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Scott County health department asks commissioners to preserve paramedicine program as HFI funding targets expansion
Summary
Health department official urged commissioners to keep the paramedicine (MIH) program in 2026 using carryover and to press legislators for larger Health First Indiana (HFI) allocations; staff noted about 90 patient contacts per week and an average estimated cost of roughly $25 per visit.
Scott County's health department told commissioners it plans to use carryover Health First Indiana (HFI) funds to maintain a paramedicine/mobile integrated health (MIH) program this year and urged the board to support efforts to secure increased HFI funding for 2028–29.
Britney, the department representative introduced to the commission, said the MIH program has “kept people out of the hospital that were going to the ER just for random things,” noting clinicians saw roughly 90 patient contacts per week and estimated the average visit cost at about $25. She said continuing the program will rely on short-term carryover and on the state to authorize reimbursements that could sustain the service long term. The department also flagged an HFI allocation of $154,104.60 that must be properly budgeted across state-required categories.
Commissioners discussed which lines could be adjusted and whether EMS or another fund should absorb fringe and FICA costs; staff said they would coordinate with the auditor and reimbursement sources before final submission. The health official asked commissioners to contact state legislators to advocate for larger HFI appropriations in the coming budget cycle, citing early return-on-investment data presented by the state.
