By Laura French
PITTSBURGH 鈥� The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) will launch a new EMS training program based on the Freedom House initiative founded in the city in 1968.
鈥淔reedom House 2.0" seeks to recruit, train and employ first responders from economically disadvantaged communities, many of which have been significantly impacted by COVID-19, .
鈥淛ust as Pittsburgh鈥檚 original Freedom House modernized emergency, prehospital response, Freedom House 2.0 has the potential to help transform community health,鈥� said Dan Swayze, UPMC Health Plan vice president of community services and director of operations for UMPC Innovative Health Care Solutions, in a statement. 鈥淭he programs will galvanize a new part of the health care workforce who can be empowered to deliver meaningful service and who can be drawn from the communities where such care is needed the most.鈥�
The program, which will begin in January, will provide participants with mentorship and financial support, as well as state-approved EMT certification and community paramedic and community healthcare worker training. Two, 10-week cohorts of students who face health and economic disparities will be trained in both traditional EMS skills and skills to address critical, non-emergency psychosocial needs such as poorly managed chronic medical and behavioral health conditions.
鈥淭his community-based training program recognizes how emergency response has evolved. UPMC and UPMC Health Plan understand that today鈥檚 paramedics need to take time to find out what an individual actually needs and get him or her connected to the right system of care, rather than just assuming the emergency department has the best solution,鈥� Swayze said in a statement.
Successful graduates of the Freedom House 2.0 program are guaranteed an interview with UPMC and other job placement support. The program is funded with a $235,000 grant from Partner4Work, a public workforce investment board.