What is Community Paramedicine?
Community Paramedicine is an alternative approach to Emergency Medical Services (EMS). It is designed to help residents manage their medical conditions at home, reduce unnecessary 911 calls, and decrease trips to the hospital.
This program focuses on supporting your overall health and wellness by connecting you with the care and resources you need, including primary care providers, prenatal care, senior care services, and other community-based support.
Our Community Paramedic will visit you in your home to identify basic needs, such as food access and home safety. Together, you will develop a personalized care plan that considers your home environment, support system, and individual health needs.
The Community Paramedicine program also may also assist with connecting you to community resources that support housing, utilities, insurance, prescription delivery, transportation, or any other needs that may have an effect on your health and well-being.
Participation in this program is completely voluntary and follows all HIPAA laws and regulations, and MTFR reserves the right to remove a participant from the program at any time if the outlined care plan is not followed, the Community Paramedic’s safety is compromised, or for other reasons at the discretion of the Community Paramedic.
What Should I Expect?
After receiving a referral, our Community Paramedic will contact you to complete a brief phone interview to determine whether you or your loved one may benefit from the program. If it is agreed upon that you or your loved one may benefit from the program, an initial home visit will be scheduled.
Your initial visit will typically last between one and two hours. During this visit, the Community Paramedic will check your vital signs and perform an extensive review of your medical history and any current medications prescribed to you. The Community Paramedic will also conduct a home safety assessment to prevent further injuries. You and the Community Paramedic will work together to identify your health and wellness goals and create a care plan tailored to those goals. During this initial visit, we encourage you to ask questions and share any concerns you have about your health or home safety.
Follow-up visits are usually less than one hour and may occur as often as you and your care team feel is necessary. These visits may include a shortened health assessment, a review of vital signs, and continued support and education.
Visits may take place any day of the week, between 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., excluding major holidays. Appointments are scheduled in advance; however, additional visits may be requested if your condition changes or new concerns arise.
Completion of the program
You will be discharged from the Community Paramedicine program once the health goals established during your initial visit have been met, and you have been connected with the appropriate community resources.
Participation in the program typically lasts up to 90 days. Re-enrollment may be considered if additional health concerns or wellness needs are identified.
For any questions or concerns, please contact the MTFR Community Paramedic at (937) 767-7842 Ext. 4