Building Community Health Capital Through a Community Paramedicine Program

• In Event: 1523 - Practice Symposium Roundtables
  In Informal Discussion Roundtable: Table 2: Working with and for Communities in Practice Settings

Abstract

An aging population and increasing health care costs present growing challenges for public sector health care delivery, especially for those who are un- or under-insured and who suffer from chronic and oftentimes multiple medical conditions. With a lack of options, these residents often resort to 911 services and hospital emergency departments for non-emergency health care. Cities, counties and states are constantly searching for ways to expand access to care while simultaneously controlling costs. Manatee County, FL, has invested in an innovative Community Paramedicine Program, which allows for specially trained paramedics to deliver primary care services in clients’ homes, while also assisting them with medication management and non-medical social service needs. Targeted outcomes for the program are to expand access to care; stabilize clients in their homes/communities with appropriate support services; reduce 911 calls, emergency department visits and hospitalizations; and reduce costs of indigent care to the county. The Community Paramedicine Division Chief requested a program evaluation of the program from USFSM to determine whether the program was, in fact, meeting its targeted goals. Two faculty members in the Social Sciences Dept. are near conclusion of Phase I of the program evaluation, and all indications are that the program is not only meeting, but exceeding its goals. The proposed workshop will describe the program, review evaluation findings, and provide an example of its operations through a detailed case study. The intent is that other communities might find this a replicable model for building cultural health capital and improving individual and community level quality of life.

Authors

• Sandra S. Stone, University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee

• Jessica Marie Grosholz, University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee

• James Crutchfield, Manatee County Community Paramedicine