The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly passed through consent agenda an ordinance that would approve and accept funds from Southern Region Emergency Medical Service Council, established by the State of Alaska Office of Emergency Medical Services (SOEMS) through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, to establish a Mobile Integrated Healthcare Program In Nikiski
SOEMS is supporting efforts to reduce patient surge impacts to hospitals by working with emergency medical service providers that provide Mobile Integrated Health Care Service. The Nikiski Fire Service Area meets the qualifications to be a pass-through recipient of the funds by providing this service to the citizens within the service area, according to the Assembly.
Assembly Member Tyson Cox:
“This is a pilot program that Nikiski will be doing. It is a six-month program. They are calling it a treat and release program. What it is is they have a very specific set of protocols and what it will allow them to do is treat certain people in certain situations as long as it fits that protocol and then not having to bring them to the hospital. The goal is to save some money and possibly your workers because we don’t want people getting hurt on the highways if it’s not necessary, and the idea of not filling up our hospital during the COVID pandemic. That will be for six months. It’s possible that that would renew. The idea would be to try and keep that going afterwards, after the six-month period.”
The SOEMS, through Southern Region EMS Council, will reimburse the Nikiski Fire Service Area a projected total of $316,015.89 during the twenty-six-week grant period that will be administered through a Memorandum of Agreement.
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NOTE: photo courtesy of the Nikiski Fire Department Facebook page.