San Antonio – A San Antonio Fire Department unit that has been on the front lines of the city’s coronavirus pandemic will be getting reinforcements.
Since February, the Mobile Integrated Healthcare Team has administered thousands of swabs for COVID-19, including hundreds for people who have been unable to get to testing locations. The role of the MIH team has expanded to include helping test at nursing homes, Haven for Hope, walk-up testing sites and other cities.
“That’s what happens, right? You do good, you get more work. And that’s OK, because that’s what we’re here for,” said MIH Program Manager Chris Velasquez.
Given the team’s expanded role and Governor Greg Abbott calling for testing in all nursing homes, SAFD officials said the team will get at least 100 additional firefighters and paramedics trained to help the MIH Team and its 10 full-time paramedics with testing.
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Velasquez said that means having an additional five groups of eight people who can help with state or local missions.
The MIH team started in 2014 as a way to help get ahead of 911 calls by visiting high-frequency patients and see if there was something they needed before they would call again. When people began returning to San Antonio from COVID-19 hot zones, though, the MIH team would send one or two people to get testing samples.
“We just kind of fell right into place with that mission, knocking on doors, getting the, you know, the test kits,” Velasquez said.
The team also helps to follow up with COVID-19 patients who may see worsening symptoms. If that happens, the MIH team can come by their home to check them out.
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“So we're trying to limit the exposure into the hospital system if it's not necessary,” Velasquez said.
He said a visit from the MIH team is not a “one-and-done,” either. A visit to test one person in a home could result in the team coming back to check on other family members in the house.
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