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Non-Emergency Dipsatch: 573-897-3107

Office: 573-897-0044

Schedule Transfer: 1-888-612-6013

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Sentimental Journeys Program

History of the Osage Ambulance District Program

Inspired by an article in the Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS), EMS Chief Joshua Krull presented the Sentimental Journeys Program to the Board of Directors in early 2014 for approval. After reading the opening paragraph, the program was established with unanimous board support.

The article reads, in part:

“The journey began as a standard transfer call with a hospice patient. For the crew, it was an uneventful transport until the patient began struggling to look out the ambulance window. The man said he just wanted to see the fall colors of the Colorado aspens one last time. When the driver heard his request, she immediately turned down a small country road. In an open field, surrounded by vibrant red and yellow aspens, the paramedics opened the doors of their unit and rolled the man out into the sunlight.

“Even though I had lived in these mountains my entire life, the first time I really saw an aspen was through a dying man’s eyes,” Steve Berry says. He and his partner, Kim Madison, crewed the ambulance that fall day in Colorado Springs. The experience touched them so much they were inspired to help other hospice patients make one last road trip.”

From that moment, Sentimental Journey’s, a program that does just this, was born. Berry, a well-known paramedic, cartoonist, JEMS columnist and frequent speaker at EMS conferences, now hopes to inspire other agencies to establish similar programs.”

The full article can be found here: https://www.jems.com/administration-and-leadership/sentimental-journey-granting-h/

One Final Journey

Often, we hear hospice patients say they have a final wish. That could be a wish to see a granddaughter get married, a wish to spend Christmas at home, or a wish to see crops growing in the field. Through Sentimental Journey, a joint venture between Osage Ambulance District and local hospice services, patients who require medical assistance to travel can have that last wish come true.

There is no charge to the patient or family. Expenses are paid through memorials and donations made to the Ambulance District and crew members volunteer their time.

An elderly person in a Santa hat sits in a chair holding a card, smiling at two women and a baby standing nearby in a warmly lit room.
A group of children and adults pose with an elderly person on a stretcher inside an ambulance marked with a "MEDIC 68" license plate.
An elderly person wearing a Santa hat sits in a hospital bed, flanked by two people standing on either side, all smiling at the camera.

Referral Process

Anyone may recommend patients for this service. Hospice Staff, ambulance personnel and select family members will work together on the referral service.

  1. The ambulance service will provide a schedule of available trip times.
  2. The Clinical Manager or their designee will confer with the EMS Sentimental Journey Program Director to inform him or her of the request.
  3. The EMS Program Director will confirm if the time requested is available and will approve the destination. The ambulance service will provide the vehicle.
  4. After the EMS Program Director’s approval of the trip, the Clinical Manager will offer the times to the patient and their family.
  5. The EMS Program Director will schedule the EMS providers.
  6. The transporting EMS crew will call the particular charge nurse to obtain the client specific information, such as the Physician’s orders, DNR order, and all other pertinent information regarding the patient.

Contact The Program

For Sentimental Journey’s Transfers:
Call Osage Ambulance Office: 573-897-0044

For non-transfer related inquires and questions, please use the form below: