FY2015 Arlington Fire Department Annual Report FY 2015 | Page 18

Community Connectivity
Community Paramedicine - Pilot Program
In February 2015, the Arlington Fire Department embarked on a 90-Day pilot
program focusing on Community Health (ACAP). ACAP is an effort to
effectively respond to the impacts of the Affordable Care Act. The AFD was
able to form public and private partnerships with local hospitals and
American Medical Response (AMR), our contracted ambulance provider. The
program centered on managing healthcare issues and improving the lives of patients enrolled in
the program. The three primary program goals were to improve patient outcomes, lessen EMS
system demand, and lower healthcare costs. The 2015 pilot program proved successful in
accomplishing all three of the established goals. Starting in Fiscal 2016,
the program evolved from a pilot program to a one year in-depth study.
This study will be led by the Arlington Fire Department with participating
private partnerships from Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital
(THAM) and American Medical Response.

Random Acts of Kindness
In 2010, Arlington firefighters started a non-profit
501(c)(3) in order to raise and distribute money to
help those in need. The non-profit, now called
Arlington Fire Charitable Group (AFCG), is used to
support members of the Department who are in need,
as well as the community. The members of AFCG select the
organization or person(s) in need of assistance and provide support,
either monetarily or in the form of labor. The intention of the program
is to quickly respond to people in difficult situations, without the timeconsuming processes often required for more formal assistance
programs. In FY 2015, RAK received a donation from the Tomorrow
Fund to help with expenditures for those in need. RAK has built a strong
relationship with Mission Arlington to acquire items such as medical
beds, walkers, fans, bikes, and other items to help conserve money and
provide greater RAK assistance. Recent Random Acts of Kindness have included: paying for
medications for people that could not afford them, building wheel chair ramps and stairs, and,
most importantly, connecting citizens with City programs that they can turn to for assistance.

DUTY

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HONOR

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COMPASSION
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EXCELLENCE