{"id":7289,"date":"2025-02-06T11:18:33","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T17:18:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/?p=7289"},"modified":"2025-02-06T13:15:23","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T19:15:23","slug":"pih-justin-duncan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/pih-justin-duncan\/","title":{"rendered":"Podcast episode 17: Justin Duncan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to the Pioneers in Health podcast<\/a>. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In episode 17, we interview Justin Duncan, BS, NRP, CCEMT-P, FP-C. <\/strong>Justin serves as the chief executive officer<\/a> for Washington County Ambulance District<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also serves as president of the Missouri EMS Association<\/a>, is a board member for the Missouri EMS Agent Corporation, and is a member of the National EMS Management Association<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He is a strong advocate for the profession and finding new ways to bring innovative therapies into the pre-hospital setting.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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In this episode, he discusses the role of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics. He also discusses the differences between the two and misconceptions that exist about the industry as a whole, such as that most states don’t recognize them as essential services \u2014 despite the fact the public does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“There’s a common misconception across the majority of human beings that when they call 911, they are guaranteed to have a resource show up to their doorstep,” he said. “That’s just quite simply not the case.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also discussed that while many states don’t recognize EMTs and paramedics as health care providers, about 80-85% of the calls they respond to are for routine primary care \u2014 not emergency care. People often call 911 for blood pressure checks, pain from toothaches, running out of medications or wanting mental health care but not sure where to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to this, he said his ambulance district expanded to adopt a new service line to address these types of calls without transporting patients to a hospital emergency room. The new “wing” of care utilizes mobile integrated healthcare and community paramedicine<\/a> to leverage the skills of EMTs, paramedics and other health care providers to provide primary care in a person’s home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only can they provide certain levels of medical care, but they can also make assessments, help connect patients with appropriate resources and providers, and reduce the number of unnecessary visits to emergency departments. The goal is to ensure patients receive the “right care, in the right place, at the right time,” Justin said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“If you have a toothache, an emergency ambulance response and transport to the emergency department is not the right care and in the right place,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Want to learn more about community paramedicine?
<\/strong>Check out our new fact sheet and resources page here!<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n


This model of care is helping fill gaps in the current health care system, especially when it comes to maternal health care in rural communities. Nearly 46% of Kansas counties are defined as maternity care deserts<\/a>, which means there are no obstetric providers or hospitals or birth centers that offer obstetric care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s a misconception that people aren’t delivering babies in rural communities anymore, he said, but that’s not true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We might not have a delivering facility, we may not have a hospital with an OB department anymore, but we deliver babies all the time in our rural communities,” Justin said. “It just so happens they’re in people’s living rooms, in the back of the ambulance or on the side of the highway.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He discusses how his mobile integrated healthcare team is helping fill the gaps in maternal health for these rural communities. There are misconceptions that mobile integrated health care and community paramedicine teams are going to take away home health and hospice jobs. Justin said that’s simply not true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I always come back and say ‘Nope, I get more referrals, and we work closer with them than I ever dreamed of,'” he said. “I promise you there is plenty enough work to go around. We’re not looking to take anyone’s jobs. We’re here to fill gaps.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also discusses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n