Community Paramedic

Our Nationally-recognized Community Paramedic Program is a collaborative program between District 1 and Good Shepherd Medical Center. The program utilizes specially-trained Paramedics to provide home visits in both Umatilla and Morrow counties, 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, making 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:
- Identifying conditions or potential complications before they become a crisis.
- Working with local agencies and health care partners to provide needed resources.
- Providing a wide range of assessments to identify patients who "fall in between the gaps" of healthcare and addressing those barriers urgently.

The Community Paramedic Program has been 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, resulting in a better patient experience for our community.

Community Paramedics are capable of seeing most any type of patient. 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, Paramedics can 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 patients primary care and/or referring provider.