Pearl Wood, a valued resident of Pole Creek Estates Long-Term Care, was able to travel home for Thanksgiving thanks to SRMC EMS! The Emergency Medical Services crew elected to transport Pearl as part of their Home for the Holidays program. Shannon Odiet, the director of EMS, has desired to implement a program like this for several years and is pleased to finally see it come to fruition. This program helps families who are unable to transport their loved ones due to wheelchairs, inadequate transportation, or injuries.
Vice President of Pole Creek Estates Judy Frerichs and Activities Coordinator Sandy Riggle partnered with Shannon and the EMS team to reunite more residents with their families over the holidays. Together, they decided that an ambulance was the perfect vehicle to allow residents to safely reach their families. Since our emergency medical technicians and paramedics carefully transfer individuals on a daily basis, their expertise and gentleness were vital to the success of this program. Additionally, EMS is grateful to the Sidney Volunteer Fire Department who joined their team this Thanksgiving to safely transport Pearl to her family!
While two residents were allowed to take advantage of this free ride, only one resident needed this accommodation. Sandy Riggle then discussed this opportunity with Pearl and her family, who were incredibly grateful to have this option to ensure Pearl’s transition was as smooth as possible. This plan was coordinated and executed flawlessly by the Pole Creek Estates team and the Emergency Medical Services team.
Pearl was able to celebrate Thanksgiving at home with her family! She enjoyed delicious turkey that “fell off the bone,” as she called it, and was overjoyed to spend quality time with her daughters and extended family. Pearl had a wonderful time and is incredibly grateful to EMS for helping her reach her desired destination this holiday! She said, “They [EMS] were very nice and helped me the whole way. It was really great of them to do that.”
The EMS team is proud to serve our residents during the holidays and bring families together.
