Paramedics with the Arlington Fire Department pulled up at Alejandra Yokley’s home Tuesday to help her mother Paula Mota. But they were in no rush to put her in an ambulance. In fact, the point of their visit was to help her stay out of the hospital.
“We’re just happy that they were able to help us,” said Yokley. “I don’t have to stress about it so much.”
Mota, who has heart problems and cancer, is the first patient in the Arlington Fire Department’s new community health program.
Paramedics visit her at her daughter’s home once a week to check in on her, take her vitals, do occasional blood work and make sure she’s following her doctor’s orders. If she’s having any problems or they notice any changes, they can notify her doctors and get her help immediately.
“The goal here is so they don’t have to continually go to the hospital and be transported to the hospital by ambulance,” said Jason Adams, a firefighter and paramedic with the Arlington Fire Department.
Adams told NBC 5 that people with conditions like Mota’s may call 911 frequently, sometimes when they don’t need to. He said often times those patients are on edge, don’t follow all of their doctors’ instructions once they leave the hospital, or may not fully understand their conditions.
When that patient calls 911, they tie up emergency resources and can end up spending a lot of money on ambulance rides. That’s what the department hopes this program prevents.
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“With this program, we’re able to go out and proactively address their medical issues,” said Adams.
For now, the community health program is running as a 90-day pilot. City leaders and fire administrators are set to discuss the future of the program later this spring.
Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck, who also works in the medical field, visited with Mota and Yokley to see how the program was working. He’s optimistic it will continue.
“So far, it’s been right on,” said Cluck. “And we hope to expand it.”
Yokley credits the program for keeping her mom out of the hospital and said she’s noticed a dramatic change since the paramedics first began coming to them.
“She’s stronger now,” said Yokley. “And she’s just happier.”
She hopes the community health program is around long enough to do the same for other families.
Paramedics are currently working with 15 patients in Arlington.
