AMITA Health Saint Francis Hospital

Bridging the Gap Between Social Services and Medical Care

Before a chronic condition can evolve into an acute medical emergency, Evanston Community Health Outreach (ECHO) is there.

ECHO is a partnership between AMITA Health Saint Francis Hospital and the Evanston Fire Department (EFD) to bridge the gap between social services and medical care, while reducing readmission for high-risk individuals.

The mobile integrated healthcare program launched in April 2019 for Evanston residents who receive care at AMITA Health Saint Francis Hospital. In October 2019, ECHO expanded to all eligible Evanston residents, regardless of their primary care provider or hospital affiliation. 

Under the program, nurses from the hospital and Evanston firefighter/paramedics serve as “community paramedics” who provide free in-home medical visits, health education, social service referrals, home safety inspections and other support resources, such as finding a physician and scheduling appointments.

“This innovative partnership will help bring important health services directly to some of the members of our community who need it most,” said Kenneth Jones, the hospital’s president. “We hope to better address key health concerns and issues before they escalate. Many of our patients find it challenging to find transportation for regular visits and checkups, we’re also helping to solve those issues by bringing the care to them.”