Patient Advocate Team (PAT Team)
Washington Ambulance Association’s PAT Team was organized by Chief Susie Wallace-Wyant in 2004 to assist the with the patient’s significant others, whether that be a husband, wife, children, caretaker, friend, teacher or boss. Certain ambulance calls may leave the persons in a position needing assistance as well. This is where and when the Patient Advocacy team helps.
The PAT Team is dispatched through Litchfield County Dispatch when the call is initiated by the Ambulance, or automatically when certain calls are dispatched. For instance, if the dispatcher determines that the patient is in cardiac arrest, besides dispatching EMS responders, they also dispatch the PAT Team.
Duties may include:
All members of the PAT Team carry these resources with them when responding to a call for help. PAT Team members are specially trained and some may have experiences in dealing with death and dying. This makes them competent and especially empathetic in what they do.
Team members can be identified by their WAA PAT Team navy shirt and ID name tag. Washington’s PAT team is headed by Susan Schultz.
The team members are: