Lambton EMS paramedics are now offering specialized care to some frequent 911 users to try to reduce the number of emergency calls they're making.
EMS Manager Steve Pancino says four specially trained paramedics are taking part in a pilot program funded by the Local Health Integration Network through Bluewater Health.
They're initially working with 12 patients in an attempt to improve their care and mitigate them using 911 resources.
"The majority of the patients are elderly," says Pancino. "A large component of the patients have some sort of mental health or addiction issues. A lot of the care is geared towards making sure that other community resources are available to them, then bundling the appropriate resources to help support the patient through the services that are available to them."
He says partnerships with stakeholders in the mental health and primary care sectors are integral to support these patients.
The pilot program will run until March of 2018 with the patient caseload slowly increasing up to a projected 30 individuals.
It's hoped permanent funding will eventually be approved.
