Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne was joined by Putnam Hospital President Dr. Mark Hirko, Putnam County Commissioner of Emergency Services James Oster, Director of Emergency Medical Services Robert Cuomo, Executive Director of Empress EMS Robert Stuck and others to announce the launching of Putnam County’s Community Paramedicine/Mobile Integrated Healthcare program.
The program is designed to provide certain medical care in patients’ homes, reducing unnecessary 911 calls and hospital transport for non-emergency conditions. The program will be administered by Empress, which has provided the county advanced life support services since 2023.
Empress EMS, which has its main offices in Yonkers and Poughkeepsie, regularly provides services in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties as well as Litchfield in Connecticut and New York City.
Paramedicine services can include wound care, medication adjustments, blood drawings, chronic disease management, fall prevention and telehealth consultations. One of the main goals of community paramedicine is to keep patients from returning to the hospital for follow-up care, accelerating recovery and enhancing overall health.
“We are excited to collaborate to close healthcare gaps and deliver essential services directly to our community,” Byrne said. “These professionals will deliver public health, primary care, and preventive services directly to residents’ homes, with a focus on seniors, homebound individuals, and people with chronic conditions. This approach saves taxpayers money while improving quality of life.“
In testimony prepared for the Feb. 10 State Legislature Joint Budget Committee Meeting on Health, Byrne described the Community Paramedicine program as the first county-wide county program of its kind in the state.
“Community paramedicine expands the role of paramedics beyond emergency response and allows them to provide preventive, nonemergency care directly in the community,” Byrne said. “They also play a critical role in prevention, identifying issues such as fall risks, food insecurity, or unmet medical needs before they escalate into emergencies. In a county like Putnam, where transportation challenges and provider shortages can delay care, community paramedics become trusted health care professionals for residents who might otherwise fall through the cracks.”
Byrne noted that during the Covid pandemic, Empress’ Community Paramedics became the first in the state to vaccinate homebound individuals and were responsible for more than 200,000 Covid-19 vaccinations.
“This is an exciting time for Putnam County residents,” said Keyur Ajbani, Putnam Hospital’s vice president of medical affairs. “The launch of Community Paramedicine marks a crucial, forward-thinking step, promising significant impact on patient well-being through in-home care and a reduced strain on our emergency department. We’re proactively improving community health, preventing crises and leveraging telemedicine for immediate patient improvements.”
