Contents South Carolina Office of Rural Health ........................................................................................................... 5 Credits ........................................................................................................................................................... 6 The Purpose and the “How To” Section ....................................................................................................... 7 Purpose: .................................................................................................................................................... 7 How To: ..................................................................................................................................................... 7 Version 1: The Abbeville Experience ............................................................................................................. 8 Abbeville Community Paramedicine Program .......................................................................................... 8 Abbeville's Community Paramedics .......................................................................................................... 8 The Abbeville Story ................................................................................................................................... 9 Introduction to Community Paramedicine Programs ................................................................................. 10 Community Paramedicine ....................................................................................................................... 10 National Community Paramedicine Programs ........................................................................................ 10 International Community Paramedicine Programs ................................................................................ 12 Conceptualizing a Community Paramedicine Program .............................................................................. 14 Identifying Needs in the Community .......................................................................................................... 16 Information Collection: ........................................................................................................................... 16 Identifying Potential Partners ..................................................................................................................... 19 Outlining Your Program .............................................................................................................................. 21 Bridging Healthcare Gaps........................................................................................................................ 21 Program Sustainability ................................................................................................................................ 22 Identifying Potential Funders .................................................................................................................. 22 Program Components ................................................................................................................................. 24 Identifying Community Paramedicine Personnel ................................................................................... 24 Community Paramedic Training.................................................................................................................. 25 Identifying Community Paramedicine Medical Control .......................................................................... 27 Regulatory Considerations ...................................................................................................................... 29 Role of 911 Dispatch Center ..................................................................................................... 30 Standard Operating Procedures Development ........................................................................ 31 Program Branding ................................................................................................................................... 33 Visits ........................................................................................................................................................ 34 Patient Engagement and Patient Satisfaction ........................................................................................ 36 2 Program Discharge .................................................................................................................................. 38 Program Evaluation ..................................................................................................................................... 39 South Carolina Contact List ......................................................................................................................... 41 South Carolina Office of Rural Health Abbeville Area Medical Center ............................................... 41 Abbeville County EMS ............................................................................................................................. 41 South Carolina DHEC ............................................................................................................................... 41 Appendix A Abbeville Community Paramedicine News Articles ............................................................ 42 Appendix B Introduction to Community Paramedicine ......................................................................... 47 Appendix C Conceptualizing a Community Paramedicine Program ...................................................... 53 Appendix D Identifying Needs In the Community .................................................................................. 55 Appendix E Identifying Potential Partners ............................................................................................. 60 Appendix F Outlining Your Program ...................................................................................................... 66 Appendix G Program Sustainability ........................................................................................................ 68 Appendix H Program Components ......................................................................................................... 74 Appendix I Program Evaluation ............................................................................................................. 98 3 4 South Carolina Office of Rural Health The South Carolina Office of Rural Health is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization that is located in Lexington, South Carolina. Since 1991, the SC Office of Rural Health has worked tirelessly to provide solutions to ensure that equitable access to quality healthcare is available for all residents in rural South Carolina. SCORH is devoted to improving the health status of rural and underserved people through: advocacy education assistance to providers assistance to communities assistance to policymakers SCORH strives to ensure that rural and underserved South Carolinians have optimal health care services that enhance the quality of life in every community across the state. The core programs at SC Office of Rural Health include: Rural Health Clinic Services "The South Carolina Rural Recruitment Services Office of Rural Health is Revolving Loan Fund committed to serving our rural and underserved Small Rural Hospital Programs communities. Whether EMS Innovation Programs you work with a small Rural Health Networks rural hospital, Rural Health Information Technology Services Health Clinic, free clinic, Economic Impact Studies Federally Qualified Health Preferred Partners Center, private Low County Healthy Start physician’s office or EMS service, we want to make Additionally, the SC Office of Rural Health serves as a clearing house for sure that we assist your all rural health information and research for the state. Overall, the staff efforts to improve access at the South Carolina Office of Rural Health can help connect people to to quality health care in the most useful resources, healthcare providers and healthcare entities rural communities." to find current and useful information; whether this information is related to data, resources, or regulatory compliance in the State of Graham Adams, PhD South Carolina. Chief Executive Officer SC Office of Rural Health 5 Credits Author: Co-Author and Editor: Sarah Mathis, MHA Melinda Merrell, MPH Innovation Program Coordinator Director of Quality Innovation and South Carolina Office of Rural Health Hospital Programs South Carolina Office of Rural Health _____________________________________________________________________________________ Partners David Porter, NREMT-P Rich Osmus Emergency Services Director Chief Executive Officer Abbeville County EMS Abbeville Area Medical Center Abbeville, South Carolina Abbeville, South Carolina Dr. Arnold Alier, EdD, NREMT-P, NCEE Dr. Kevin Bennett, Ph.D. EMS Coordinator Associate Professor SC DHEC EMS Division SC Rural Health Research Center Columbia, South Carolina Columbia, South Carolina _____________________________________________________________________________________ Trail Blazers: The Community Paramedic Program Handbook1 created by Western Eagle County Health Services District (WECAD) and the North Central EMS Institute has paved the way for other Community Paramedicine programs. The Program Handbook was essential to the Abbeville