By Sarah Watson
Moline Dispatch and Rock Island Argus, Ill.
SCOTT COUNTY, Iowa — MEDIC EMS of Scott County is hoping to secure a grant for a rural mobile health program that would send paramedics and EMTs to people’s homes for non-emergency care.
MEDIC will find out in October if they were awarded the Iowa Health and Human Services grant, which is funded by Congress’ recent $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program included in the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill.
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The goal of a mobile health unit is to help people with routine medical care at home to prevent trips to the emergency room, Scott County EMS Director Paul Andorf said.
“This is more of a, I would say, like a doc in a box, or like a visiting nurse,” Andorf said. “Basically, a medic would travel to somebody’s home and take care of them.”
Patients would be referred to the program by a hospital or primary care provider, Andorf said.
As part of the program, paramedics might bring telehealth equipment and blood testing equipment so a homebound person doesn’t have to travel to a doctor’s office. They could pick up a person’s medication and ensure they are taking it correctly, advise on proper wound care, give breathing treatments, or administer blood products in someone’s home.
Patients would be enrolled on a short-term basis.
The grant program is limited to rural service areas, so Scott County doesn’t qualify based on standards for population density, Andorf said. But MEDIC plans to use the grant, if awarded, to help evaluate whether to bring a similar program to more urban Scott County, too, Andorf said.
The potential grant-funded service area could include all or portions of Muscatine, Clinton, Jackson, Louisa, and Cedar counties, according to a memo Andorf prepared.
The grant, if MEDIC wins it, would reimburse the organization for up to about $720,000 for the first year of expenses, according to a memo before the Scott County Board of Supervisors.
MEDIC has received letters of support from MercyOne Genesis and Community Health Care and is in talks with Unity Point Health, Andorf said.
Other communities, such as Johnson County and Des Moines, each operate a mobile health program, Andorf said. It’s reduced 911 call volume, and they’re seeing a demand for that kind of care, Andorf said.
“They think it’s a success on their end when I talk to them,” Andorf said.
Andorf said MEDIC is approaching the grant as seed funding to develop the program so it’s sustainable long-term after the grant money runs out. MEDIC is hoping to develop a reimbursement model to sustain the program financially.
The initial grant-funded program would focus on eligible rural communities because this funding opportunity is intended for that purpose, Andorf said.
“However, that limitation also creates an opportunity for MEDIC to develop and test the model using outside funding before deciding whether and how to expand it locally,” the memo stated.
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