The Grand Rapids Fire Department partnered with Corewell Health on the Medical Priority and Wellness Response program, also known as MPWR, a pilot program aimed at reducing emergency room visits and 911 calls.
GRFD responds to over 17,000 medically related calls annually, with many of those calls rooted in social challenges rather than medical emergencies.
“And we realized that about 14% of those incidents were a repeat 911 caller. That said, 32 of them, they had 10+ incidents per year.”
GRFD’s EMS Captain Matt Hutter is MPWR’s team leader. He says six months into the program, Corewell and the fire department have helped residents get the appropriate assistance before it becomes an actual emergency.
“We’ve had 175 client interactions. That means, of those 30 referrals, we’ve been seeing our clients many, many times. Some more than others, because they do require specialized attention, but in that time, we’ve made 76 resource connections with different programs that are able to help our community.”
Over the next six months, organizers hope to continue with weekly wellness checks, increase case management capacity, and see a documented drop in repeat 911 calls among the city’s highest-need residents.
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