GA EMT Saving Lives During COVID Thanks to High School Training Program

Mark Rice Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Ga. (MCT) Alejandro Corredor is the first participant in the two-year-old emergency medical technician program at Shaw High School to pass the national certification exam. He also is the first to be hired. “We’re 18-year-old kids,” he told the Ledger-Enquirer, “but we’re doing big things.” Big things such as saving lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even before the winter surge in coronavirus cases, Corredor said, the medics at EMS Care Ambulance in Columbus went on every call assuming the patient was COVID-19 positive — as a precaution. Now, he estimates 90% of his calls involve a patient infected with the virus. “Lately, it’s been really bad,” said Corredor, who graduated from Shaw in May and was hired in August. Compounding the problem, he said, sometimes the Columbus hospitals don’t have a bed available, so patients are diverted more than 100 miles away to a hospital in Atlanta. Corredor recalled transporting a 22-year-old COVID-19 patient to Grady Memorial Hospital. “She was devastated because she hadn’t seen her family,” he said. Corredor reassured her during the ride. As he gave her oxygen while she struggled to breathe, he soothed her anxiety by changing the subject. He asked about her family and her goals. “I was happy that I was able to listen to her and relieve som...
Source: JEMS Administration and Leadership - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: News News Feed Spotlight Training EMT Georgia Source Type: news