WORCESTER COUNTY, Md. -- The Mobile Integrated Community Health program provides in-home care to people throughout the community. The program focuses on patients who frequently call 911 and make visits to the emergency department.
Worcester County Fire and EMS companies, Atlantic General Hospital, and the Worcester County Health Department are all partnering together to provide resources and tools to the community.
According to the Worcester County Health Department, many of the people who frequently visit the emergency department have chronic illnesses.
Yvette Rode, a paramedic for the Ocean City Fire Department, said often times, those people just aren't aware of another option.
"When they have a flare up of their chronic disease, or they have some other problem being able to manage their health at home, their only recourse that they know of is to call 911 or go to the emergency room," said Rode.
To help mitigate those calls, the program offers various tools and resources, such as transportation and meals.
The program will also included a home-safety inspection from a paramedic and a nurse from the health department.
"We will help them install a smoke detector or a carbon monoxide detector," said Rode. "We will help provide and install some durable medical equipment or mobility equipment like a bed rail, for example, or an elevated toilet seat or a shower grab bar."
Atlantic General Health also provides services through MICH.
Andi West-McCabe, Director of Emergency Services and Interim Director for Cancer Services at AGH said those services have proven to reduce the number of ER visits.
"We have a pharmacist here that goes into the home and was able to work with them, it might be taking their medication correctly or being able to afford their medication," said West-McCabe. "So there are many services that we've been able to connect them with and they're no longer coming to the ER or utilizing 911 as much."
So far, 200 people have cycled through MICH, and there are 90 currently enrolled.