Janice Goodell of Ayer Road has lived in Harvard for over 60 years and clearly remembers the time she nearly lost her life in 2024 at age 92.
She had had a cold; her asthma, a chronic condition, kicked in; and she spent a night at home struggling to breathe. Finally, in the morning, she called 911, and the Harvard Fire-Emergency Medical Service arrived. Goodell presented as confused because her body hadn’t been getting enough oxygen, and the emergency medical technicians (EMTs) recognized the confusion.
Fortunately for Goodell, she had taken advantage of the Community Emergency Medical Service (EMS) that the town offers to all its residents, and the EMTs diagnosed the problem quickly. “Because they had been to my home before and knew me, they recognized the confusion as out of the ordinary. I got to the emergency room, and the Harvard EMT told the ER that I was having an asthma attack and needed a steroid. They gave me an IV of steroids and I could breathe. If they [the EMTs] hadn’t known me already, they wouldn’t have understood the confusion and the problem I was having with asthma,” Goodell said.
What is Community EMS?
The Community EMS program is the base level of the Mobile Integrated Health system, a system that has been developing for decades. According to Mike Dempsey, a biochemical engineer and director of the Harvard Community EMS program, Harvard officially launched the Community EMS in June 2024, but residents have been slow to embrace it.
When Harvard residents or clients decide to use Community EMS, they get a “general visit” at their home from an EMT, which may lead to subsequent “focused visits.”
“When we go visit a client for the first time, we can get basic vital signs, review medicines, answer questions, and look for problem areas in their house. We’re providing a basic health assessment in the comfort of their home at a pace that is comfortable,” Dempsey said. After the first, general visit, the client may choose focused, follow-up visits to address areas or issues that need attention, such as the installation of grab bars or the elimination of clutter that can lead to falls.
Jen Schoenberg, EMT and outreach coordinator at the Harvard Council on Aging, agreed with Dempsey: “We get to know a client and get great information, and we’re not under the pressure of rushing to the hospital. And in addition, the client is going to get great information from us.” For instance, many people think that if they call 911 and take an ambulance to the emergency room, they will be saddled with a bill, but this is rarely the case. This kind of information gets covered in the general visit.
Schoenberg shared a story about an older resident who had had a stroke. The man managed to call 911 but then lost consciousness. Emergency services arrived at the house but couldn’t get in, as all the doors were locked. Eventually, EMS borrowed a neighbor’s ladder and climbed through an open window. Had the resident met previously with Community EMS, he could have provided them with an electronic house code or the location of a hide-a-key, information that would have been completely confidential. Instead, he lost precious minutes—minutes that matter to someone who has had a stroke.
And how much does it cost a resident to sign up for the program? Nothing—it’s free. But do the visits feel invasive? After all, people go to great lengths to protect their privacy. Goodell didn’t think so. “They [the EMTs] ask so much permission before they do anything. It was ask, ask, ask—nothing was forced. I did not feel invaded, I felt well taken care of,” she said. By the end of her general visit, Goodell felt a certain peace of mind: “They take a good look at your place, and it’s nice to know that it’s safe.”
How does Community EMS help Harvard’s EMTs?
Community EMS doesn’t just help residents; it also helps the roughly 40 volunteer EMTs in Harvard. According to Dempsey, 350 to 400 medical emergencies occur in Harvard annually. That’s a very low number, which is good, but it’s not good for EMTs who are trying “to keep their skills up.” If one does the math, that’s 10 emergency calls per EMT annually, or less than one a month. “We’re always looking for opportunities to involve hands-on patients, and Community EMS gives us [the Harvard Fire/Emergency Medical Service] more reps,” Dempsey said.
At present, Harvard EMS averages three Community EMS visits a month, which is not very much, and only the senior population is taking advantage of the program. “The program is way underutilized, but that could be because people don’t know about it,” Schoenberg said. In addition, according to Schoenberg, many surrounding towns can’t offer the program because their EMS system is already too busy, or the town doesn’t have the budget to fund the visits. “Other towns have to find the money in the budget to pay EMTs to make the visits because EMTs are not volunteers in other towns; they’re paid.” So, in essence, the residents of Harvard have a very practical program they can take advantage of that’s not offered in many towns.
Schoenberg also believes that Community EMS shouldn’t be viewed as exclusive to older people. “Most of our EMS calls are in the elderly age bracket, but we do get calls for children with chronic medical conditions. It’s good for EMS to know these families too.”
With regard to the Community EMS program, perhaps Goodell said it best: “It’s good to remember that we need each other—we need people—we’re connected.”
Anyone interested in scheduling a visit can call the Harvard Senior Center at 978-456-4120 or email Mike Dempsey at mdempsey@harvardfire-ems.com.
Facts about falls
Falls are a leading cause of injury and injury-related deaths in adults 65 or older. Here are some statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Injury Control and Prevention.
- An older adult dies from a fall every 20 minutes.
- 20% of falls result in serious injuries.
- Over 3 million older adults require emergency department treatment annually for falls.
- The U.S. spends an estimated $50 billion annually on fall-related healthcare costs.
- Studies have found that altering the home environment reduces both falls and fear of falling, with grab bars providing elective support during unexpected loss of balance. —CJ
