By Glenn Hicks

The benefits of a little red ICE pouch

Mar 16, 2018 | 10:00 AM

Parkland Ambulance Care has a new program called In Case of Emergency, or ICE.

It’s a unique personal health and safety program launched Thursday in partnership with the pharmacy at Lake Country Coop. Lyle Karasiuk, with Parkland Ambulance, said participants receive a small red pouch which contains all of their vital health information, which can be very beneficial to responding paramedics.

“In an emergency situation maybe you can’t speak. Maybe the situation is a little bit too chaotic around the house and you can’t find all the necessary stuff to give to the paramedics,” Karasiuk told paNOW. “This little red pouch is going to contain important personal health info.”

He said the information in the pouches can tell first responders if the patient has a heart condition or allergy, who’s their next of kin and which medications they’re on.

“We want you to go to the Lake Country Coop pharmacy, or come here to Parkland Ambulance, and fill the info sheet out. Then put that in the pouch and store it somewhere prominent like the fridge door or on a cupboard door so paramedics can find it easily,” Karasiuk said.

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For Monique Zwack, the executive director of pharmacy for Lake Country Coop, the collaboration with Parkland Ambulance ensures patients have the information when it’s needed by acute care services.

“One of this first things required is an accurate medication list,” she said. “Often in the past, when someone who is ill or injured doesn’t have an accurate list of medication, things can get mixed up or caregivers can treat the immediate issue but not be aware of other important medicine needs.”

She said the pharmacy can help get the information packages filled out, and paramedics will then know where to look for them.

“People need to be responsible for being aware of what medications they’re on,”  Zwack said, “but the medication names are long and hard to pronounce and remember, so having a simple tool like this getting public attention I think will be a great thing.”

glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow