Health Matters: When the Health Care Workers Come to You

Can you think back to the days of doctors making house calls?

While the community paramedic program is just over a year old, the concept has been around for a while.

Instead of making rounds in the hospital, paramedics are making their rounds right to the patient’s home. Reducing both hospital visits and costs.

It’s a typical day at the office for Brendan Krupich, but he’s not in the office.

Instead, he’s on the move.
 
“The population we’re going after at Essentia are those individuals that are being re-admitted frequently or have a high risk of being re-admitted,” says Community Paramedic, Brendan Krupich.
 
One of those patients is Abir Said.

She was diagnosed with Type I diabetes back when she was 15.

At first, she struggled with the diagnosis.
 
“I guess I wasn’t educated enough and I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to keep it under control,” says Essentia Health Patient, Abir Said.
 
Typically, a person with diabetes should be checking their blood sugar four to six times a day.
 
“I probably did it anywhere from 0 to 1 times,” says Said.
 
In less than a year, Abir had been admitted to the hospital nine times each one greater than three days.

She also had two ER visits.
 
“Then Brendan introduced himself,” says Said.

Brendan checks in with Abir once a week to make sure she’s keeping up with her routine.
 
“How I’ve been, what I’ve been feeling, what my blood sugars are, we’ll check my heart rate,” says Said.
 
And it’s working, since Brendan started visiting Abir she’s only had two ER visits and one hospital admission.
 
“I’m staying with patients longer which is gratifying. I get to see where patients were in the beginning and watch them progress,” says Krupich.

Brendan worked as an ambulance paramedic before making his switch to house calls.

He says he typically visits about five to six patients a day.