Editor’s note: This episode of EMS One-Stop With Rob Lawrence is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.
In this episode of the EMS One-Stop podcast, the host, Rob Lawrence, discusses Guilford County’s innovative community project called the Interagency Medical Provider Assessment and Care Team – project IMPACT. The project involves sending non-transport units, staffed by EMTs, to certain low-acuity 911 calls, allowing paramedics to focus on higher acuity cases. The program has received national recognition, in the shape of an award from the National Association of Counties.
Lawrence sits down with Hannah Muthersbaugh, PA-C, MMS, NRP, deputy medical director for Guilford County Emergency Services, in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Justin Harget, Guilford’s operations manager, who share insights into the program’s development, challenges faced, and the positive impact it has had on patient care and system efficiency.
Muthersbaugh and Harget also discuss future goals, such as expanding the program to operate 24/7. The episode emphasizes the importance of data-driven decision-making, stakeholder engagement, and addressing challenges in EMS innovation.
Related: Creating a new EMS value proposition with mobile integrated healthcare
Top quotes from this episode
- “We surveyed our supervisors, our telecommunicators, and the feedback we got was brutally honest. It was hard to read, but it highlighted for us a set of system stressors that we were like tangentially aware of but weren’t sure about all of the details. And so, it really helped us think about how we could try to fix some of those things.” — Hannah Muthersbaugh
- “We also partnered with our police department with a behavioral health response team where we put EMS personnel in a police squad that specializes in behavioral health, and they’re able to pull out calls that we were getting for police checkups, for mental health clearances. And so, just in their first year or so, they were able to pull out about 500 calls that we never sent an ambulance to.” — Justin Harget
- “So for our people, it’s always been the closest unit instead of necessarily the right resource. And so we’re really trying to change that, that mindset. What resource does the patient need in the right timeframe?” — Hannah Muthersbaugh
- “When somebody asks you how much money you need, and you say a lot … a lot is a word, not a number. You need to have the number ready to say.” — Rob Lawrence
- “Our Guilford County EMS EMTs, they’re the rock stars in this, and I just really want to say thank you for all the work that they’ve done and continue to do. — Justin Harget
Related: Top 10 MIH or community paramedicine program funding sources
Episode contents
02:44 – Guest introductions
05:08 – About Guilford County EMS
06:38 – Project history
07:30 – Surveying the staff – and the feedback was brutally honest!
08:00 – NAEMSP year-long safety course
10:32 – Data analysis
12:17 – BLS/EMTs providing the service
17:16 – Stakeholder, community, FD and PD involvement
18:50 – 6,300 with no EMS response at all!
19:18 – PD Behavioral Health Response Team
21:51 – Staffing and equipment challenges
24:34 – Program funding
26:15 – The National Association of Counties award
27:41 – The EMTs in the system
28:22 – Future plans
About our guests
Hannah Muthersbaugh, PA-C, MMS, NRP
Hannah Muthersbaugh is a North Carolina-based physician assistant specializing in emergency medicine and EMS. She currently serves as the deputy medical director for Guilford County Emergency Services. Her journey in the healthcare industry began on the front lines, as she progressed through the ranks as a field provider. Starting her career with Guilford EMS as an EMT and later advancing to the role of paramedic, she gained invaluable hands-on experience and a deep understanding of the challenges of prehospital care.
Hannah’s pursuit of excellence led her to Wake Forest University, where she dedicated herself to further education and earned her Master of Medical Science degree. She has practiced with the Wake Forest Emergency Physicians Group since 2013, serving in various leadership roles throughout her tenure, including lead advanced practice provider and chair of the Cone Health Advanced Practice Provider Executive Committee.
Hannah’s career path exemplifies her passion for emergency medicine and her continuous dedication to improving healthcare systems. She will further that commitment in the spring of 2024 as she begins her Doctor of Medical Science PhD program at The Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
Justin Hargett
Justin Hargett is the operations manager for Guilford County Emergency Services. His educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in emergency medical care obtained from Western Carolina University. Complementing his undergraduate studies, he pursued a master’s in executive leadership from Liberty University, demonstrating his commitment to continuous learning and leadership development.
Over the course of 17 years in emergency services, he has served as a volunteer and career firefighter, paramedic and hazmat technician. This diverse range of roles has equipped him with a comprehensive understanding of emergency response across urban, suburban and rural environments.
He advanced his focus on organizational excellence in 2021 when he was promoted to the role of emergency services manager. Initially, he led the Quality Improvement and Assurance team before moving into his current role of operations manager.
Resources
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