TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager, Fire Department, Health Department and all other appropriate departments to work together and report back in 120 days on the potential costs, benefits and challenges in forming a Long Beach Community Paramedicine Program.
(District 5)
DISCUSSION
Community Paramedicine (CP) is an innovative and evolving model of community-based
healthcare designed to provide more effective and efficient services at a lower cost.
Community Paramedicine allows paramedics to function outside their traditional
emergency response and transport roles to help facilitate more appropriate use of
emergency care resources while enhancing access to primary care for medically
underserved populations.
Community Paramedics are licensed paramedics who have received specialized training
in addition to general paramedicine training and work within a designated Community
Paramedicine program under local medical control as part of a community-based team of
health and social services providers. Paramedics are uniquely positioned for expanded
roles as they are trusted and accepted by the public; are trained to make health status
assessments; recognize and manage life-threatening conditions outside of the hospital;
and operate under medical control as part of an organized, systems approach to care.
In 2015, the California Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA), working in
partnership with the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) conducted 13 Community
Paramedicine pilot projects in a dozen California locations over a two-year period to test
and evaluate new or expanded roles for paramedics along with healthcare delivery
alternatives. The projects focus on providing services where access to healthcare is
limited or when a short-term intervention is needed.
Under the pilot, community paramedics provide:
• Short-term follow-up care after hospital discharge for people with chronic
conditions
• Case management services to frequent users of the e...
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