Lutheran EMS Starts Mobile Integrated Health Program
Posted
Jackie Gorski-jgorski@timesuniononline.com
A new program recently was started at Lutheran EMS to help fill a gap in the community, the Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory Board learned Tuesday.
Alicia Mediano, director of operation clinical management for Lutheran EMS, said one thing that “was very exciting for us in the month of September” was there were staff members that finished a 16-week course for Lutheran’s mobile integrated health program, which is similar to what Warsaw Fire runs with the CARES (Community Assistance Resources Emergency Services) program. Lutheran EMS is focusing more on the medical health and trying to bridge the gap between in-patient and out-patient care, especially for some of the people that aren’t able to afford home health agencies, she said.
The program was initiated in September, “so we’re very excited to have that up and running,” she said.
Throughout October, Lutheran EMS has continued to grow the program. It is something Lutheran EMS works with the CARES program quite frequently where the CARES program is focusing on the medical health. There are some patients the two organizations see together, where the patient has medical and mental health services they’re getting treatment for.
She said it’s been beneficial for the community to get some of this care outside of the hospital setting.
As flu season starts, Lutheran EMS is looking at giving flu shots to people in their homes who can’t get to their physicians and clinics, she said.
Board member and Common Councilman Mike Klondaris asked if that type of care is being referred to Lutheran EMS through 911 calls. Mediano said while the CARES program is getting dispatched through 911 calls, Lutheran EMS’ program is more the hospital or insurance company is reaching out to Lutheran asking them to see a patient because the patient may be a risk for readmission.
She said they don’t get 911 dispatch for the mobile integration health.
The times the mobile integration program is used is as a follow-up instead of an emergency-based situation. It is usually after an admission and Lutheran EMS is trying to make sure the patient isn’t readmitted to the hospital.
Some of the medically sick patients the mobile integration health program sees also have mental health issues, so that’s where Mediano said Lutheran EMS and the CARES program work together.
In other business, the Board:
• Learned during September, Lutheran EMS noticed a decrease in its 911 calls. But they definitely made up for it in October, Mediano said, but otherwise the number of calls has been consistent.
• Learned the Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory saw a dip in responses in September with 316 responses. It was 50 or 60 less than in August. Forty-one responses in October were fire-related, which could be smoke alarms, carbon alarms and fires.
Of the fire responses, one was a tree/brush fire, one was a vehicle fire and a residential fire that were all extinguished without exposures.
WWFT had 159 medical calls in October and 69 CARES calls in September.
• Learned WWFT got its first dive call in September when Anthony Steven Milton, 25, of 533 E. Center St., Warsaw, was pulled from Winona Lake. Fire Chief Garrett Holderman said it was the first of the year and hopefully the last.
• Learned WWFT hired a couple employees and had to purchase equipment for them.
• Approved a fee agreement/employment letter for 2022 legal services with Beers Mallers LLP at the rate of $150 per hour and retainer fee of $500.
The agreement is to retain Andrew Grossnickle as the Fire Territory’s attorney.
Grossnickle said typically the Board signs a letter for the retainment in January and it reaches Grossnickle’s office for consideration in February or March, and for whatever reason, it was missed this year.
The agreement will go before the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety for approval as well.
