WORCESTER, Mass. — A 24/7 community paramedicine program launching this fall will provide in-home evaluation and treatment for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Worcester County.
The pilot, called Paramedic Acute Response Approach for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (PARA-AIDD), is a collaboration among UMass Chan Medical School’s Departments of Emergency Medicine and Family Medicine and Community Health; the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center; ForHealth Consulting at UMass Chan; UMass Memorial Health’s Mobile Integrated Health program; the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services; and MassHealth.
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In a statement from UMass Chan Medical School, PARA-AIDD is expected to serve up to 600 residents across 13 communities, including Worcester, to deliver rapid, high-quality care at home and reduce unnecessary emergency department visits.
“This is a population that is generally challenging to support in an emergency department, especially given the length of time that they would need to wait to see care,” Emily Lauer, PhD, MPH, said. “These patients might have many other care protocols that you need to be aware of to keep them safe, and that can be really hard to communicate accurately and clearly in an emergency department setting.”
The initiative will evaluate cost-effectiveness, ED avoidance, fewer hospitalizations and care quality, aiming to cut ED visits, speed treatment, use resources better and ensure seamless outpatient follow-up after mobile visits.
Worcester EMS paramedics will be trained to deliver assessments, point-of-care labs and imaging, and select treatments. UMass Chan medical students will help with training and data analysis. A triage phone line for patients and families will go live when the pilot launches in October.
