Our Community Paramedic Program is a collaborative program between Good Shepherd Medical Center (GSMC) and Umatilla County Fire District 1 (UCFD1). The program utilizes specially trained Community Paramedics to provide home visits in both Umatilla and Morrow county, for patients at high risk for complications after a recent illness, injury or medical procedure.
The Community Paramedic Program’s mission is to better the health of our community and the patients we serve by:
- Providing a bridge between the patient’s recent hospital visit and their transition back home or management of chronic illness.
- Assisting primary care providers with welfare checks for patients with urgent concerns or home bound patients.
- Providing a quick look at the patient’s living situation and make recommendations for resources as needed.
- Encouraging follow up with the primary care provider and health care specialists by identifying and addressing any barriers to follow up.
Identifying and addressing urgent and emergent health care needs.
The goal of our program is to provide the right care at the right place at the right time by:
- Promote better health by identifying conditions or potential complications before they become a crisis.
- Working with local agencies and health care partners to provide needed resources.
- Doing a wide range of assessments to identify patients who “fall in between the gaps” of healthcare and address those barriers urgently.
The Community Paramedic Program has been shown to be successful at reducing patient readmissions, decreasing high ER utilization, improve medication compliance and increasing patient satisfaction and connecting the patient with any needed community services. This ultimately results in a better experience and better health for our patients.
Community Paramedics are capable of seeing most any type of patient. Common community paramedic visit referrals may include patients with:
- Recent surgery or medical procedure
- Congestive heart failure
- Diabetes
- Pneumonia or COPD
Referrals will be reviewed by a case manager. In addition to a health & home assessment our paramedics will be able to provide:
- Medication education & reconciliation
- A basic lab evaluation
- Urinalysis
- 12-lead ECG
- Lab draws for home bound patients
- Assistance with social referrals or services
- A summary report of the health assessment and lab evaluations will be provided to the patient’s primary care and/or referring provider.
*We are only able to take referrals from healthcare providers at this time. This includes hospitals, case management, primary care providers, etc. If you feel that you need a referral, please contact your doctor’s office.*
