BRMC receives first community paramedic license in Arkansas

Friday marked a milestone in the history of Baxter Regional Medical Center when the first Community Paramedic License was presented to the hospital’s community paramedic program by officials with the Arkansas Department of Health.
Legislation to create the act which crated the program of licensure of community paramedics was introduced by State Representative Scott Baltz from Pocahontas in 2015 and signed into law by Governor Asa Hutchinson.
The program was started in March of 2013, according to Dan Snyder community paramedics coordinator at the hospital. He says the program is designed to provide free services to patients discharged from the hospital who don’t qualify for homehealth or other services they get from the emergency room. One of the goals, he says was to reduce patients returning to the hospital.


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Snyder says they have seen over 700 patients since the program started with only 4.5 percent of them returning to the hospital.
Barney Larry, Executive Director of the Hospital and Foundation and BRMC Vice President of Business Development says the community paramedic program has had a significant impact on the hospital.


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Receiving the certifications at Friday’s event were BRMC Community Paramedics Snyder and Gerald Cantrell. Attending the ceremony were hospital officials, board members, community leaders and local state legislators State Representative Nelda Speaks, State Senator Scott Flippo and Baltz, who was honored by Larry, for presenting the legislation. Also attending was Dr. James Bledsoe from the state department of health and his wife, State Senator Cecile Bledsoe.

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