Community Resource Paramedic
Posted by Gary O'Rielly
on Feb 15, 2016
Our program last week was Scott Koch, Community Resources Paramedic for the Fire Districts representing Lake Stevens, Monroe #3 and Mill Creek/Clearview #7. Scott is a 26 year veteran whose role brings a partnership between the three Fire Districts. The program is about "SERVING ACROSS DISTRICT BORDERS". The one year pilot program is the second of its kind in Snohomish County.
The CRP program is a community-based health-care program in which paramedics function outside of their customary emergency responses roles. The focus of the program is three-fold: Improving the overall patient experience; improving the health of the community as a whole and reducing the cost of health care. Intended to be both flexible and broad, the CRP Program does not cater to any one demographic. Seniors and residents of any age with mobility issues, mental health issues and chronic illness can benefit from the program which operates on a referral basis.
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Although the program is new in our area, Arizona, Minnesota and Texas are far ahead of us. Scott feels that health care in the United States is broken and the CRP program is a referral service that allows him to make follow up contact with patients via telephone and at their homes so that he can connect the dots. Basically, the simple explanation is that he is a resource manager to many of these patients. Patients meeting the CRP Program criteria can be referred by emergency personnel, a healthcare provider or through a vetting process that identifies patients based on how frequently they use 911. Once a referral is a candidate for the CRP Program, Scott will open up a line of communications and visit the patient in their homes.
The Fire Districts are using the CRP program as a partner to serve their communities with a common goal. The CRP Program takes a proactive approach to health care by identifying patient needs before an emergency occurs. Organizers designed the program to grow with time, and offer a consistent service throughout the county. Funding is currently coming out of the three Fire Districts with Mill Creek/Clearview at 60% and Lake Stevens and Monroe each providing 20%. They serve a combined district area of 162 square miles and a combined population of 143,000 citizens.