The state legislature had just drastically reduced funding for healthcare for the poor and — given no access to primary care — the poor obliged the legislature and began dying. Ten years before, in July of 2000, a five-year-old girl named Alden Maura Hill helped out at her first work project to help the needy. From that moment on, Allie continued to help those in need at least once a week. By the time Allie reached high school she had participated in and had led hundreds of hands-on projects and had personally served over 100,000 meals to the homeless. That’s why, in 2010, when Arizona drastically cut funding for health care to the poor, Allie knew something had to be done. She first contacted local doctors and asked them to come out onto the streets to help the homeless. Many wanted to but were limited by liability issues. Then Allie contacted nurse practitioners and asked them to come out onto the streets to help the homeless. Again, many wanted to but were limited by liability issues. Finally, Allie contacted nurses (including having her parents meet with the head of the American Nursing Association) and asked them to come out onto the streets to help the homeless. Unfortunately, the results were the same: Many, many wanted to but all were limited by liability issues. This would have stopped most people, but it didn’t stop Allie. Allie looked at the applicable liability laws and learned that volunteer health care workers could provide emergency services to the homeless without liability under the auspices of Arizona’s Good Samaritan law. The catch? The workers would have to act in good faith and would have to provide their services completely and totally for free. So, Allie got to work and Community Emergency Medical Responders (C- EMRs) — called the Band-Aid Patrol by the homeless — was born. It began with Allie. Now, five years and thousands of cases later, C-EMRs include MDs, NPs, RNs, Paramedics, EMTs, and EMRs. All have worked together to create a Band-Aid Patrol that is specifically trained in the medical conditions and the culture of the homeless. The Band-Aid Patrol (formally the CEMR Foundation) is now expanding that mission by offering free, comprehensive first-aid training specifically for those serving the homeless community.
