A program designed to reduce the number of 911 calls by so-called "frequent flyers".
Those are patients with chronic illnesses who, with no other recourse in the past, were forced to call an ambulance whenever their symptoms flared up. Their conditions run the gamut from chronic heart failure to mental health diagnoses. Some patients called for an ambulance twice a day or several times a week creating long off-load delays at area hospitals.
Since implementing its Vulnerable Patient Navigator Program two years ago, 350 patients have enrolled.
"A patient who is utilizing 911 frequently causes a greater strain on the health care system than a patient whose health care needs can be managed with regular care and attention," said Essex-Windsor EMS Chief, Bruce Krauter.
Essex-Windsor EMS Chief Bruce Krauter on, March 9, 2018. Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.
The VPN team makes regular home visits to chronically ill patients and holds weekly health care clinics where patients are referred to 30 support agencies every month. Promotion clinics in two high-use apartment buildings have reduced the number of calls there by 41 per cent.
The number of frequent 911 callers continues to increase overall, but the program has scored some individual victories. In the case of one patient, 911 calls went from 20 per quarter to just five calls.
Meanwhile, the patients appear to be very happy with the program.
About 92 per cent of patients who received home visits said they were "highly satisfied" with the level of service.
When it came to how the program has improved their overall quality of life, 61 per cent said they were "highly satisfied", while the remaining 39 per cent said they were "somewhat satisfied."