County hears proposal for state‑funded mobile integrated health pilot; commissioners give preliminary go‑ahead for planning

Michael of the Department of Emergency Services introduced a Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) proposal and invited Dr. Grama Shafi, the 911 medical director, to outline the program. Dr. Shafi described MIH as a community‑paramedic model that delivers in‑home care after hospital stays, for follow-up care, and to divert non-emergency calls from 911 and emergency departments.

Dr. Shafi told the board the program would start small: “We were gonna have 1 paramedic and then a backup… probably about 15 patients just to start and get a feel for it,” with typical enrollments ranging from two weeks to 30 days and occasional longer cases. He estimated initial start-up costs “anywhere from maybe $300,000 to $350,000” and said the county’s net contribution could be minimal if state grants, hospital partnerships (UPMC Western Maryland was mentioned), and insurer reimbursements support operations.

Commissioners asked about staffing and vehicles. Dr. Shafi said community paramedics would be trained via a short course and would operate in an ALS chase car (not a full ambulance), and that reimbursement pathways through Medicaid/CMS and payer partnerships exist. After questions, multiple commissioners signaled they wanted staff to continue planning: “I think we’re all in favor of what you’re trying to do here,” one commissioner said.

Next steps: DES and medical leadership will continue application and planning work, file required paperwork with the state, and return to the board with grant documents and implementation details for approval.