Photos courtesy of Kristi Huskey
For the past two years, Lt. J.D. Postage has redefined what it means to be a paramedic. As a community paramedic with the Violet Township Fire Department as well as a paramedic in Pickerington for 19 years, the past 21 years of his life have been dedicated to individuals in need.
A graduate of Columbus State Community College, Postage credits a conference in Louisiana as one of the motivating factors to become a community paramedic.
“Many, many, many years ago I became a paramedic because I liked the idea of helping people,” Postage says. “I was sitting down at a conference in New Orleans listening to some individuals from an agency out of Fort Worth called MedStar talk about their program and some of the things they did.”
The program struck Postage as one that would be an invaluable resource for Violet Township.
“Those individuals that have no place else to turn, they always call the fire department. This is another opportunity for us to be that additional resource,” says Postage.
As the community paramedic, his job looks different from the traditional job description of a paramedic in that Postage makes house calls. He visits people in their homes to help them with any medical issues they may be experiencing. He also connects people with local social services, such as Meals on Wheels, to help meet an individual’s needs.
“When we are running 911 calls, it’s more of an acute setting,” says Postage. “This (job) is more of a management of chronic issues that have accumulated over years.”
Postage's new position gives the fire department more options to help people than it previously had.
Typically, the trip from house to hospital in an ambulance consists of a number of closed-ended questions. As a community paramedic making house calls, the conversation generally includes a series of open-ended questions.
“It’s a lot of motivational interviewing, about getting that patient to communicate with you and getting that patient to trust you,” says Postage.
Postage is grateful that this new position gives the fire department more options to help people than it previously had. Up to this point, the only place these individuals could turn would be the emergency room. Now, Postage can meet with them in the comfort of their own home.
The job has led to many heartwarming moments, according to Postage. So many, in fact, that when asked about it, he has a hard time narrowing it down to a single story.
“It’s sometimes about linking the people to the right service,” Postage says. “One of the many hats I wear, I am a part of the Project FORT, which is the Fairfield County Overdose Response Team.”
Postage met with a judge about an individual who was facing potential jail time due to drug-related charges. A recovery plan had been developed with the individual.
“(It was) a plan for his recovery and we talked to the judge about it and basically the judge suspended the sentence as long as he was actively going through what we had talked about. To this day, he is going great. Hopefully he will get off probation in a few months and he’s been clean and followed through with his recovery,” says Postage.
Postage continues to serve the community and supports individuals within the township not just as a paramedic, but also as a member of the Pickerington Area Resource Coalition which seeks to organize local philanthropy/non-profit groups in order to maximize the overall amount of support available to the community.
For more information or to donate to the cause, visit the Pickerington Area Resource Coalition.
Evan Wehmeyer is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
