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Updated: Sep 24, 2025
Ultrasonographic Assessment During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
Published on: October 24, 2020
A Different Kind Of First Responder.
1This article is part of a series on transforming health systems published with support from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon this work, for commercial use, provided the original work is properly cited. See https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Brian Rinker (brianrinker@gmail.com) is an independent journalist in San Francisco, California.
Washington State fire departments are sending nurses and social workers to assist frequent 911 callers. This program addresses underlying health and social issues, aiming to reduce emergency service utilization.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Emergency Medical Services
- Social Work Integration
Background:
- Repeat 911 callers often have complex, unmet health and social needs.
- Traditional emergency responses may not adequately address the root causes of frequent 911 usage.
Discussion:
- This initiative embeds healthcare and social service professionals within fire department responses.
- The program targets the underlying determinants of health and social crises driving repeated emergency calls.
Key Insights:
- Integrating nurses and social workers can provide more appropriate and effective care for vulnerable populations.
- Addressing social determinants of health may lead to a decrease in non-emergent 911 calls.
Outlook:
- This model offers a potential strategy for optimizing emergency resource allocation.
- Further research can explore the long-term impact on patient outcomes and system costs.
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