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Front Page Story

Forgotten heros

by Justin Boudreau

January 19, 2004

Toronto’s Critical Care paramedic unit was on the front lines of this past summer's SaRS crisis, but while the city may have one the battle, for a number of these paramedics the war is far from over.

Marc Colbeck was on the very front edge of the SaRS pandemic. One of the members of his critical care unit was hospitalized with SaRS and he, himself was placed into quarantine twice. as a critical care paramedic, Colbeck was often faced with the worst situations emergency has to offer, his training was tailored to help him deal with and treat patients suffering from a range of serious and often lethal health problems. His training however did not aid him in dealing with the psychological turmoil he would undergo as a result of having to deal with these problems almost daily. and when Marc Colbeck went looking for help, his cries fell on deaf ears.

after returning to work following his second SaRS quarantine in april of 2003, Colbeck noticed a significant drop in his work proficiency. He became nauseous and at times dizzy. He began to make mistakes. On one particularly Colbeck accidentally gave a young diabetic girl a double doze of dextrose, a sugar meant to stabilize her condition. The accident wasn’t harmful to the girl but it sent a painfully clear signal to Colbeck that he wasn’t fit to serve as a paramedic.

after contacting his supervisor and the Toronto EMS psychologist, Colbeck took himself off the road on suspicions of CIS or critical incident stress, a condition very similar to post traumatic stress disorder and common amongst emergency services workers. Consultation with his family doctor confirmed the CIS diagnosis and Colbeck began to seek help both psychological as well as financial due to the fact that he was rendered unable to work.

after a long process with the WSIB, Colbeck was asked to undergo an evaluation by an independent psychologist. The ensuing six hours of assessment reaffirmed the pervious diagnosis of CIS. However the WSIB adjudicator still decided to deny the claim citing that Colbeck suffered no physical injury and that the stress he was under was "routine" and "expected" given his line of work.

Under the definition of CIS as listed in the DSM IV, the requirement of physical injury is not listed and several consulted psychologists and experts on the matter, state that it is often not the case with most patients.

Colbeck notes that the situations he faced during the SaRS crisis were far from normal, routine or expected "My entire work environment was changed, doctors and nurses I saw on a regular basis were wrapped up in protective suits. People I was close to were placed in quarantine," says Colbeck. "People’s eyes would bulge out when we arrived on and scene. It was like we [the paramedics] had the plague or something."

That was to say nothing of the family implications, "It was fine for me but when your kids stop getting the invites to the birthday parties and friends start avoiding you because of your job. That’s when it really hurts."

However the WSIB and later Long Term Disability (LTD) both denied him any aid for his problem. "[They suggested] that I MIGHT be depressed and require medication" But this decision was made without consulting Colbeck or his family doctor.

 

Colbeck's concern is no longer for himself. He has taken a job teaching emergency medicine in Qatar. But now the concern remains for those collegues he leaves behind, with fears that this can, and probably will happen again.

Both the provincial ministeries of Health and Labour refused to comment on this matter.

For more information on Colbeck’s story please visit http://www.paramedicine.com/



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