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MESA, Ariz. (AP) — As cold and flu season gets under way, Mesa Fire and Medical is launching a dispatch program to help callers determine if they really need to visit an emergency room.
ABC15 (KNXV-TV) reports (http://bit.ly/21p1pjl ) that emergency rooms are flooded with people who have the flu this time of year. Mesa dispatchers can now connect callers to mid-level or advanced level medical providers to help stem the flow.
One of the nurses working in the triage unit, Veda Rohr, says if she cannot help a caller over the phone she will dispatch a Community Care Unit, which is staffed with a nurse practitioner or a physician's assistant and a paramedic captain.
The service is free and is funded by a $12.5 million grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
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Information from: KNXV-TV, http://www.abc15.com
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