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Kissimmee fire officials introduce telehealth 911 program

The program starts June 6

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – Starting Monday, June 6, every fire engine and fire rescue vehicle in the Kissimmee Fire Department will have an iPad on board to provide onsite telehealth to patients.

It’s all part of their new Tele911 Program.

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“We’ll be the third in the state of Florida to roll it out, and only the fourth in the country, so it’s brand-new,” EMS Battalion Chief for the Kissimmee Fire Department Eric Gentry said.

Gentry said crews will respond to 911 calls as normal, and when they arrive, they will go through a checklist to see if the patient qualifies for the telehealth program.

He said they will then use a smart device to connect patients with physicians.

The goal of the new program is to alleviate non-emergency calls coming to the hospitals.

“We have patients that call to go to the hospital because they ran out of their prescription and they need a refill, we have patients that call because they have a minor injury,” Gentry said.

An added benefit, according to Gentry, is that patients will get a follow-up appointment that can be done from home using their cell phone.

He told News 6 the fire department is trained on the new program and ready to apply it next week.