Queen Anne’s County has launched a multi-agency program aimed at reaching out to and improving health outcomes for medically vulnerable populations. The Mobile Integrated Community Health Pilot Program is free and offers intervention-based health care. As reported on My Eastern Shore MD:

[Joseph A.] Ciotola serves as the medical director for the Queen Anne’s County Department of Emergency Services as well as the Health Officer for the Queen Anne’s County Department of Health. In Ciotola’s dual position, he envisioned a program where a public health nurse and a paramedic would jointly visit people in their homes, each using their unique capabilities, to work with people who need assistance. This integral partnership between emergency services and public health promotes a broader range of expertise to help those in need. Clients look at paramedics and public health nurses as helpers in the community, and are more willing to allow them into their homes. Clients can be helped to link with community resources thus improving health outcomes, reducing repeated trips to the emergency room and reducing calls to 911. In this joint venture, home visits are made to referred clients who have been contacted by phone and who have agreed to participate.

The program is funded by the Queen Anne’s County Government, the University of Maryland’s Shore Regional Health and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

For more information read the full article online at My Eastern Shore MD.