Marion County Ambulance District offering new program to parents and guardians of children with special needs

HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Marion County Ambulance District is offering parents or guardians of children with special needs a program that allows the district to be better prepared to take care of the children should a medical emergency arise.

Information, including the child’s medical history, medications, allergies, baseline vital signs, baseline neurological status and common medical emergencies, is entered on a form through the Special Needs Tracking and Awareness Response System (STARS). Those forms are then kept in the ambulance and readily available in case of an emergency.

In a press release, Capt. Chris Kelle, who oversees the program, said, “The goal is to have pertinent patient information in the hands of the medical professionals before they even arrive at the patient’s side.”

A number is assigned to each child who matches the form. Should a parent or guardian need to call 911, the caller gives the dispatcher the number which is then relayed to the responding ambulance.

The program is for children ages zero to 18 and is especially beneficial to children with significant developmental delay, seizure disorders, cardiac history, cerebral shunts, tracheostomy and any atypical disease or syndromes.

“Having this information at hand can prove vital, especially when a regular caretaker is not present,” Kelle said, noting the district has switched to an online database that is accessible to other ambulance districts as well if patients travel out of town to doctor’s appointments or on trips. All participating counties in Missouri and southern Illinois have access to this database.

If a parent or guardian believes their child might be a candidate, contact the Marion County Ambulance District. An appointment will be scheduled either at the MCAD office or in the home to fill out the form and answer any questions a parent might have about the STARS program.

“The home is nice as we can pre-plan for any evacuation routes,” Kelle said. “We can also see the patient in their normal surroundings.  They are usually more comfortable in their own homes, too.”

During the visit, if the patient has any anxiety about the ambulance and would like to take a tour of it or see the equipment, he or she is encouraged to do so, Kelle said.

To schedule an appointment, request an application or for any additional questions, contact the MCAD at stars@mcadems.com or call 573-221-5510.