This webinar will provide an overview of a program in Florida utilizing the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system to respond to patients with substance use disorder (SUD). In addition to responding to emergency calls for the sick and injured, many EMS agencies across the country have added community paramedics to their ranks whose role is to treat people with chronic disease and lessen their need for emergency ambulance response.

Increasingly more of these community paramedic programs (also referred to as mobile integrated health care or MIH) have expanded to treat patients with SUD and serve as an EMS-led form of deflection. Services can include peer counseling, medication-assisted treatment for several days in the home until a patient can enter treatment, and overall wellness support. Known as the Coordinated Opioid Recovery (CORE) Program in Florida, this state-supported initiative is currently available in 13 counties and will be expanding to all counties in the state. This webinar will feature an overview by the statewide coordinator on how CORE started, including startup funding, and will include examples of two programs currently operating.

Panelists

• Jesse Blair, Captain, Ocala Fire and Rescue EMS
• Mary Hedges, NASEMSO Program Manager
• Joey Kerman, Supervisor, Escambia County EMS
• Houston Park, Florida Department of Health, SUD Community Paramedicine Coordinator

Resources

• Presentation slides