TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Robert D. Espinosa, Fire Chief
SUBJECT:Title
Presentation of Community Paramedicine and Status of Pilot Programs in Southern California (Fire Chief Espinosa).
REPORT
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive the report providing an overview of the State's Community Paramedicine program.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no fiscal impacts associated with this action.
BACKGROUND:
This report is provided to inform the City Council of the status of enhanced paramedic services pilot programs. The Manhattan Beach Fire Department believes that this community might find some of these services beneficial in the future. MBPD is particularly interested in programs that could decrease emergency room wait times for patients transported by our paramedics and reduce hospital re-admittance of recently discharged patients through more proactive medical response.
In July 2013, the California Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) issued a letter of interest seeking responses from local EMS (LEMSA) agencies to develop pilot projects that expand the role and practice of the Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic (EMT-P). The EMSA submitted the proposed pilot program applications to the Office of Statewide Planning and Development (OSHPD) for approval of a Health Workforce Pilot Project.
The LEMSA responsible for fire departments in Los Angeles County, including Manhattan Beach, is under the Department of Health Services. Expanded use of paramedic resources to address local health care needs is part of a national trend termed "Community Paramedicine," which is also known as "Mobile Integrated Healthcare."
Community Paramedicine in California could allow for a number of expanded services, including:
a. Transportation of patients with conditions that require non-emergency care to altern...
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