CLEARVIEW — The most important qualification for the job was compassion.
Along with compassion, they needed someone personable, who would advocate for patients, said Larry Huff, the Lake Stevens deputy fire chief.
Lake Stevens is joining Fire District 7 in Clearview and Fire District 3 in Monroe to launch a shared community paramedic program.
A community paramedic goes into homes where people are suffering and tries to get them help before they face a crisis. The idea is to improve their health and their life and also to reduce 911 calls.
The one-year pilot program is the second of its kind in Snohomish County. Together, the three districts picked paramedic Scott Koch, 43, for the job. He’s been a full-time firefighter with District 7 since 1993, and a paramedic since 2000.
“This is a new exciting thing that we can all collaborate on,” Koch said.
He finds a sense of satisfaction in helping someone that doesn’t come from training, technology or equipment, but “to walk away and know that patient feels better,” he said.
Organizers designed the program to grow with time, said Scott Dorsey, the medical services administrator for District 7. It’s based on a program at Fire District 1 that’s now more than a year old. People around the state have been calling District 1 for advice on starting community paramedics, Capt. Shaughn Maxwell said. They’re keeping the Snohomish County programs similar so they can share partnerships with hospitals and social service organizations.
“We’re trying to work as one and offer a consistent service throughout the county,” he said. “This is a big step toward that goal.”
Too many people in the community don’t get the help they need, said Capt. Cindy Coker, the medical services administrator for the Monroe district. Instead, they end up calling 911 after their trouble escalates. Hospitals can handle those immediate needs, but it’s long-term care where gaps are found.
“It puts them in a vicious cycle,” she said.
Fire District 1’s program now is serving up to 200 people altogether. In the new program between Clearview, Monroe and Lake Stevens, they’re aiming for about 40 patients for Koch for the first year.
“Wherever the need is, that’s where (he) goes,” Coker said.
The referrals will come from other firefighters, Dorsey said. In their jobs, firefighters and medics often are asked into people’s homes and see risky situations they can’t do much to address during an emergency call. For example, a lack of hand rails in the home of an older person who’s vulnerable to falls.
They’re thinking of themselves as an early warning system, Dorsey said. Falls are one of the leading causes for deaths of people past their mid-60s. A fall can cause devastating and expensive injuries, such as a broken hip. Another example would be someone who has been prescribed too many medications and is experiencing side effects that might have been prevented with a little coordination by health care providers, Dorsey said.
Often, the advanced skill set of a paramedic isn’t what solves a long-term problem, Koch said. That’s where they can connect people to services.
The average person served by Fire District 1’s community paramedic program reported they’d spent at least six months trying to get help without success. A community paramedic has the opportunity for interventions.
For the three districts to get a new program rolling, “everyone was really in tune with the concept,” Dorsey said.
“More than just in tune,” Coker said. “Excited.”
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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