Community Medicine and Paramedicine Pilot Programs

Funding Partner: Mother Cabrini Health Foundation (via The Home Care Association of New York State and Iroquois Healthcare Association collaboration)

Geographic Scope: Rural areas of New York State (3 pilot sites)

Program Description:
Pilot programs designed to expand the roles of paramedics and EMTs to provide primary and preventative care services in underserved rural communities. The initiative addresses the problem of emergency services being called for non-urgent situations due to lack of primary care access.

Program Model:
Community paramedicine expands paramedic and EMT roles beyond emergency response to include:

• Primary care services
• Preventative care delivery
• Services to vulnerable populations including:
  • Frail or elderly patients
  • Patients without transportation
  • Populations without primary care resources

Number of Pilot Sites: 3 rural locations across New York State

Focus Areas:

• Rural healthcare access
• Primary and preventative care
• Emergency services burden reduction
• Vulnerable population support
• Collaborative care delivery models

Participating Partners:

• Home Care Association of New York State (HCA)
• Iroquois Healthcare Association (IHA)
• Hospitals
• Home care agencies
• Physicians
• Emergency Medical Services (EMS) organizations

Objectives:

• Design and create collaborative, community-centric models
• Meet community-specific healthcare needs
• Lower likelihood of emergency team calls for non-urgent situations
• Preserve emergency care resources for true emergencies
• Improve access to care in medically underserved areas