Minn. Trains 'Community Paramedics' To Fill Gap

Minnesota is pushing to train a few hundred "community paramedics," a new kind of health care provider intended to make up for the lack of doctors and nurses in rural areas.

 

 

 

 

PARK RAPIDS, Minn. (AP) - Minnesota is pushing to train a few hundred "community paramedics," a new kind of health care provider intended to make up for the lack of doctors and nurses in rural areas.

Once certified, community paramedics can deal with a variety of non-emergency situations that might otherwise result in expensive trips to the emergency room.

Minnesota is the first state in the country to establish the new classification under law. Some officials hope as many as 20 percent of the state's 2,200 paramedics will obtain the certification.

The concept first developed in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where paramedics help treat non-emergency cases to prevent health issues from becoming serious.

Minnesota has trained a few paramedics and another six-month class of 24 began last week.

(Photo courtesy of communityparamedic.org)

 

AP

   

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