NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News has a new way to help patients with autism who come in to the ER.
“It is a sensory cart for kids on the spectrum or adults on the spectrum," Hampton Fire Rescue EMS Office Specialist Ashley Rielly said.
The cart is thanks to a partnership with Hampton Fire Rescue.
“In 2019, we got together and started talking about how we could raise money and awareness. So we got together and designed a T-shirt. We started selling back in 2020," Hampton Fire Rescue Lt. Chris Blazeck explained. "All proceeds and funds from that drive, people around the country [and] even sales in Poland, have contributed toward that. It all goes toward everything that you see here. Not only here, but provides sensory bags and communication boards for the medic units.”
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While the cart was only a few weeks old as of Thursday, Riverside Regional Medical Center registered nurse Ally Renquinah said it had already been very helpful.
“I have heard that it has been pulled out once or twice and it has worked well with the bubble lights. That’s a really popular thing with the kiddos around here," said Renquinah
The cart gives her peace of mind, both as a nurse knowing it may make working with a patient with autism easier and as a parent with a child with autism.
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“Knowing that we have this available eases my mind that, if I were to bring him in here, it is available to him so that we can get him the care he needs," Renquinah said.
For Rielly and Blazeck, who helped make the cart happen, the cart also gives them peace of mind. Rielly as a parent with a child with autism and Blazeck as someone who has to respond to calls involving someone with autism.
“[I feel] more comfortable bringing him to an ER that’s not a children’s hospital, that doesn’t specialize," said Renquinah.
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“Having the right tools, the right supplies, to accommodate anybody, any special need, it’s going to be invaluable to us. Builds our confidence. If we can stay calm and cool, we can create the calm and cool environment," said Blazeck.
An important skill when the environment could otherwise easily be anything but.
