TITLE
Title
PRESENTATION OF NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES (NACo) ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
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SPONSOR
Sponsor
County Manager Michael Halford
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BACKGROUND
Background
It is notable that Guilford County's Health and Human Services Department was awarded Best in Category across the Nation for its Adult Resource Team (ART TEAM) efforts at the recent NACo Conference held this past weekend in Florida. Guilford County wishes to recognize its team members who developed and implemented these programs.
Guilford County also received recognition for innovative programming in the following additional categories:
1. Community and Economic Development Category: Minority/Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) inaugural Triad Black Farmer's Market that celebrated and supported African American and minority farmers from across North Carolina.
2. Criminal Justice and Public Safety Category: The Guilford County Emergency Services Behavioral Health Response Team (BHRT) Community Paramedic Program is an innovative initiative designed in collaboration with the City of Greensboro to address the complex challenges associated with mental health crises and homelessness within Guilford County.
3. Criminal Justice and Public Safety Category: The Guilford County Emergency Services (GCES) initiated a program to centralize the county's fire records management system across all departments, aiming to streamline incident documentation, hydrant and property management, training records, and enable county-wide reporting.
4. Personnel Management, Employment, and Training Category: The Tiered Consolidated Health and Human Service Academies' Tiered Academy approach consists of Emerging Professionals Academy, Succession Planning, and Leadership Academy.
Guilford County's Best in Category National Award for the ART Team - is a collaborative program between our Adult Protective Services team along with Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Fire partners designed to provide a stronger service line for patients who need resources and care that exceed normal EMS and Fire capabilities, while simultaneously freeing up current EMS and Fire resources so they can handle medical emergencies and fire suppression/rescue activities.
In current state, there is no continuum of care or resources for many of our patients who have unmet basic needs of daily living. Many of these patients are low-income, homeless, and/or have significant socio-economic disparities. They also often lack a family support system that would normally be available for care or navigation of care. Patients, especially those who lack financial resources or the capacity to navigate these challenges, are left without any other option than to use emergency services (911).
This program improves services to our underserved and vulnerable communities and improve the diversity, equity, and inclusion of service lines to the community by having a social worker who can provide follow-up and a connection of resources from a central point of care. This team also improves reporting from EMS and Fire for Adult Protective Services (APS)/Child Protective Services (CPS) referrals as well as acting as a preventive measure for future APS/CPS referrals.
ART has assisted twenty-seven (27) individuals between November 2023 and March 2024. Factors contributing to high 911 calls have included: limited mobility, assistance with ADL/IADL’s, limited social support, unsafe living environment, and inability to meet basic needs (food purchase/ preparation). ART social workers have been able to support these individuals through case management to secure needed services reducing 911 calls for non-emergency needs for this group.
In total, the individuals involved with ART services have made three hundred forty-five (345) non-emergency 911 calls in a 30-day period prior to ART services. During and after ART Services, only four (4) non-medical 911 calls have been made. Consumers are continuing to make appropriate 911 calls for medical emergencies. Within Guilford County, the average cost of a 911 call is $1,100 (EMS/ Fire/ Law Enforcement). Saving three hundred thirty-seven (337) calls within a 30-day period is a total savings of $387,172. This amount only captures a 30-day savings. The average response time for EMS is 30-45 minutes per call, totaling one hundred seventy (170) hours of EMS staff time saved to address emergency needs. Implementation of ART has strengthened partnerships between EMS, DHHS/ DSS, and FJC.
The partnership has provided cross training to all EMS and ART staff, educated service agencies, increased awareness of needs for adults within Guilford County, promoted sharing of resources, boosted collaborative thinking, and provided prevention of Adult Protective Service needs. Indirectly, this program increases the safety for adults in our community while fostering community living and minimizing premature placement into Long Term Care. Consumer and caregiver feedback confirm services provided have been appropriate and meet the needs of the individual while adding support and guidance during challenging circumstances.
The cost savings to the community are more than just fiscal, the program also decreases the burnout of EMS and Fire staff from responding to non-emergency matters and allows them to focus their time and attention on true medical emergencies. The program is also preventive in nature, in that social workers can do a thorough assessment of the citizens’ needs. They may be able to determine the need for a service or equipment that may prevent future falls and injuries. It also aids in increasing a citizen’s quality of life while being able to maintain in their home for as long as possible.
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REQUESTED ACTION
Requested Action
Recognize the slate of award winners during the National Association of Counties (NACo) Conference.
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