Community paramedicine is a locally designed, community-based, collaborative model of care that leverages the skills of paramedics and emergency medical services (EMS) systems to take advantage of collaborations between EMS and other health care and social service providers. Community paramedics receive specialized training in addition to general paramedicine training and work within a designated program under local medical control as part of a community-based team of health and social services providers.
The resources below provide an overview of this emerging field in California and cover the following topics:
- Overview of Community Paramedicine in California
- In the Field
- Evaluation of Pilot Programs
- Impact on State Budget
- In the News
- Moving Forward
Overview of Community Paramedicine in California
National Consensus Conference on Community Paramedicine: Summary of an Expert Meeting (PDF)
Report from a federally sponsored meeting of more than 400 EMS officials from across the nation identified areas of consensus on important policy and practice issues and clarified the role of research in advancing CP. (University of Washington)
Sacramento Briefing — Community Paramedicine in California
In this Sacramento Briefing, hosted by CHCF and the California Emergency Medical Services Authority in January 2017, speakers discussed the results from the first year of pilot project operations. Presentation slides and a video recording of the event are available online. (California Health Care Foundation)
In the Field
Introduction to Community Paramedicine
California Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) overview of 13 community paramedicine pilot projects in a dozen California locations. (California Emergency Services Authority)
Evaluation of Pilot Programs
Evaluation of California’s Community Paramedicine Pilot Projects
A team of researchers from the Healthforce Center at UCSF and the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at UCSF are serving as the external evaluators for these pilot projects. (University of California, San Francisco)
Impact on State Budget
EMSA Paramedicine Pilots: Estimating Statewide Medi-Cal Savings (PDF)
The results of an analysis of California’s Community Paramedicine Pilot program with the aim of estimating the potential for Medi-Cal program savings if the services provided under the pilots were expanded more broadly throughout the state. (California Health Policy Strategies, May 11, 2018)
In the News
Give Paramedics the Power to Make Better Choices on Behalf of Vulnerable People
This opinion piece discusses an assembly bill (AB 1795), which would extend to specially trained paramedics the authority to assess whether people would be better treated at designated sobering centers or behavioral health facilities. (Los Angeles Times, April 24, 2018)
Community Paramedics Improve Patients’ Quality of Life and Reduce Health Care Costs
Coverage of San Bernardino County Fire Department’s participation as 1 of 13 pilot projects aimed at studying the value of community paramedicine. (Fontana Herald News)
Pilot Paramedic Program Aims to Reduce Repeat 911 Callers
NBC 7 covers the pilot program in San Diego, which pairs frequent 911 callers with paramedics, giving patients an alternative to calling the emergency lines when things go wrong. (NBC 7 San Diego)
Moving Forward
Beyond 911: State and Community Strategies for Expanding the Primary Care Role of First Responders
A report on state and community strategies for expanding the primary care role of first responders. (National Conference of State Legislatures)
