The Indiana House of Representatives advanced State Rep. Jim Pressel’s (R-Rolling Prairie) legislation to enable counties to use mobile integrated health care programs for Hoosiers living in areas that lack medical providers.
Mobile integrated health care is used by EMS providers to offer a wider range of medical services, such as chronic disease management and basic primary care, for Hoosiers living in rural areas who struggle to find adequate health care. According to a study from the University of Southern Maine, 46 of Indiana’s 92 counties meet the definition of an “EMS desert,” where residents live at least 25 minutes away from an ambulance station. With the Indiana Department of Homeland Security reporting that EMS personnel respond to more than one million calls annually for emergency care, Pressel said these workers are critical to many parts of the state.
Mobile integrated health care can also include social work, substance abuse resources and mental health that’s delivered in a patient’s home or other location.
Under current law, cities, towns and townships are eligible for grants to establish mobile integrated health operations. Pressel said House Bill 1051 would extend this funding to counties, impacting more Hoosiers in rural areas.
House Bill 1051 now heads to the Senate for further consideration.
