GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — In the state of Michigan there’s a big push to get all emergency transport agencies and first responders educated about autism.
American Medical Response just became the first EMS transport agency in Grand Rapids to complete the Autism Ready Certification Program.
Now AMR has a new bag of tools called Carter Kits to help autistic patients.
The loud sirens and bright lights of an ambulance can cause some stress and anxiety for some individuals.
That's where the Carter Kits come in to help.
“Inside the kit itself are quite a few sensory items that are known to help calm and soothe individuals who are in crisis or on a spectrum," Dr. Samantha Mishra, EMS for Children Program Coordinator, MDHHS, said.
The Carter kits were named after the son of a police officer on the east side of the state with autism.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services partnered with the non-profit to make sure every EMS agency was equipped to help individuals on the spectrum.
“Our goal is to take those opportunities to provide education to our first responders, as well as also making sure that our patient care is always, you know, the best that it can be in pediatric calls specifically, are one of those calls that are very difficult," Jeremy Baldrica, Quality Improvement Specialist, Kent County Emergency Medical Services, said.
Expert say the tools can help deescalate a situation while improving communication that can keep everyone safe.
“We're also kind of in a way, just finding out what we can do differently to kind of meet them where they are versus forcing what we're trying to do on somebody where it's not beneficial for them, I guess, can be pretty distressing for them," Alex Truman, Operations Manager, AMR, said.
AMR’s entire fleet now has a Carter Kit and it’s the first transporting agency in Kent County to complete all the department-wide training for all providers.
"Having that champion and bringing the training and education to our peers is really what's making the difference and helping us as first responders be ready to care for all people," Dr. Mishra said.
Soon Carter Kits will be in every ambulance in the state.
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