The Kootenay Emergency Response Physicians Association (KERPA) is a non-profit medical service whose focus is on saving lives in Kootenay communities.
KERPA hit a road block, however, when it came to offering aid to the five rural communities of Greater Trail.
Dr. Nic Sparrow is the founder and prime mover behind the KERPA initiative and an emergency room physician at the Nelson hospital.
"KERPA is a Canadian registered charity, and we send an emergency physician directly to the scene of 911 calls, completely for free," Dr. Sparrow told the Trail Times.
"We're not getting paid for it, and we don't bill MSP."
As a Special Operations Medical Retrieval Accredited Service, KERPA is dispatched to calls where there is an immediate threat to life.
The doctors are trained in critical emergency care and arrive on scene in vehicles now equipped with highly specialized medical equipment and medications to support paramedics and volunteer first responders.
"We bring the emergency room to the roadside," said Sparrow.
KERPA's founder is seeking approval from the Ministry of Health and BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) to be able to lend their support to Greater Trail's first responders such as BC Ambulance Services, Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue, and RCMP officers.
"It's interesting because we respond to Nelson, Castlegar, Winlaw, Salmo and Kaslo, and within the last year we opened a base in Castlegar and so we are working with the powers-that-be to get us into the Trail area," Sparrow explained.
"But there is a lot of red tape and politics that get in the way of saving lives sometimes."
Ministry of Health spokesperson Stephen May responded to a Times inquiry and did offer some clarity.
"The Ministry of Health is currently in discussions with Dr. Sparrow, KERPA and BCEHS to improve the operational service delivery within the current service contract," May told the Times. "The ministry is working to secure a date in July for the next meeting."
Sparrow started KERPA by responding to calls independently about 11 years ago.
He filled his car with emergency medical supplies, and attended 911 emergency calls.
The emergency team has grown since then.
KERPA is funded through donations and grants, community fundraisers, and at times partnering with local services like Kootenay Insurance and Kootenay Boundary firefighters for a downtown Trail barbecue.
KERPA exemplifies the spirit of community-driven healthcare innovation.
In a region marked by geographical challenges and limited medical infrastructure, KERPA has emerged as a lifesaving entity, providing advanced emergency care when and where it is needed most . . . except Greater Trail.
"We are struggling to get into this area so that's the challenge," Sparrow said.
"We've wanted to respond in this area for about a year, now."
Sparrow looks forward to the annual meeting, but is perplexed as to why the process in utilizing the service is taking so long.
"If you were a politician and you knew that this Special Operations Medical Retrieval charity existed and they were internationally accredited why wouldn't you do everything in your power to enable them to respond to the widest number of people in the province and facilitate that fairly urgently?" Sparrow questioned.
KERPA faces challenges that are typical of organizations operating in rural settings.
Funding constraints remain a constant concern, as the costs associated with deploying physicians and maintaining state-of-the-art equipment are substantial.
Also, working in rugged and vast terrain poses challenges.
With ministry support, he envisions a day when KERPA will be able to access remote emergencies via helicopter and take rural healthcare to another level.
"The model definitely can work we just need someone to really want to work with us and see what we are trying to do, and build with us. We're not against the system, we are for it, but it's really slow going."
Sparrow says that with proper support, KERPA will recruit a number of physicians available year round, with rapid response vehicles and ready-to-board helicopters.
"We are not talking about transporting patients, but direct gear on scene to support emergency services, which has always been the goal and what we've always done.
"I'd just like to see more support, it's just slow, and it seems like pushing a rock up a hill sometimes."
KERPA became a non-profit in 2016, a registered charity in 2018, and the first Special Operations Medical Retrieval Accredited Service in Canada in 2021.
"Our motive is quite simple," added Sparrow. "It's just about saving lives."
To donate, sponsor or raise funds for KERPA email admin@kerpa.org.