CORNWALL, Ontario – May 23 to 29 is Paramedic Services Week and the Cornwall-SDG Paramedic Service is looking back on a difficult year full of hard work.
Over the past year, the Cornwall-SDG Paramedic Service have helped the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) administer tens of thousands of COVID-19 tests and more recently thousands of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
While serving on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cornwall-SDG Paramedic Service has also faced the increasing number of opioid overdoses that has swept the region.
“It’s been an incredibly challenging year,” said Paramedic Chief Bill Lister. “I hope you take time to read our stories, hear about these challenges, and make good choices to keep you and your family safe.”
Cornwall-SDG Paramedics Service recently took part in the annual Race Against Drugs, warning of the dangers of opioids.
To help them continue to go above and beyond in serving their community, the Cornwall-SDG Paramedics Service has hired 21 new emergency medical assistants, all of whom are students in a paramedic program.
They will be assisting with:
- Supporting the community paramedicine program, which is seeing increased demand for service,
- Supporting COVID-19 testing and vaccination efforts, which will allow paramedics to return to 911 operations,
- Supporting 911 operations to ensure resources are stable through the summer months
“This new cohort of staff joins our 12 paramedic hires,” said Deputy Chief Wayne Markell. “Our staff need time off to recuperate this summer after an arduous 14 months of frontline work. These 33 recruits will help our service maintain staffing levels and program demands.”
Recently, Cornwall-SDG Paramedics took part in saving the life of a former City of Cornwall employee Denis Legault. Legault was being rushed to the Ottawa Heart Institute when he went into cardiac arrest. Paramedics Kaitlynn Millejours and Brad Hunt responded to the call, and administered four shocks from a defibrillator.
“Had it not been for these two amazing and wonderful paramedics, I would not have had a second chance at life with my beautiful wife, family and friends. I will be forever in their debt,” said Legault.
