COMMUNITY PARAMEDIC

Firefighter Paramedic Susan Toolan

The Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department Community Paramedic Program (CP) remains one of the most innovative and forward-thinking ideas in healthcare. We have put in place a model designed to improve the health of our population, at lower costs, and with patient satisfaction as a strong performance measure. The Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department employs one experienced paramedic who works an 8 hour a day, five days per week schedule. She oversees two other Assistant Community Paramedics who cover her during periods of absence, vacation time, etc. The CSPFD Community Paramedic on duty conducts house visits to patients who traditionally have used the 911 system as their primary source of healthcare or for issues that are not necessarily medical emergencies. The goal is to help our citizens make better use of available emergency services and find ways to add value to their lives by helping them stay healthy. Many patients simply are not aware that there are resources available to them other than an already taxed 911 system. The CSPFD Community Paramedic Program becomes that piece of the puzzle that makes the connections between patients and existing resources such as senior assistance programs, veterans assistance, resources for nutrition and meal services, and homeless assistance. The CP program also works closely with the CSPD in cases of elder abuse, to facilitate getting the appropriate help and care for these patients.

The Community Paramedic program is going strong. We continue to work with our high-EMS-user population to find ways to reduce the number of calls to 911 for non-emergent issues. We also work with our residents at higher risk of falling to provide them with fall prevention education, as well as resources that can help them avoid falling and sustaining an injury. We conduct follow up with patients that have been discharged from the hospital after being treated for congestive heart failure, pneumonia, diabetes, hip or knee replacements, and who are at a high risk for re-admission. The goal is to help them obtain the necessary resources so that they can remain healthy and out of the hospital. Our CPs get referrals from our crews and assist in providing the best resource(s) for our residents. We provide community paramedic resources and assistance to over 400 patients every year.

The CSPFD Community Paramedic Program played a crucial part during the 2020 COVID pandemic as Susan maintains communication with Assisted Living Facilities in Coral Springs and Parkland to ensure they have what they need and continue to get the most updated information. Susan as well as the Assistant CPs, are also actively involved with COVID-19 PCR testing of city employees, antibody testing, and most recently the Community Paramedic Program team members have become part of the Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Team. These members will start providing positive Covid patients the medication Regeneron with the goal of helping in their healing process.

Susan, who has been with the department for 23 years, also participates in several community events throughout the year and maintains a Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/CSFDCP/