New Alternative Paramedic Care is being Tested in Livingston, Washtenaw
Huron Valley Ambulance is testing a new alternative to paramedic care in Livingston and Washtenaw counties.
An Ann Arbor ambulance company is testing out a new paramedic system to help EMS teams respond only to serious distress calls. Huron Valley Ambulance will send “community paramedics” to respond to non-emergency calls through a three-year pilot program.
Spokesperson Joyce Williams says “community paramedics” operate a little differently from other emergency medical technicians.
“They can do a number of lab tests within the home,” Williams says. “They also carry a few medications. Most importantly of those would be antibiotics so that if someone showed up with some kind of infection, they can give the first dose of antibiotic with the information to then follow up with their primary care physician for the rest of the prescription.”
Williams says “community paramedics” can also conference with doctors via video call and make calls to patients’ primary care physicians for prescriptions.
