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Pilot program could prevent opioid overdoses through follow-up services

Peter Carlson, community paramedic coordinator for the Mayo Clinic Medical Transport, testifies Jan. 29 before the House Health and Human Services Policy Committee in support HF99. Photo by Andrew VonBank
Peter Carlson, community paramedic coordinator for the Mayo Clinic Medical Transport, testifies Jan. 29 before the House Health and Human Services Policy Committee in support HF99. Photo by Andrew VonBank

People recovering from opioid overdoses may be able to receive personalized services and support from community paramedics through a pilot program.

Sponsored by Rep. Mike Freiberg (DFL-Golden Valley), HF99 would provide grants to ambulance services, allowing them to fund efforts by community paramedic teams to reduce opioid overdoses, Freiberg told the House Health and Human Services Policy Committee Tuesday.

“There’s a lot of risk that there’s going to be a recurrence,” but community paramedics could help keep that risk to a minimum, said Peter Carlson, community paramedic coordinator for Mayo Clinic Medical Transport.

The bill was held over for further discussion. A companion sponsored by Sen. Matt Klein (DFL-Mendota Heights), SF256, awaits action by the Senate Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee.

HHS committee hears bill to create opioid overdose reduction pilot program

The grant funding would allow community paramedics to connect with patients discharged from care after receiving treatment for an overdose to develop personalized care plans and provide follow-up services. These include home safety assessments to identify any prescription drugs that are no longer needed, HIV risk assessments, chronic disease monitoring, and help following hospital discharge orders.

The program is also intended to connect patients with an interdisciplinary team to assess their overall physical and mental health needs.

Rep. Tony Albright (R-Prior Lake) asked how the bill would ensure paramedics “stay in their lane” and not infringe on the role of other care providers with more expertise and specialized training in areas like de-escalation and mental health.

Carlson said paramedics would not be operating in isolation and that the direction of care plans would still be determined by advanced practice providers.

“We are a referral profession,” he said. “We create a network around the patient.”

The exact services and providers that would be used to create that network would depend on the resources available in participating areas, said EMS physician Pete Tanghe, who also serves as community paramedic medical director at North Memorial Health.

Grant funds could also be used to cover the cost of evidence-based training about opioid addiction and recovery treatment. Areas with high levels of opioid use and high death rates related to opioid overdoses would be given priority.

The bill includes an evaluation requirement that would allow the Department of Health to track how successful the program is in reducing opioid abuse, overdoses and related deaths.

The bill calls for a $1 million appropriation in Fiscal Year 2020 with authorization for the Health Department to use up to $50,000 of that amount for administrative purposes. The appropriation funding would be available until June 30, 2021.

The pilot program was included in the 2018 supplemental budget bill vetoed by former Gov. Mark Dayton, Freiberg said.


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