COMMUNITY PARAMEDICS PROVIDE IN-HOME MEDICAL CARE

Given the choice, most people would rather stay in their own home than be admitted to the hospital, said community paramedic Nicole Selby.

On top of that, "We know that our hospitals are very overloaded ... They are just sort of in a crisis mode, even before COVID started."

Selby said when an assessment was done on the type of medical care patients were going to hospitals to receive, "a small ... amount of those are actual, true emergencies," while the rest were largely nonemergent issues.

On top of that, "It's actually more cost effective to take care of people at home," Selby said.

To that end, a number of municipalities, including Haldimand, have adopted a community paramedic program.

Under the program, community paramedics book appointments with local residents to visit them in their homes. While there, the community paramedics will do wellness checks and provide medical care, which usually includes checking a patient's vitals, such as their heart rate, oxygen levels and blood pressure.

Selby noted that other tasks, such as fluid replacement and urinalysis, might soon be added to the list of things community paramedics can do in their role.

"These are all things that are somewhat within the scope of what a paramedic does already," she said.

Community paramedics will help patients with chronic disease management, medication management and referrals, if needed. Eventually, visits from wellness dogs will be added for some patients.

"The rest of (the program) is more a communication part," Selby said.

She explained that if a patient has difficulty getting to a medical appointment — for instance, they have physical mobility issues, or are unable to secure transportation — a community paramedic could go to the person's home and do the physical assessment while on the phone with the person's family physician, specialist, etc.

"I would be (the doctor's) eyes and ears at the house, and they could ask the questions, get my feedback on what I'm seeing, etc.," Selby said. "It's actually close to having an in-person doctor's appointment, but without having to leave

your home."

Right now, the community paramedic program regularly sees about 200 patients across the entire county.

Patients can self-refer, or be referred to the program by a physician or through Home and Community Care Support Services (formerly the Local Health Integration Networks).

Selby said ultimately, "the goal of the community paramedic program is to keep people healthy and happy and safe at home."

For more information on the program, call 905318-5932, ex. 6113.