Fall 2025 Newsletter
San Juan Island faces unique challenges in meeting the healthcare needs of its residents. Our home care program, Village at Home, and San Juan Island EMS’ Community Paramedicine program, are working together to build a new model of care that bridges gaps and strengthens support for our neighbors through supportive home services.
Community Paramedicine began more than ten years ago at San Juan Island EMS. What began as a vision to bridge the gaps in rural healthcare grew into a lifeline for our most vulnerable neighbors helping to avoid using 911 and the Emergency Room (ER) for preventable health care services and enabling people to get on the road to better health while keeping our first responder’s call volume lower.
When health needs go beyond daily support, Community Paramedicine is ready to step in. Historically staffed by an EMT, it is now Staffed by Teresa Ward, a registered nurse, and run under Village at Home. The program continues to provide in-home medical assessments, follow-ups after hospital visits, chronic disease monitoring, and care interventions that don’t always require a trip to the emergency room.
Founded in 2024, Village at Home was created to bring the trusted care of Village at the Harbor into people’s own homes. From personal care and meal prep to companionship and care coordination, the program helps seniors and vulnerable residents age in place with dignity and safety.
Village at Home caregivers are redefining what it means to serve. They go beyond the ambulance—meeting people in their homes, bringing care to their doorsteps where it’s needed most, and ensuring that no one is left behind due to distance, age, or circumstance.
Working together, Village at Home caregivers and the Community Paramedicine team create a continuum of care. A caregiver might notice early signs of a health concern like a change in breathing, swelling, or confusion, and connect with the paramedicine team for an assessment. Conversely, the Community Paramedicine team who make follow-up visits can identify when ongoing home support is needed and refer clients to Village at Home.
This integration ensures that small issues don’t become big emergencies, reducing hospitalizations, lowering costs, and most importantly, keeping residents safe and supported where they want to be: at home.
What makes this partnership so powerful is its grounding in community values. Both programs are designed locally, staffed locally, and focused on the unique needs of San Juan Island. Together, they represent a forward-thinking model of rural healthcare that is proactive, compassionate, and community-driven.
As our island population ages, the demand for care solutions will only grow. The collaboration between Village at Home and Community Paramedicine is paving the way for a healthier future, one where residents can rely on both day-to-day support and skilled medical oversight without leaving the island.
It’s a model of care that doesn’t just respond to emergencies, it prevents them, by blending the personal touch of home care with the expertise of community-based medicine and San Juan Island EMS.