How Community Health Programs Reduce 911 Calls and Help Patients in Emergencies
What if fire and EMS services can do more than deal with emergencies? What if they can stop them, protect their people and enhance the health of their communities? That’s what community health programs do, and they’re redefining how agents serve cities and towns.
Community health programs provide positive solutions to challenges such as frequent falls, chronic diseases, or the needs of underserved populations. By identifying and addressing gaps in care, these initiatives reduce 911 calls, preventing hospital readmissions and adjusting resources more effectively to improve patient outcomes.
In fact, studies have shown that mobile integrated health care provider programs may result in a 44% reduction in emergency visits, reducing the burden on fires and EMS while improving response times for high-positive emergencies.
Beyond Emergency
At the heart of community health plans is a simple and crucial question: What problems do we need to solve? For many organizations, this is more than just reducing call volume or cost; it is about addressing the health determinants of frequent emergency calls.
Data-driven approaches are key to making impact. Analyzing call volume, patient demographics, and recurring agencies can identify patterns and determine their best efforts.
Some plans found that, according to a U.S. study, the majority of EMS calls accounted for the majority of EMS calls, with 75% of patients receiving keen calls, the largest of which benefited from long-term, structured interventions rather than one-time emergency responses.
For example, the Naperville Fire Department community advocate response team drove in 2022, focusing on identifying the root cause of the situation in response to the call. Instead of defaulting to the hospital for transportation or release, they treat patients on site and connect them to community resources for preventive care. The result of this prospective approach? Residents save over $5 million in 2024.
By consolidating patient data and simplifying recommendations, agents can more effectively track and manage people with chronic conditions, improve results while saving resources.
Partnering with hospitals, insurance providers and social services can strengthen these initiatives, align goals and share knowledge to enhance patient care. Many agencies, such as the Willimus Fire Department, expand programs by integrating social workers, community resource coordinators and even transportation services to reduce barriers to care.
Why Community Health Programs Thrive in Partnerships
There is no proxy that can only solve community health challenges. Partnerships with hospitals, insurance companies, food banks, police departments and other organizations that allow agencies to pool resources and fill care gaps. These collaborations help adjust efforts, reduce duplication, and ensure patients receive comprehensive support.
For example, some agencies work with local law enforcement to share patient lists and identify individuals who need additional care, while others work with housing authorities to prevent evictions or work with transportation services to ensure patients have access to medical appointments.
A health affairs study found that addressing social factors such as housing and transportation can significantly reduce the utilization of emergency services, thereby enhancing the value of partnerships for community caregivers.
Other community caregivers programs have introduced welfare coordinators to help patients navigate insurance and social services to ensure high-utilizer callers receive ongoing support beyond emergency interactions. These efforts reduce pressure on emergency services while improving long-term outcomes for high-risk populations.
These partnerships not only lead to more effective programs, but also build trust within the community. By leveraging a diverse network of resources, Fire and EMS agencies can create a stronger security net for the people they serve.
Community Health Action
Some programs are changing immediately. For example, Albuquerque Fire Rescue Group launched a pediatric follow-up to monitor newborns with oxygen present. By visiting these patients at home, the team reduced hospital readmissions and supported families during critical recovery.
Drug use disorder is another focus of many community care programs. In Ocala, Florida, Florida healthcare workers provide buprenorphine directly to patients who are recovering from opioid overdose, providing daily checkups and support to help them recover.
Many agencies’ success in reducing emergency calls and improving patient outcomes is measurable. With additional welfare coordinators and mental health support, these programs improve patient outcomes while alleviating stress on emergency services. Its success highlights the impact of proactive community health programs.
What is the next step in community health?
Community health programs are more than just improving outcomes – redefining how fires and EMS agencies serve the community. By focusing on prevention, collaboration and data-driven innovation, these programs are ensuring more efficient use of resources and that patient care is proactive rather than reactive.
Utilizing data is key for institutions looking to launch or expand community health programs. Centralized patient records and longitudinal analysis, track progress and automatic recommendations, allowing departments to provide more targeted interventions that reduce emergency calls and hospital readmissions.
But success depends not only on better technology, but also on a well-trained workforce. Programs such as the University of Washington’s EMS Care Staff Program are preparing the next generation of care workers, preparing the next generation of care workers with real-world mobile health care experience to ensure they have the skills to support preventive care and community care workers.
By learning from successful models, investing in workforce development and strengthening partnerships, Fire and EMS agencies can create sustainable community health programs to change lives before emergencies occur.
Photo: Pablohart, Getty Images
Imagetrend Chief Growth Officer Joe Grawis. Joe’s passion for learning and exploring new ideas in the industry is more than just managing growth on the imaging side – it’s forward thinking. Many aspects of participating in Imagetrend are part of driving Joe. He is committed to our community, our customers and their use of data to drive results, implement changes and drive improvements in their industries.
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