The Essex County EMS is launching its new Vulnerable Patient Navigator team.
The dedicated team of paramedics will help patients with chronic diseases get the help they need in hopes of reducing the number of calls to 911.
"What we're hoping to do is empower people so that they learn how to better manage their health care problems so whether that's using referred agencies or recognizing subtle signs in themselves," says EMS Captain Cathie Hedges.
The Essex County EMS will identify these patients through data and recommendations from paramedics on the road. Hedges estimates the team will be able to serve 200 patients at one time.
The VPN team was approved in the 2016 budget and will cost around $1-million annually. It's believed it will reduce calls to EMS, help reduce off-load delays and save the hospital system money.
"A lot of these vulnerable clients are the ones that when we get them to the emergency room, they don't get a bed right away," says Hedges. "They could be hours laying in there. So now we've got a number of ambulances that are lined up and can't do any other emergency calls."
Hedges says the team will visit these vulnerable clients on a regular basis until they are in control of their own health care and can be discharged from the program.
