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[Plano Fire-Rescue Community Paramedic Program]
PARAMEDIC PROGRAM IS, IS A PROGRAM THAT'S MADE UP OF SOME HIGHLY TRAINED PARAMEDICS.THEIR TRAINING IS TO HELP THEM DEAL WITH SITUATIONS THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF THE NORMAL OPERATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT.
WE'RE HERE IN YOUR GREATEST TIME OF NEED, TWENTY FOUR SEVEN.
IF YOU CALL 9 1 1, THAT'S AN UNSCHEDULED VISIT ON DEMAND WHENEVER YOU NEED US.
COMMUNITY PARAMEDICINE IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
IT'S NOT A NINE ONE ONE CALL IN WHICH WE, AT PLANO FIRE PROACTIVELY REACH OUT TO OUR CITIZENS IN NEED.
THE WAY THEY GET CALLED MOST OF THE TIME IS THEY EITHER, THEY EITHER GET A NOTIFICATION FROM ONE OF OUR FIELD PERSONNEL THAT THERE'S SOMEBODY IN NEED FROM ONE OF OUR HOSPITALS, OR EVEN FROM SOME OF OUR, OUR, UH, LOCAL CHARITIES, UH, GROUPS THAT THEY KNOW, WHERE THEY KNOW THAT WE CAN HELP.
THIS, THIS, UH, KIND OF PATIENT CALLS, UH, FOR US TYPICALLY CAN RANGE FROM ANYTHING FROM PEOPLE THAT, UH, CALL 9 1 1 A LOT, UH, TO PEOPLE THAT JUST NEED SOME EXTRA HELP WITH SOMETHING THAT, UH, CREWS NOTICED WHEN THEY WENT TO THEIR HOUSE FOR AN EMERGENCY.
BY US WORKING WITH THEM ON THE FRONT END, A LOT OF TIMES THEY NEVER MAKE IT TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM.
WE'RE, WE'RE HELPING 'EM A LOT OF TIMES IN THEIR OWN HOME.
AND, AND IT PREVENTS THOSE CALLS THAT GO TO DIVERSE ROOMS. THAT HELPS OUR PARTNERS THERE.
WE HAVE SEEN A REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF VISITS FROM PEOPLE WHO PREVIOUSLY CAME AND SAW US A WHOLE LOT BECAUSE THEY NEEDED HELP.
UM, WE'VE SEEN OTHERS, UH, SOME, SOME OF THE PATIENTS THAT HAVE BEEN PART OF THE PROGRAM WHERE THEY HAVE COMPLETELY BEEN ABLE TO, TO WEAN THEMSELVES OFF OF, UH, A LOT OF THE, THE, UH, MEDICATIONS AND CONDITIONS THAT THEY WERE HIS HISTORICALLY DEALING WITH BECAUSE THEY WERE ABLE TO FINALLY UNDERSTAND AND TAKE CONTROL AND OWNERSHIP OF THEIR CARE.
UM, THROUGH THE HELP OF THE PARAMEDICS BEING IN THEIR HOME WITH THEM.
IT, IT HELPS MAINTAIN OUR 9 1 1 CAPACITY WHILE GIVING THAT FEEL APPROPRIATE FEEL OF A HIGHLY TRAINED, TRUSTED FIREFIGHTER.
MAKING A PROACTIVE VISIT THAT'S REALLY GREAT, ONE-ON-ONE CARE.
YOU CAN REALLY SEE HOW MUCH A DIFFERENCE IT IS AND JUST TAKING A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME THAT WE HAVE WITH THEM.
THEY'RE NOT CALLING 9 1 1 AS MUCH BECAUSE THEY DON'T NEED TO.
THEY HAVE MORE CONFIDENCE IN THEMSELVES AND THE DECISIONS THAT THEY'RE MAKING.
IT'S GIVING ME A PEACE OF MIND.
'CAUSE I USED TO WORRY ABOUT MY HEART AND WORRY ABOUT, OKAY, WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN IF NOBODY'S THERE FOR YOU? WHEN YOU HAVE ONE OF THOSE FITS.
SO NOW I KNOW I HAVE A FRIEND IN PLANE OR PARAMEDICS DEPARTMENT.
I CAN CALL EVEN NINE ONE ONE, BUT JUST TO JUST TEXT KEVIN.
I'M NOT, I'M FEELING STRANGE AND HE'LL SAY IT'S GONNA BE ALL RIGHT.
WE'RE, UH, SO MANY MINUTES AWAY AND CALL PARAMEDICS.
THIS PROGRAM, WE'VE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN THIS PROGRAM BECAUSE WE STARTED SMALL, FOCUSED ON A, A CERTAIN GROUP AND THEN AS WE IDENTIFIED GROUPS WITH NEEDS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, WE GREW AT THAT TIME.
WE ALSO GREW AT THE SAME PACE AS OUR SUPPORT FROM OUR PARTNERS.
THE HOSPITAL, UH, SUPPORTS THE PROGRAM THROUGH, UM, EQUIPMENT AND SO THE, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THE PARAMEDICS HAVE THE TOOLS AVAILABLE TO PROVIDE CARE IN THE HOME SETTING.
UH, ALSO THROUGH SOME TRAINING, THROUGH, UH, HELPING THEM UNDERSTAND WAYS IN WHICH THEY CAN, UH, TAKE WHAT WE WERE ALREADY DOING IN THE HOSPITAL AND HOW THEY COULD APPLY THAT IN THE HOME.
ALL THOSE CALLS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO TAKE ON WITH THE COMMUNITY MEDICINE PROGRAM, THOSE ARE EMERGENCY CALLS THAT WE DIDN'T GO OUT, WE DIDN'T HAVE TO USE OUR APPARATUS, THE WEAR AND TEAR ON THOSE, THE, THE FUEL, ALL THE THINGS THAT GO WITH THAT.
BUT REALLY THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF THAT IS THEY WERE AVAILABLE FOR OTHER EMERGENCY CALLS.
IT'S A REALLY AWESOME EXPERIENCE TO SEE FOLKS, UH, FROM WHEN WE START WITH THEM WHO NEED LOTS OF HELP AND SUPPORT AND, YOU KNOW, MAY BE ALONE.
SO WHEN WE'VE, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE FULLY ENGAGED AND WE GO AND VISIT, HAVE A CUP OF COFFEE WITH 'EM, AND, AND THEY'RE GETTING ALL THE SUPPORT THEY NEED AND THEY'RE DOING BETTER.
THEY'RE SOMETIMES DON'T HAVE FAMILY OR DON'T HAVE OTHER FOLKS THAT CAN, THEY CAN RELY ON TO GIVE THEM THAT INFORMATION.
SO WHEN WE'RE ABLE TO CONNECT THEM WITH THE, UH, CONTACTS THAT ARE NEEDED TO GET THEM IN A SUCCESSFUL PLACE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE USUALLY PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT IT.