<strong>South Bend Tribune</strong>
South Bend and some of its residents could benefit from the launch of a new community paramedicine program.
Described as having first responders with community health worker skills, the program is aimed at those who “over-utilize” 911 for medical care and instead puts them in touch with the appropriate organization for help.
Fire department officials here have been looking at several programs across the country as the city prepares to start its own.
The Tucson, Ariz., fire department piloted its Collaborative Community Care program from February 2016 through August 2017. It’s now a permanent initiative that has experienced a lot of success.
In Tucson, the program identified 10 people who, combined, had made 352 calls to 911 before the start of T-C3. After intervention through the program, those 10 people had made just 24 calls to 911, a 93 percent reduction.
Similar programs are taking shape in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., and Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.
Community paramedicine benefits the city because the fire department is not sending paramedics on non-critical runs, thereby freeing them up to respond to more serious incidents. Fire departments today are dispatched to significantly more medical emergencies than fires.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, in 2014 nearly 64 percent of reported calls to fire departments required emergency medical services and rescue services. Only 5 percent of all reported fire department runs were fire related.
Those who call 911 frequently for medical help may lack a primary care doctor, health insurance or just transportation.
South Bend plans to send a firefighter/emergency medical technician to visit those “over-utilizers” in their homes, learn the reasons for their frequent ambulance trips and work to connect them to the proper resources to avoid calls in the future.
There are details to be worked out, such as what local organizations will be involved in the effort. But those organizations must be on board before officials begin visiting clients.
Paramedicine is not a new field, but it is a growing one, especially in response to the changing health care industry. There’s value in becoming part of this trend.
