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Patients in Windsor and Essex County are praising the Vulnerable Patient Navigator program administered by Essex-Windsor EMS that provides ongoing care and attention to the people who need it most in the effort to reduce the frequency of 911 calls.
About 92 percent of patients who received home visits under the program said they were “highly satisfied” with the level of service received. About 61 percent of survey respondents said they were “highly satisfied” the program made their quality of life better while the remaining 39 percent said they were “somewhat satisfied.”
The program was launched in 2016 to help ease the strain on the local ambulance service and reduce offload delays by working closely with patients who use emergency medical services more than three times per year.
“A patient who is utilizing 911 frequently causes a greater strain on the health care system than a patient whose health care needs can be managed with regular care and attention,” said Essex-Windsor EMS Chief Bruce Krauter. “The VPN program is providing better care to those who need it most while working to reduce the burden on the regional health care system as a whole.”
Nearly 350 patients have been enrolled in the program and, on average, the VPN team connects patients to 30 support agencies per month, monitoring their progress to ensure follow up care is provided. Patients enrolled in VPN “experienced a decrease in pain, discomfort, depression, and anxiety. Participants reported an increase in overall improvement to their health state.”
Over and above regular home visits, the VPN team holds weekly health care and promotion clinics in two high-use apartment buildings, where emergency call volumes are down by 40 percent. The Community Paramedicine Remote Patient Monitoring Program, which deploys wireless devices to monitor blood pressure and other key health indicators, has also been successful, resulting in a 41 percent reduction in calls to 911.
While there continues to be an increase overall in the number of frequent 911 callers, the VPN program has achieved significant victories on an individual level. One patient’s call volume went down from 20 calls per quarter to five calls; another patient’s call volume went from nine calls to two in the following quarter and another patient’s quarterly call volume went from 24 calls to two calls.
Contact:
Stacey Shepley - Captain, Professional Standards, Essex-Windsor EMS
519-776-6441, ext. 2655 or sshepley@countyofessex.ca
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