After news about an uptick in the local homeless population, EMS providers in Boise, Idaho launched a simple yet effective program to help out.
They each chipped in about $10 for items like travel-sized soap, shampoo, water, toothpaste and Band-Aids, and put them in bags to distribute to those in need.
The bags will be stocked in ambulances, and when providers run across someone who could use one – be it a patient, person living on the street, or both, they’ll simply hand one over. EMS providers are in a unique position to interact with people in their living environments, and Ada County Paramedics hopes to expand this program to other EMS agencies.
We love the idea, and would like to honor Ada County Paramedics as our EMS Hero of the Week.