Paramedicine Program Merges Local Resources For Patient Benefit

BLUE HILL—Living in a rural community has its challenges, but living in a rural community and being ill can be challenging on multiple fronts.

- Faith Deambrose

Enter the Age-friendly Coastal Communities Community Paramedicine Project, a collaboration of providers “providing in-home, non-emergency care as prescribed by a primary care physician,” explained Anne Schroth of Healthy Peninsula.

Community paramedicine has been used in cities and states across the U.S., but, for the greater Blue Hill Peninsula and Deer Isle communities the collaboration between medical, emergency medical services, and social services is just beginning to take shape.

“This is the next evolution of EMS,” said Alan Henschke, manager of Peninsula Ambulance Corps, who is joining the collective along with Northern Light Blue Hill Hospital and its clinics in Castine, Blue Hill, and Stonington; Memorial Ambulance; and Castine Fire Rescue. The initiative is organized by Healthy Peninsula and paid by a grant from the Maine Health Access Foundation.