Tina Schmidt, who uses a wheelchair, and her partner, were fairly sure that they wouldn’t be able to have their annual Pacific National Exhibition visit this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
And while Tina loves the fair, she has a particular fondness for it's canine offering: the SuperDogs.
In all of the years that Tina has been with her partner, the pair haven’t missed the 'puptacular' show. As a result, her outreach worker was afraid that this year was going to be different, but a phone call to St. John Ambulance’s Community Transfer Program changed everything.
The couple have been mainly house-bound since March and had resigned themselves to missing the PNE. However, when Jennifer Lingbaoan, Tina’s outreach worker, heard about PNE’s drive through, she decided to try to see if she could make it work.
The newly re-launched Community Transfer Program is a service which specializes in medical and non-medical transportation for clients who use wheelchairs and stretchers. Together with St. John Ambulance’s Sr. Program and Project Coordinator Melody Jacobson, they worked out a plan which would have Tina in the passenger seat of the specially designed MV-1 vehicle, driven by medical first responder Samantha Rigby and at a safe social distance, Tina’s partner and Jennifer in the back seat of the roomy vehicle.
Photo: St. John Ambulance BC & YukonWhen the PNE staff found out that Tina was coming, they arranged for front row parking for the community transfer vehicle and asked the SuperDogs host to greet Tina during the show.
“The PNE has a long history of making special memories for generations of British Columbians,” said PNE Fair Director Christie Kerr. “This type of request is wonderful and our PNE team, as well as the SuperDogs organization, are happy to host Tina, her partner and the caregivers at St. John Ambulance as our special guests.”
“It makes all the difference when organizations support each other and bring out the best in each other,” said Jacobson. “St. John Ambulance’s Community Transfer Program puts the client first and builds on that relationship so the client feels safe, supported, and cared for. The PNE is one of those special organizations that cares about its clients and wants everyone to enjoy themselves.”
Photo: St. John Ambulance BC & YukonThe Community Transfer Program is a three-year old program which recently re-launched to serve the Metro Vancouver region as an affordable, safe, professional and caring transportation option for wheelchair and stretcher clients. The program’s MV1 vehicle is purpose built with safety, comfort and convenience of a wheelchair passenger in mind. The program’s ambulance is equipped with a stretcher to meet the unique needs of those it transfers. Both the vehicles are equipped with stair chairs and emergency medical response equipment and are driven by medical responders who keep the client’s comfort and safety as their utmost priority. During the COVID-19 pandemic response, CTP staff follow all BC Health protocols. Proper PPE is worn, vehicles and equipment are cleaned between each transfer, and trips that put the staff or patients at risk of contracting COVID-19 are not accepted.
“I never know when I’m answering an inquiry if the booking is for a medical appointment, a medically-assisted end of life event, or a family celebration,” says Jacobson. “And I’m proud to say that every single one of those calls is answered with the same kind of friendly, professional and compassionate service that our organization specializes in.”
The Community Transfer Program is available M-F, 7 am – 5 pm, with out of hours trips possible. Bookings are available at here, by calling 604-630-1228, or e-mailing [email protected].
