EMS Community Paramedics

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2020

The Forsyth County EMS Community Paramedics program connects pre-hospital EMS patients with resources that definitively address their underlying behavioral, medical and environmental needs to reduce their dependence on the 911 system. Community paramedics provide connections to local and community services for their patients, giving them more appropriate, specialized care than they’d receive at an emergency room, which can include behavioral health or substance use services. Community paramedics contact patients who frequently call 911 to try to determine their needs and resolve the issues that are causing them to rely on emergency services. They also respond to 911 calls, including all overdose calls, performing a prehospital medical assessment to make sure patients are medically stable, and a behavioral health assessment to determine what services they may need. From July 2018-December 2019, the program had a 54% success rate for diverting patients from the emergency room into more appropriate care. FY19 marked the lowest increase in EMS service demand in the last five years, with only a 3 percent increase as opposed to the usual 6 percent increase of previous years.