Paramedics

The program involves home visits by paramedics who receive 200 hours of managed care training from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Nursing, in collaboration with the Medical College of Wisconsin.

That comes on top of the 2,000 hours of paramedic training they have already received, according to Milwaukee Fire Department Chief Mark Rohlfing.

The paramedics assess the health of patients with conditions such as asthma, congestive heart failure or diabetes, with the goal of preventing chronic health issues from escalating to expensive trips to emergency rooms.

The paramedics help connect those patients with medical services and identify and address other social obstacles to medical care, such as transportation to a doctor’s office.

“The goal is better health and better care at a lower cost,” Rohlfing said.

The paramedics also check smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, promote firearms safety and look for other hazards, such as “slip and fall” areas in the home.

There are 34 community paramedics trained in managed care working with patients participating in the program at no cost.

“We had no blueprint to follow,” the chief said.

“The best practices hadn’t been developed. The program we’ve built is one of a kind,” he said.

In 2017 state legislation was passed granting the paramedics legal authorization to function in non-emergency environments, and the project received legal authorization to operate as a fullfledged program, fire department officials said.

“We’re serving the most at-risk citizens in a proactive way,” Rohlfing said.