WOODLAND PARK ~ Colorado Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera toured the Ute Pass Regional Health Services District in Woodland Park to see how a state grant helped upgrade its Mobile Integrated Health program, according to a news release.

The district, an emergency medical services provider serving Teller and Douglas counties, received $656,005 from the Colorado Office of eHealth Innovation. The funding supported equipment upgrades, integration of internal systems and expanded access to advanced provider-level support for decisions about treating patients in place rather than transporting them to a hospital.

Trinidad Ambulance District received a separate $460,000 grant to develop a Mobile Integrated Health program in Las Animas County. The two awards total more than $1.1 million in state funding.

Mobile Integrated Health programs use community paramedics to provide care at patients' homes or elsewhere in the community. They can address some non-emergency needs on site, provide follow-up visits after hospital discharge and help patients avoid unnecessary emergency department visits, the release said.

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Primavera said the programs can bring care to rural residents who might otherwise face long trips to see a provider. She said the state's investment is intended to expand access to care in rural communities.

James McLaughlin, Ute Pass Regional Health Services District's director of community paramedicine, said technology and collaboration among emergency services agencies can support more person-centered communication and care.

A report by the Colorado Mobile Integrated Health Data Consortium estimates that emergency medical services agencies' current treatment-in-place services generate $58 million in annual savings by avoiding emergency department visits, according to the release.

The Connected Care for Rural Colorado grant program has funded 16 rural grantees. They have trained 66 staff members, developed 90 standard operating procedures, digitized more than 10,000 paper documents and equipped 16 emergency vehicles with updated technology, the release said. Grantees also reported saving at least 304 staff hours per month.

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