Maine's emergency workers are using time between emergency calls to educate state residents about health and preventative health care "as part of a statewide effort to reduce hospital and doctor visits for emergencies," Kaitlin Schroeder reports for the Morning Sentinel in Waterville, 56 miles southwest of Bangor. "The NorthStar Ambulance house call program, which will start next
month, is part of a state initiative to redefine paramedics and
emergency medical technicians as not only emergency responders but also
medical emergency preventers." The program is one of nine state pilot programs, and expenses for most programs will only consist of fuel for travel. (Daily Bulldog photo)
Maine, which has the highest percentage of rural population in the country, "has been developing the project for the past decade to use the
long waiting periods that rural emergency service workers sometimes sit
through while waiting for a call," according to Jay Bradshaw, director of Maine Emergency Medical Services, Schroeder writes. Bradshaw told Schroeder, “In some places they might get a call or two a day, but there still needs to be paramedics there 24 hours a day.” While other states have similar programs, "Bradshaw said Maine will be the first
state to have not just individual paramedic projects, but a coordinated
state effort." Schroeder writes.
"The workers also will help patients list and compare all the medicines they are taking and make sure the combination won’t cause unwanted reactions from mixing prescription drugs," Schroeder writes. "The paramedics will offer other services such as checking vital signs, wound care, hypertension monitoring, diabetes management, ear and nose complaints, flu vaccinations and potential fall assessments. Primary-care doctors will refer patients to the program. Those patients generally will be people who are newly released from the hospital, have had a recent surgery, have multiple chronic conditions or live in a home where safety is a concern." (Read more)
Maine, which has the highest percentage of rural population in the country, "has been developing the project for the past decade to use the
long waiting periods that rural emergency service workers sometimes sit
through while waiting for a call," according to Jay Bradshaw, director of Maine Emergency Medical Services, Schroeder writes. Bradshaw told Schroeder, “In some places they might get a call or two a day, but there still needs to be paramedics there 24 hours a day.” While other states have similar programs, "Bradshaw said Maine will be the first
state to have not just individual paramedic projects, but a coordinated
state effort." Schroeder writes."The workers also will help patients list and compare all the medicines they are taking and make sure the combination won’t cause unwanted reactions from mixing prescription drugs," Schroeder writes. "The paramedics will offer other services such as checking vital signs, wound care, hypertension monitoring, diabetes management, ear and nose complaints, flu vaccinations and potential fall assessments. Primary-care doctors will refer patients to the program. Those patients generally will be people who are newly released from the hospital, have had a recent surgery, have multiple chronic conditions or live in a home where safety is a concern." (Read more)
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