Lieutenant says Seminole County community paramedicine program reduces repeat 911 calls

Lieutenant Kurt Helkom, of the Seminole County community paramedicine program, said the unit was created after staff identified residents who repeatedly called 911 and needed in-home support rather than emergency care. "We built this community paramedicine program to go into those homes to find out what we were missing," Helkom said.

Helkom described the program as both reactive and proactive: paramedics follow up on frequent 911 users, evaluate home safety and medication routines, and connect residents with medical and social supports. "A lot of times it's a fall issue... or people not taking their medications correctly," he said, adding that paramedics sometimes call a doctor while in a patient's home to coordinate care. He also noted instances of very frequent callers: "we had some that would call 12 times..." which helped prompt the outreach model.

Program staff track outcomes and, Helkom said, have seen fewer repeat emergency trips and improved patient engagement. He warned that nonemergent repeat calls strain equipment and personnel: "When it's an emergent call, the units need to be sharp and awake... repeated calls stretch units out." Listeners seeking more information can find the program through the Seminole County government website under the fire department/community paramedicine page or by phone; Helkom also pointed to the program's podcast on Spotify for ongoing updates.

The segment emphasized that true emergencies should still trigger 911; the program targets avoidable repeat usage and coordinates follow-up care, medication reconciliation and social supports to reduce future emergency responses.