A new healthcare initiative in Clinton County is bringing trained paramedics directly to people's homes, helping neighbors avoid unnecessary hospital trips.
- The community paramedic program aims to provide in-home care for neighbors who need to be seen, but don't necessarily need emergency transport.
- The program was initially launched in 2016 but was shut down during COVID-19 and has now been relaunched.
- Ten patients have already been connected with the service through internal EMS referrals.
WATCH: Clinton County paramedics bring healthcare directly to neighbors' homes
The Clinton Area Ambulance Service Authority has relaunched its community paramedic program, bringing medical care directly to neighbors' doorsteps instead of transporting them to hospitals.
"It's a lot of people out there that could use that kind of help," said Raymond Armstrong, a St. Johns neighbor.
"I fell several times, and I was lucky that my son-in-law and my daughter were there to help me get up. But in some cases, there's people my age that don't have that kind of help," Armstrong said.
The program addresses a growing problem in healthcare accessibility, according to program officials.
"Any hospital you walk in today, there is a waiting line of patients. So this was a way to keep patients at home, treat them, versus going to the hospital," said Alicia Weber, innovation coordinator for the Clinton Area Ambulance Service Authority.
Weber told me the program first launched in 2016 but was shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now back in operation, it aims to fill critical gaps in community healthcare.
"People don't know the resources that are available to them. So we've decided that hey, let's keep people from going to the hospital and let's keep our community healthy and staying on that projection by implementing the community paramedic program," Weber said.
Currently, the program is only accepting patients from internal EMS referrals, but Weber says they are working to build partnerships with local primary care physicians to expand care options.
The initiative could also provide financial benefits for patients.
"So, time is money, right? How many people go to the hospital and sit there for hours, sometimes even days, before they're seen?" Weber said.
So far, the program has made contact with 10 patients since its relaunch.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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