A couple of big changes in recent months are expected to greatly improve Henry County Fire Rescue’s service to local residents.

For several months, personnel in all ambulances and paramedic quick-response vehicles have been wearing body cameras similar to what local police officers wear in the field. Footage on the HCFR cameras is used strictly for review by officials to improve service.

“They are fairly new for us and new for the state,” said Deputy Chief Billy Petite. “We were the first in the state of Georgia to implement the system. We only use this video footage for our continuing quality improvement process.”

The setup consists of a cell phone that is connected to a cloud-based, HIPAA-protected app, Petite said. By law the video is protected by HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), the federal law which protects patients’ private medical information. The policy and protocol governing Henry County Fire Rescue’s use of the system is information that is always available to the public, Petite said.

Another recent development is the department’s change to a new telemedicine provider, RightSite, which can help patients right where they are before they are transported to any kind of medical facility.

“This is huge for us. It is a game changer for the community,” said Petite. “We are making sure we get the right services to the right patient at the right time.”

The RightSite system allows a 911 dispatcher to connect a caller with a board-certified emergency room physician if so desired.

“Our dispatcher can forward the call to RightSite and they will speak with a doctor who can set them up with a prescription, an urgent care appointment or a primary care appointment,” said Petite. “Then they can have medications actually delivered to them, just like Uber Eats. If their baby needs Tylenol, they will send Tylenol to them.”

This service can also be utilized by emergency personnel on a call. “We can use either the patient’s mobile device or our own mobile device or even our laptops, and we will set up a telehealth visit for them,” according to Petite.

This comes in particularly handy for what officials call “low-acuity calls,” which are non-urgent types of calls for which most people would not call 911. But nearly 80 percent of EMS calls in Henry County are low-acuity calls.

A key component of the RightSite system is its availability to everyone, regardless of their financial situation. “It doesn’t matter whether they’re insured or uninsured,” said Petite. “They will get treated the same.”

Henry County Fire Rescue will continue to look for cutting-edge technological options that can help its personnel provide better service.

By Monroe Roark