KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Lately dispatch and ERs are seeing a spike in 911 calls but Central Jackson County firefighters have put in place a program to lower that number.
CJ Cares started last September on a trial basis. Two full-time firefighter/paramedics are in an SUV equipped with most medical equipment they need to run calls.
They are told by health departments, hospitals, emergency rooms and other crews about patients who may be likely to call 911.
That's where CJ Cares steps in.
"They go to knock on the door and ask if we can speak to them," explained Chip Portz, assistant chief of EMS in CJC.
Portz said they also look for safety or trip hazards in the home, inventory medication to make sure they are taking it on schedule and it is up to date and they sit down with them to identify what resources they may need.
Portz said this is not a quick house call, but sometimes trips take 2 or 3 hours.
In the first six months of the program the department noticed a 55% drop in emergency calls by those who frequently dial 911.
That's a huge decrease, especially in a department that only runs five ambulances and that had seen emergency calls grow 25% over the past four years.
"The impact they are making is probably greater than simply transporting someone to the emergency room at this point," said Portz.
The program has also helped CJC from having to put more people on an additional ambulance. Though only two crew members are on the ambulance at one time, Portz said they have to have about eight employees to cover all the shifts.
