LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18)– The city credits the Community Paramedicine Program for why the amount of 9-1-1 calls didn’t increase in 2018.
Not all 9-1-1 calls are emergencies, hundreds of runs are for medical checks or assists.
“We had a patient who had mobility issues and that person had trouble getting from their wheelchair to their bed at night. So frequently, our units would be called out there to help the patient make the transition,” said Lt. Jessica Bowman with the Lexington Fire Department.
To better help, the Community Paramedicine Program was created and those units figure out how to solve issues for frequent 9-1-1 callers.
“They were able to help get this person a lift assist and because of that the person didn’t need to call us anymore,” said Bowman.
In the last year alone, 9-1-1 calls in Lexington decreased by 2.5%, which is about a thousand fewer calls.
“Our EMS numbers increase at an average of eight percent every year,” said Bowman.
This year, that didn’t happen, so the math shows a big difference in 9-1-1 calls.
“It’s a 10.5 percent swing overall, which is significant because every year our numbers have trended upwards. So for them to go down 2.5 percent is very significant in the grand scheme of things,” said Bowman.
