Excerpts from Lake and McHenry County Scanner:
Multiple fire departments in Lake County have launched a program aimed at reducing 911 calls from people who routinely call for an ambulance in non-emergency situations.
The Wauconda Fire District created a Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) program in August in conjunction with the Round Lake, Antioch, Countryside, and Libertyville fire departments who cover 175 square miles in Lake County with a population of 175,000.
An MIH program identifies patients who are chronically ill and use 911 services and the hospital emergency department as their primary level of care. Once identified, the fire department will provide treatment and intervention to the patients in an attempt to decrease 911 calls and hospital emergency department use.
The goal of the program is to provide care with the intent of improving the patient’s specific health needs and overall quality of life.
The Wauconda Fire District began researching high-use patients in 2018 and found the ones who routinely call 911 typically suffer from diabetes, heart failure, COPD, or frequent falls. Paramedics would arrive at the patient’s homes and realize what was causing the avoidable falls.
MIH started in the United States in the rural setting after the Affordable Care Act and has since been expanding into suburban and urban areas. The MIH program in Lake County will allow the fire departments to transition from being reactive to proactive.
Some high-use 911 users lack food in their fridges or transportation to their doctors’ appointments, while others have blood sugar issues.
The program is currently funded by grants from the Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County, Lake County Community Foundation, Granger Foundation, Advocate Community Health, and ARPA funding distributed by the Lake County Board.
A new Illinois law going into effect in January 2026 will allow fire departments to be reimbursed by insurance companies for providing MIH services.
thanks Rob
