New cooperative paramedicine system common-sense idea

A charity, a hospital, a clinic and the city are stepping forward to take care of residents who too often fall through the healthcare cracks.

Community Paramedicine will see no more than 10 patients a month, 120 a year, but the program, funded by the Community Hospital Health Foundation with partners Community Hospital, McCook Clinic, and the City of McCook, should improve healthcare for certain patients as well as reducing overall costs to the system.

In Nebraska and other states, especially where Medicaid has not been expanded under Obamacare, many uninsured patients rely on expensive emergency departments for basic medical care.

In small towns like McCook, EMTs and paramedics get to know their community and who is likely to need medical care.

The new program will take advantage of that knowledge to reduce ambulance calls to the emergency room.

Visiting about once a week, EMTs or paramedics will do "some basic assessment, blood pressure, vital signs, doing some education with them if we need to," said Marc Harpham, McCook fire chief.

Everything will be well within duties paramedics and EMTs are allowed to perform, he said.

Not only can the preventive visits save time and money, they can be performed during regular hours, freeing up emergency response for more immediate emergencies. And, the program can provide employment for trained, experienced personnel who may no longer want or be able to serve on the "front lines" of emergency care.

Congratulations to everyone involved for finding a creative, common-sense response to an ongoing problem.