Regional West Medical Center briefed council on a community paramedic program that will begin taking referrals on March 24 and will focus initially on patients with pneumonia, congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Sean Baumgartner, director of Emergency Medical Services at Regional West, said the program uses trained paramedics to meet patients in the hospital, obtain consent and then conduct home visits after discharge to review discharge instructions, confirm appointments, reconcile medications and weigh heart-failure patients to detect early fluid gain. Baumgartner said such visits were shown in prior Regional West/Valley Ambulance work to reduce hospital readmissions.

Baumgartner said the program currently has one certified community paramedic, two more in training, and that the role is not intended to reduce 9-1-1 staffing: the community paramedic position will supplement 9-1-1 staffing and can respond to scenes when available. He said the service will be free to patients and that sustaining the program depends on demonstrating reduced readmissions and community value.

Council members asked whether the program would reduce fire-department loads and whether coverage would be daytime-shift oriented; Baumgartner said it could reduce some 9-1-1 calls and that staffing will concentrate on daytime shift rotations with an expectation of three certified paramedics in training.

No formal council action was requested or taken.