Once we have the community paramedics to run the program, it will be in collaboration with all of our healthcare systems so that we don't compete or take patients from anyone."
Right now there are about 60 to 100 open positions across northwest Arkansas for paramedics and EMTs, and right now it's hard to find paramedics due to more schooling... But medical veterans already received the training during their time of service and would be an easy transition into a paramedic.
Crupper says ultimately the program would be a big benefit, especially with the rising population in northwest Arkansas.
"We're struggling to keep up, every time we build a new station we have to fill those roles and positions, so bringing people from outside the community and being able to fill those positions is extremely important. Our response times count on it— it's just having the ability to fill those [paramedic] roles," Crupper recalled.
If you or someone know you were a medic veteran who is interested in a career as an EMT or paramedic email Ryan Cork at the Northwest Arkansas Council at ryan@nwacouncil.org.
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