COLUMBIA — The Columbia City Council voted to approve a community paramedic program and a new alluvial well near the McBaine Water Treatment Plant, at Monday night’s meeting.
Community paramedic program
The approved agreement will establish the Boone County community paramedic program, which is a collaboration between the city and MU Health Care. This agreement will provide $454,349 in funding per year, including three additional paramedics and a paramedic evaluator.
MU Health Care clinical manager for prehospital services, Chuck Doss, said the program will improve opioid medical response.
“The intent of these positions is going to be to respond to those overdose-related calls and then be able to link those individuals up directly with longer-term care in the field without having to go to the hospital,” Doss said.
The new paramedics will be “community paramedics” and will be able to provide assessments and referrals to people they respond to. Doss said recent data shows these …