Paramedic's H.O.M.E. Team Reaches Out to Homeless

(CBS 5) If you shop or work in downtown San Francisco, chances are good you've passed Larry in his wheelchair. But Niels Tangherlini doesn't pass by - he knows Larry's name, and all about his health problems and alcohol dependency.

"I've a little bit worried about some of the stuff I've been hearing," he tells Larry. "We picked you up two or three times on Thursday with the ambulance."

Niels is a San Francisco Paramedic Captain, and he's determined to get people like Larry to stop calling 9-1-1 and start getting their lives back on track.

"I have people who have made literally 100s of 911 calls," Niels explains. "The calls are often related to chronic alcoholism, seizures, intoxication, falls."

A paramedic for 15 years, Niels grew frustrated seeing the same faces again and again. So he envisioned a program where paramedics would partner with social service agencies, keeping the chronically homeless off the streets and getting them out of the emergency room.

"I realized you can sit and complain about it or really do something about it!" says Niels.

So in 2004, Niels founded HOME - the Homeless Outreach and Medical Emergency team. He recruited social workers to ride with paramedics and together, they began to coordinate different city services for the homeless. Two years later, there are only a third as many chronic callers to 9-1-1.

"We've been able to get people into supportive housing, ongoing alcohol and substance abuse treatment," he says. "Just the act of getting someone a case manager.. can just really change their life."

Social worker and nurse practitioner James Eskridge rides with Niels.

"This program is different because we are doing actually outreach on the streets with is basically front-line work," says James. "This is where we make the most difference."

They're not only making a difference to people on the street, but countless people who call 9-1-1 with a real emergency.

San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White says, "We're able to keep our units in service to respond to those Code 3 life-threatening emergencies that we otherwise might not be able to in the event of responding to a homeless person."

And she adds, Neil's' HOME Team is a win-win for the homeless and everyone else.

"Niels now is sort of an ambassador for the fire department as he works closely with other agencies reaching out to the homeless population. And we're really proud of him and we're really proud of the effectiveness of the program."

"I knew this would work," Niels says determinedly. "We really can make a huge difference in dealing with public health problems and that collaborative efforts like this are the best way to handle problems."

So for making non-emergencies a priority so that everyone gets the help they need, this week's Jefferson Award in the Bay Area goes to Niels Tangherlini.

By Kate Kelly

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