Last year, a first of its kind program in California launched in El Cajon that transfers 911 callers with nonlife-threatening medical conditions directly to a nurse instead of dispatching first responders.
With its success, AMR’s Nurse Navigation program is now being extended to cities and communities across East County. On Oct. 23, officials announced 11 new East County cities and communities that will be served by the new program, to be called the East County EMS Nurse Navigation Program. It will serve a combined population of about 500,000.
AMR Regional Director for San Diego and Imperial counties Paul Forney said since the launch of the program it navigated 7% of EMS calls to the program.
“That is right on track from how we expected the program to perform. Compared to other nurse navigation programs across the program we are seeing year on is one to five percent, year two between five and 10 percent, then we consider the program to be mature after third full year with a goal of navigating between 12 and 15 percent of lower acuity 911 callers to alternate care modalities other than going in an ambulance to the emergency room,” he said.
Forney said based on the success in El Cajon, AMR started receiving inquiries from other municipalities, Grossmont Healthcare District, and the County of San Diego Office,
“This is something the community was watching in El Cajon and based on the success of that program we are able to form a coalition of agencies to broker that extension,” he said. “Major funding for the program is coming from Sharp Grossmont Hospital, the Grossmont Healthcare District, and the Heart¬land Communications Facility Authority, the dispatch agency that dispatches fire department resources in East County.”
Forney said with this partnership, the program is moving from serving one city, to 11 cities, reservations, and fire protection districts, which includes Santee, Mount Miguel Fire Protection District, Alpine Fire Protection District, Lakeside Fire Protection District, Bonita/Sunnyside Fire Protection District, Viejas, Sycuan, Baron, La Mesa, and Lemon Grove.
“We are very cognizant of our paramedic and EMT’s workloads. This allows them to be available to respond to calls that are actually emergencies. Strokes, heart attacks, cardiac arrests, and traffic collisions. It decompresses some of the lower-level acuity calls and allows those EMTs and paramedics to focus on what they do best. But the impact is really more for the community,” he said. “We really try to navigate these patients to places where they can receive the right kind of care, in the right timeframe for the level of their emergency, or condition. We also pay special attention to make sure it is a good financial match. If a person has MediCal or is uninsured, we get them set up with a federally qualified medical center that accepts MediCal insurance or can help them get enrolled in MediCal. Likewise, if they have lower-level health insurance, we try to navigate them to an urgent care or clinic that accepts their insurance. We are not only trying to get them the care they need, but also getting them the healthcare they need being cognizant of their healthcare dollars.”
