Agencies Pivot Patient Care Response Resources amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

A mobile integrated healthcare (MIH) program in Sacramento County (CA) under development to be implemented as an alternative model for response to low-acuity calls and high utilizers of emergency services was quickly brought to an operational status. It was then redesigned and redirected to serve a new purpose as the COVID-19 pandemic struck northern California and challenged patients’ access to appropriate healthcare. Upon the outbreak of COVID-19, three Sacramento-area fire departments joined forces with local hospitals to rapidly mobilize a MIH program to deliver patient-centric care, testing and education to out-of-hospital settings to reconnect patients with essential treatment. Related Regions Hospital (MN) Community Paramedic Response to COVID-19Pandemic Pushes Expansion of “˜Hospital-at-Home’ TreatmentParamedics’ Perspectives on Telemedicine in the Ambulance: A Survey StudyCommunity Care Units Activated to Battle COVID-19 The three fire agencies answered a call for help from Sacramento County Department of Public Health to implement the special response program. Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District (Metro Fire), Sacramento Fire Department and Cosumnes Fire Department coordinated with their local hospital systems, UC Davis Medical Center, Sutter Health, Common Spirit and Kaiser Permanente, to staff volunteer disaster medical workers and mobilize four community care response units (CCRUs) to bring professional care to skilled nursing facilities, al...
Source: JEMS Operations - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Community Paramedicine and Mobile Health Exclusives Patient Care California EMT Hospital Mobile Integrated Healthcare Source Type: news