Monroe Fire Chief John Centers said the program is designed to enhance services already being provided to Monroe residents following discharge from Atrium Medical Center and to provide home visits for those patients suffering from serious health conditions. In addition, he said the service aspect is driving by patients that either do not qualify for home healthcare or those who might have a delay in home healthcare follow-up post discharge for seniors living in the community.
He said talks with Atrium Medical Center started nearly eight months ago about partnering with the city.
“They fell in love with the concept,” Centers said.
Hospital officials said the paramedicine program will test how the extra follow up from a Monroe paramedic with patients will improve the health outcomes of hospital patients once they return home.
“Atrium Medical Center staff are excited to partner on a new, innovative pilot program with the City of Monroe’s fire and EMS department. The goal is to prevent hospital patients from being readmitted to the hospital for the same conditions they were treated for during their hospital stay. In general, we expect patients who don’t return to the hospital for the same condition are healthier, have a better recovery, and have lower health care costs,” said Michael Uhl, president of Atrium Medical Center.
“Our mission is to improve the health of the communities we serve, which is what this program strives to do, and we are constantly looking for new and different ways to work with community partners to address local health issues,” Uhl said.
The Community Paramedicine program, one of the first approved by the state, started about two years ago during a trial run working with residents at Ohio Living Mount Pleasant who had been discharged from the hospital. At that time Monroe paramedics and EMTs would visit patients at the retirement campus. He said paramedics and EMTs would shadow social workers and healthcare workers to get more educated on the needs of the elderly community.
Centers said there are a handful of fire departments in Ohio that have similar programs since state law was changed in 2015 to allow paramedics and EMTs to provide non-emergency interventions within their protocols. Before the law was changed, these first responders could only provide treatment before the patient was transported to a hospital or trauma center.
“There is so much information given to people, particularly the elderly, when they are discharged from the hospital that they don’t understand or forget and end up in the hospital again,” Centers said. “They also don’t know where to go or who to contact for assistance and other programs that are available to assist them.”
He said some elderly residents don’t trust home healthcare workers but they do trust local firefighters to help them. Centers said some of these people may not family or friends close by to assist them as caregivers. He also said some elderly residents might refuse home healthcare because they may not be able to pay for those service or the co-pay. Some don’t want home healthcare services, he said.
Centers told council that so far they have prevented 15 to 20 re-admissions to the hospital. He also said there have been no increases in the city’s liability insurance.
While they will be working with Atrium Medical Center, he said any resident who has been discharged from an area hospital can utilize the service by contacting the fire department.
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