Florida Agency Connects Veterans With Social Services

Captain Anthony Maro of Florida’s Collier County Emergency Medical Services describes the personnel of his department as the eyes and ears of the community—gaining insights into what takes place and where. That can be challenging in the largest geographical county in Florida. And for those experiencing homelessness and the county’s population of homeless veterans, the complexity of coordinating care on the move can make it difficult to treat the reasons they call 9-1-1.

Recently Collier County EMS took the initiative to integrate its approach to connecting such patients with social services care.

Responding to more than 45,000 calls a year on average, Collier County EMS encounters many people in many different situations. To better coordinate social services care for the homeless and homeless veterans in the community, the department configured a section within the ImageTrend Elite run form crews use to complete electronic patient care records (ePCRs). With a tap of a button, providers can activate the section directly in the run form to document, track, and report social services needs and the location of the individual.

“The why behind this initiative is to leave no one behind,” says Maro. “Making a difference in the lives of others betters the community as a whole.”

Question validation within the run form ensures essential data is collected depending on the individual’s specific needs, and text narrative functionality allows providers to add important details regarding the situation. The location of the individual is reported to outreach coordinators for follow-up and additional assistance. The enhanced social services documentation is also used to create referrals to case managers at local hospitals for substance abuse, senior services needs, and Department of Children and Families (DCF) concerns. Tracking the homeless and homeless veteran population has also aided the county in providing meal support, which used to rely heavily on word of mouth.

Since October 2020 Collier County EMS has encountered and reported 1292 incidents involving the homeless, with 485 patients accessing resources based on their EMS assessment. The department also identified 70 homeless veterans in the same time span. Since December 2021 104 referrals for social services were reported to hospital case managers, the sheriff’s behavioral health bureau, DCF, and the Area Agency on Aging.

“We look forward to continued collaboration with our partners and community to create a complete wraparound approach, providing services prior to initiating 9-1-1 and post-9-1-1 events, therefore making the county a safer place to live and thrive,” says Maro.

Maro and Collier County EMS were finalists for ImageTrend’s 2022 Hooley Awards in the Innovation category. The Hooley Awards recognize innovators and thought leaders, honoring their involvement, creativity, and passion, and were founded to acknowledge their contributions in innovation and excellence. The Hooley Awards finalists were celebrated and the winners announced during the 14th annual ImageTrend Connect Conference in July.

Caelan Barnhart works at ImageTrend with the goal of sharing the emergency medical services industry’s story. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Florida, where he gained newsroom experience writing for local stations.