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Council hears progress report on community paramedic program aimed at reducing ER visits
Summary
Chief Craig Stanley updated the council on a grant-funded pilot community paramedic program that has served about 110 patients with four paramedics, telehealth capability, and partnerships with South County Hospital and Thundermist.
South Kingstown’s community paramedic program, a grant-funded pilot aimed at reducing emergency-room readmissions, has served more than 110 patients since last fall and continues operating with grant support through May 2025, Chief Craig Stanley told the council.
Stanley said the program, funded initially by Department of Health grants and local health partners, deploys paramedics for in-home follow-up care for patients with congestive heart failure, behavioral-health needs and other conditions that drive frequent EMS and hospital use. ‘‘The goal of the program is to keep the patient having to go to the emergency room all the time,’’ he said.
The program currently has four paramedics assigned to daytime outreach and operates through partnerships with South County Hospital and Thundermist. Services include vitals and EKGs in the home, telehealth visits with physicians, medication checks, referrals and coordination of services. The chief said the team also documents outcomes and cost savings with hospital partners to support future sustainable funding; hospitals may subsidize continuing operations in later phases.
Councilmembers praised the program and asked that informational brochures be distributed at town locations; staff said new pamphlets would be reprinted and circulated once a new fax/contact number change is incorporated.
