House Calls on Horizon for Ohio Fire Department Paramedics

Oct. 03--MONROE -- The Monroe Fire Department is starting what could be the state's first community paramedicine program, which allows paramedics and EMTs to assist people in non-emergency situations.

The new law was part of Gov. John Kasich's state budget that was signed June 30 and went into effect Oct. 1. The law allows paramedics and EMTs to function in non-emergency roles in addition to providing traditional 911 emergency services.

Monroe will utilize registered nurses and paramedics already on staff for a six-month trial program, according to Monroe Fire Chief John Centers.

Monroe is partnering with Mount Pleasant Retirement Community and Atrium Medical Center on the program.

Monroe Fire Chief John Centers said the community paramedic philosophy is one of proactive care rather than reactive care, and allows the city to serve an under-served population.

"Individual communities can develop target hazard groups, and offer pre-incident visits to reduce the likelihood of a 911 transport," he said. "This ultimately reduces cost throughout our health-care system."

He said one way the new program can be helpful to residents, particularly the elderly, is to check on those who have recently been discharged from the hospital. Thus, avoiding being readmitted.

"Some of these patients don't understand their discharge instructions," Centers said. "This would be a gap-filling service."

It would also be a way to help residents who may not have access to home health assistance, he said.

Other communities also taking a look at community paramedicine include Hamilton, Middletown and Franklin.

Middletown Fire Chief Paul Lolli said his city is currently studying the response and implementation of the new law.

Lolli said the change in the law changed the scope of what paramedics could do so they could provide non-emergency care that may not require patient transport and allow transport to appropriate non-hospital destination. It will also allow paramedics to carry out physician orders of patients in the home and not transport them to an emergency room.

"Going into 2016, we will continue to position ourselves to be able to take advantage of this legislation to ease the burden of both our responding medic units and the overcrowding of our emergency rooms and better service those citizens who need emergency medical service," he said.

Lolli said the financial hurdles are the major obstacles to work out but his goal is to have the program operational by Dec. 31, 2016.

Hamilton Fire Chief Steve Dawson said one of his departmental goals for next year is to explore the viability of a community paramedicine program in collaboration with area health care providers to better serve residents.

City officials and some fire department personnel recently attended a forum about this hosted by the University of Cincinnati, he said.

Franklin Fire Chief Jonathan Westendorf said while the legislation has been approved, "the administrative rules process has not yet been completed ... there is still a good deal of road to travel until that process is completed. "

He said Franklin will continue to monitor and participate in various programs related to that process.

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