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CONSIDERATION OF A GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $80,000 FOR COMMUNITY PARAMEDICINE SERVICES BETWEEN SEDGWICK COUNTY EMS AND VIA CHRISTI HOSPITALS, WICHITA.
Presented by: Scott Hadley, Acting Assistant County Manager for Public Safety and Code Enforcement.
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.
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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, hospital visits, and readmissions. Via Christi Hospitals, Wichita, and Ascension Health will provide the funding for one (1.0) new FTE Community Paramedic (CP) position 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.
Alternatives: Do not approve the grant from Via Christi and do not provide Community Paramedicine services to the citizens of Sedgwick Co...
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