Anyone who has spent time in an emergency room knows you may be waiting for hours before you’re ever seen.
Firefighters in Central Jackson County are trying to alleviate some of the pressure put on the ER by following up with people likely to call emergency services.
The long-term goal is to prevent emergency room calls that can be addressed outside of an ER.
Repurposing resources
Firefighters turned an Explorer SUV into a medical unit. Two firefighters/paramedics ride around in it 40 hours each week doing routine health checks.
The program dubbed CJCares has three components according to the man in charge, assistant chief Chris Portz.
Step One: Watch emergency calls and see if a lot are coming from a person, family or address.
“The crew would make contact with those individuals or location,” explained Portz. “Some of the people who frequently call us have medical problems, obviously. Some border on 911 abuse."
Portz says some people often dialing emergency services may be dealing with substance abuse or mental health issues.
“They’re not getting the help they need, being transported frequently to the ER," said Portz.
Step Two: Firefighters take some patients home from the hospital.
“Management at St. Mary’s Hospital might recognize someone who may benefit from the program. They'll call us and we'll meet them in their hospital room. We drive them home and give a home safety inspection,” said Portz.
The crew will go over doctor’s notes to minimize the likelihood of them calling soon after getting out of the hospital.
Step Three: Educational outreach in the community.
The crew visits community centers or assisted living homes to help elderly or those at-risk to make sure their medicines are up to date.
Between 2014 and 2016, emergency calls rose 19.2 percent in the area Central Jackson County Fire covers. Though the need has spiked, they have not seen an increase in resources.
“This is a pilot program to determine if we can divert some emergency calls to non-emergency services,” explained Portz.
Tim Burke and Judy Wood are the two drivers for CJCares.
Though firefighters/paramedics Tim Burke and Judy Wood are now on the preventative side of medical services, if they pass an emergency, they make a stop to help.
“If it's an urgent call we can jump in right away and start helping,” explained Wood.
In just six weeks, the two-person crew has made more than 90 runs to help people who otherwise would’ve likely called 911. They say it’s too soon to say if it has made an impact on emergency rooms.
However, this program is based on an earlier, part-time pilot that saw 90 percent reduction in non-emergency calls.
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