Novel Paramedic Programs Respond to Behavioral Health-related Calls.

: A number of communities are turning to community paramedicine programs to help manage the crushing demand on EDs and EMS providers by patients with behavioral health (BH) concerns. In Modesto, CA, a pilot program provides extra training to paramedics to respond to BH-related calls, and a program in Atlanta pairs paramedics with mental health social workers to meet the needs of BH patients, many of whom repeatedly call 911 for help. Both programs curb the need for hospital and ED visits while linking patients with appropriate care more expeditiously. However, a shortage of psychiatric treatment facilities remains a barrier. Paramedics in the Modesto, CA, program undergo 140 hours of specialized training in how to handle BH related 911 calls safely and appropriately. Program developers note that most of these patients can be stabilized within 23 hours, nixing the need for a bed in an inpatient psychiatric facility. Developers say that the pilot program has saved more than $1 million and significantly reduced the time to treatment for BH patients. The Upstream Crisis Intervention program in Atlanta teams a paramedic with a mental health social worker to respond to BH related calls through a mental health unit that is dispatched through the 911 system. The mental health unit teams also check on BH patients when they are not in crisis to make sure they have their medicine and are on track with their plan of care; the teams will intervene if patients need assistance.