Premier Health, City of Dayton Launch Community Paramedicine Initiative

Premier Health and the City of Dayton Fire Department are poised to launch a community paramedicine program designed to assist City of Dayton residents in improving health and wellness. In addition to educating enrollees in the management of their health needs, the program will provide access to primary care physicians, prenatal care, senior care services, medications, and basic needs such as food and safety around the home. It will be the first collaboration of its kind in Dayton to bring together hospital and fire department staff to identify patients in need of in-home care.

Premier Health will fund the program for three years, thanks in part to the generous support of Good Samaritan Foundation - Dayton.

As part of the program, a team of three professionals – a paramedic, emergency medical technician, and social worker – will visit patients in their homes and provide health assessments, safety checks, education about managing their health condition, and medical care as needed. Patients in need of in-home assistance tend to have chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or other respiratory issues, congestive heart failure (CHF), and diabetes. The community paramedicine team will help to address those chronic conditions and connect patients to appropriate resources, thereby assisting in improving patients’ health and hopefully reducing future hospitalizations and health emergencies.

Randy Marriott, MD, FACEP, medical director of Premier Health’s EMS Center of Excellence and EMS medical director for the Dayton Fire Department, will oversee the program. Dr. Marriott has worked in the emergency department at Miami Valley Hospital since completing his residency in emergency medicine in 1994.

“This well-thought-out collaboration between Premier Health and Dayton Fire should positively affect the health of patients and help to reduce readmissions,” he said. “Patients will benefit tremendously from having the support that they need to continue their treatment plan outside of the hospital setting.”

The program will accommodate as many as 25 patients at one time. Eligible patients will be identified through Premier Health hospitals, the Dayton Fire Department, physicians, and other health care team members. Patients might only need one visit to ensure their needs are met, or could be enrolled for up to 30 days. The program is available to all qualifying Dayton residents, though data indicate that residents of northwest Dayton stand to benefit the most from the program. To qualify, patients must not be eligible for home health care.

Through the program, the community paramedicine team will work with multiple agencies to establish additional services that a patient might need, such as Meals on Wheels or prescription delivery. Care plans will be tailored to each patient, taking into account their specific home environment, support, and medical needs. A steering committee made up of community agency representatives and leaders from across the city is being formed to assist in identifying resources that a resident might need.

Possible future enhancements to the community paramedicine program could include a telehealth component that would further improve patient access to services and improve patient care.

Back to the June 2019 issue of Premier Pulse