During the past year, Tri-City Ambulance has identified an increase in the number of 911 calls requesting medical assistance for a person experiencing a mental health/behavioral health emergency. Frequently the patient is not the one who has requested assistance. So when the ambulance, fire, and police arrive on the scene, the patient may not be accepting of assistance. In addition, Tri-City Ambulance is only able to transport patients to the emergency department, which is not always the correct treatment for the patient.
Tri-City Ambulance is an intergovernmental agency with members from the City of St. Charles, City of Geneva, City of Batavia, Geneva Township, and Batavia Township & Countryside Fire Protection District. The Service oversees the provision of ambulance service to the region that is cost effective and mutually beneficial to the communities involved. TCA has been an accredited ambulance agency since 2016 by The Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services.
Tri-City Ambulance formed a partnership with Association for Individual Development’s (A.I.D.) Victim Services Program in January 2020. The partnership allows emergency medical personnel to contact A.I.D.’s Victim Services staff to respond to the scene and provide on-scene assessment of a patient who is experiencing a mental health/behavioral health emergency. Additionally, the partnership includes the Fire Departments of Batavia, Geneva, and St. Charles. In late summer 2020, the program was expanded to include patient referrals to A.I.D. Victim Services for patient transported to the emergency department whom the paramedics believe will benefit from additional assistance.
Tri-City Ambulance personnel will request A.I.D. Victim Services’ personnel to the scene to provide further assessment of a patient who does not want to go to the emergency department for further evaluation. The paramedic, A.I.D. personnel, and doctor at the Emergency Department will collaborate to determine a safe plan that is the most beneficial to both the patient and the family/caregiver. If the plan does not include transport to the emergency department, there is no cost to the patient. If the patient is transported to the emergency department, the normal structured ambulance fee scale will apply.
The overall mission is to positively impact the quality of life for individuals treated by Tri-City Ambulance and the Batavia, Geneva, and St. Charles Fire Departments as well as A.I.D. Victim Services by assisting the individuals experiencing a mental health/behavioral incident.
This service is in addition to the service partnership A.I.D. has with the St. Charles Police Department.
