BELLA VISTA, Ark. — The Bella Vista Fire Department has teamed up with Northwest Medical at Sugar Creek to test people for the flu and strep throat from home. This is to help keep people out of doctor's offices.
The Bella Vista Fire Department is the only department in the state offering community paramedic at-home visits.
The paramedics show up to a home in full protective medical gear, meet the patient at their door and provide whatever testing needed.
“It’s worked out really well. Unfortunately, it’s taken a pandemic to get it all rolling but it’s going to be great for our community,” said BVFD Battalion Chief Ronnie Crupper.
The paramedics can provide flu and strep tests as well as draw blood and other diagnostic work a patient may need.
“The best place for everybody to be right now is at your home but you have to have basic health care," Crupper said. "So we are not just facilitating people who may have symptoms of COVID but also but people who may just need a urinalysis.”
The paramedic will show up in a Bella Vista Fire Department vehicle and after the visit will be decontaminated.
“We’ve done two practice tests. We’ve done two Telehealth visits that have worked perfectly," Crupper said. "It’s great for the patient, they didn’t have to leave their home so it’s less stress on them getting out and being afraid to be in facility that you could possibly catch the virus.”
If you do have COVID-19 symptoms and your other tests come back negative, that's when the patient can get tested for the virus after contacting their doctor.
“If those are both negative then we can say they are a presumptive COVID patient and at that point, we speak with Dr. Musick and his staff and determine what the next best step is for that patient,” Crupper said.
Dr. Musick with Northwest Medical Plaza says the community paramedic home visits, as well as telehealth, are keeping fewer people in the doctor's offices and more people healthy.
“So the walk-in clinics, the urgent cares are a lot less busy and that’s the goal," Dr. Musick said. "That can allow us to handle that COVID load if it does come for those really sick patients. Keep our ICUs open for patients with COVID instead of other illnesses.”
The at-home testing can be done Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Again, the paramedics are not testing for COVID-19 at this time, but fire officials say they could in the near future.
Your personal insurance and Medicare can help cover the cost of the at-home visit.