Title
CONSIDERATION OF A GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $160,000 FOR COMMUNITY PARAMEDICINE SERVICES BETWEEN SEDGWICK COUNTY EMS AND VIA CHRISTI HOSPITALS, WICHITA.
Presented by: Scott R. Hadley, Director, Sedgwick County EMS.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Approve the application for the grant, and if awarded, authorize acceptance of the grant, the establishment of budget authority as provided in the Financial Considerations section of this Request, and implementation of the Staffing Table changes identified in the Personnel Consideration section of this request.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Body:
Grant Renewal: No
Never Applied: Yes
Applied; not awarded: No
Grant Summary and Timeline:
Via Christi Hospitals, Wichita, desires to partner with Sedgwick County EMS to assist with Via Christi's congestive heart failure (CHF) and Community Cares Clinics to provide personalized medical care and consultation at certain patients' homes. The initiative is expected to reduce costly emergency and non-emergency 911 calls and hospital visits and re-admissions. Via Christi Hospitals, Wichita, and Ascension Health will provide the funding for two (2) new FTE Community Paramedic (CP) positions and related training, mileage and supply costs for the one-year pilot program. The patients who will be enrolled into the program have complex medical diseases and are at high risk for becoming acutely ill and often require ambulance transport and hospital readmission. Programs in other communities such as this one have decreased 911 ambulances calls, hospital visits and readmissions, and the associated cost for these services.
A similar program in Fort Worth, TX, that served 207 patients saved at least $7.9 million in ambulance transportation costs, insurance fees and emergency room expenses over a five-year period that ended in October 2015, according to MedStar Health, the city's ambulance service provider. That's just over $38,000 per patient.
The agreement is for one (1) year and can be terminated by either party with 30-days written notice if the program is not deemed beneficial.
Alternatives: Do not approve the grant from Via Christi and do not provide Community Paramedicine services to the citizens of Sedgwick County.
Financial Considerations:
Grant Period starts: July 1, 2016
Grant Period ends: July 1, 2017
Source of funding:
Grant: $160,000
Required Match: $0
Required in-Kind Match: $0
Other funding: $0
Total SOURCES: $160,000
Uses of funding: $160,000
Operational costs:$0
Personnel: $136,214
Contractual services: $9,500
Operational supplies: $14,286
Equipment:$0
Indirect administrative costs:$0
Source of matching funds: N/A
Source of other funding:
Total USES: $160,000
Budget Authority Adjustment: Additional budget authority is being requested. As outlined in the attachments, EMS is requesting additional budget authority of $81,100 in 2016 and $78,900 in its 2017 budget. This authority would be established in the EMS Grant Fund. This request has no impact on the EMS Tax Fund.
Personnel considerations: Attached. Approval of this agenda item would authorize the creation of 2.0 FTE Paramedic positions. It is anticipated that the grant will cover the full costs of the positions for the 12-month period.
Expected measurable outcomes: Reduction or avoidance of unnecessary ambulance transportation and hospital readmission costs
Legal Considerations: The authority for this action is K.S.A. 19-101, et seq. A simple majority vote is required.
Policy Considerations: N/A