Harbor’s Elder Service Plan Participants Get Urgent Care at Home
ESP care team working together with instED paramedics to deliver in-home care
We are excited to share that Harbor’s Elder Service Plan (ESP) is now partnering with instED paramedics to give our ESP participants urgent care at home!
“When COVID surged in Massachusetts last spring, we quickly moved to provide as many healthcare services as we could in our participants homes,” explained ESP’s Senior Vice President Gretchen Reynard.
“As we worked to keep the elders in our program healthy and safe during the pandemic, we knew we needed to avoid unnecessary emergency room visits, which is why we decided to partner with instED.”
Paramedics are medical professionals with training in emergency care. They can do tests and treatments normally done in the emergency room.
They can test for COVID-19, flu, and strep, evaluate heart functioning, and administer IV fluids and antibiotics…all right in a participant’s home.
According to Gretchen, “many participants and caregivers think they need to go to the emergency room when they need care after hours or on weekends. Now we can bring urgent care to them.” With paramedics available until midnight every night, ESP participants now have more access to urgent tests, medicines, and treatments 365 days a year.
To help you learn more about the in-home urgent care now offered by ESP, we have answers to many of your frequently asked questions below.
Read on to learn more!
How Does ESP’s In-Home Urgent Care Work?
Paramedics can go to a participant’s home until midnight 7 days a week. They can provide many of the same things as emergency rooms for diarrhea, vomiting, pain, confusion, or when you aren’t sure you can wait to feel better.
Mattapan participants: Call 617-533-2400.
Brockton participants: Call 774-470-6700.
A participant who isn’t feeling well can call ESP for help with urgent care.
What types of care can instED paramedics provide?
Harbor’s ESP partners with instED paramedics who are trained in giving emergency care at home. These paramedics work with your ESP care team to perform tests and treatments to help you feel better without needing to go to the emergency room.
Tests include:
- Medical checkup to evaluate your health, breathing, heart function, temperature
- Heart monitoring
- Bloodwork and testing for urinary tract infections, flu, strep, and COVID
Based on test results and talking with your ESP team, paramedics can give:
- Breathing treatments
- Medicines to treat infections, pain, nausea, and more
- Fluids or other treatments through an IV
- And more
What should I do when I think I need urgent care at home?
CALL ESP! When you call, your team will assess your needs and will send a paramedic as needed.
Mattapan participants: call 617-533-2400
Brockton participants: call 774-470-6700
How quickly can a paramedic come to my home?
After you call ESP, paramedics will arrive between 2 to 4 hours.
When should I call 9-1-1 before calling ESP?
You should call 9-1-1 if you ever think your health is in serious danger or you:
- Fall and break a bone.
- Have sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg.
- Suddenly have severe chest pain or shortness of breath.
- Have a sudden headache with vision changes or fainting.
- Pass out or faint.
- Have a lot of bleeding that won’t stop.
- Suddenly have a lot of abdominal pain with bloody stool.
Have More Questions About In-Home Urgent Care?
Contact your care team by calling 617-533-2400 (Mattapan) or 774-470-6700 (Brockton).
New to ESP? Harbor’s ESP is a Massachusetts Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. Learn more about our program at elderserviceplan.org.