SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service wants to save some people a trip from the hospital by instead transporting them to an urgent care facility, according to a report.
The Fire and EMS service launched the Alternative Destination Program last month, although every patient who qualified for the program has turned it down, FOX 5 DC reported.
The partnership is with two Righttime Medical Care facilities. Patients with fractured bones or those with the cold or flu qualify for the Alternative Destination Program. Urgent care centers must have an X-ray machine, a radiology service and have an advanced practitioner on site.
Related: Tips for Staying on the Same Page with Urgent Care Centers
“We are pretty fortunate where we have a lot of health care facilities and resources here in Montgomery County so with that option where we can drop them off, have more options, it will probably improve our turnaround time quite a bit,” said Pete Piringer, the department’s spokesperson.
The county said it is looking to expand the program to other areas.
Watch the FOX 5 DC report below.
