Camden County EMS Wins Grant for Community Paramedic Program

Camden County commissioners accepted a $299,839.50 grant on July 6 to establish a community-paramedic program, adding planned preventive and follow-up care to Camden County EMS’s existing 911 response system.

The award supports one full-time paramedic position, a dedicated response vehicle, equipment and training. The documented initial contract period runs from July 1, 2026, through October 30, 2027.

What the grant will fund

The funding comes through the North Carolina Office of EMS and the Rural Health Transformation Program, a federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-funded initiative administered through the state. North Carolina’s grant opportunity is intended to expand mobile integrated health and community-paramedicine programs in rural communities.

For Camden County EMS, the planned services include overdose follow-up, post-hospital-discharge visits, fall prevention, chronic-disease management, behavioral-health support, preventive care, health education and coordination with other care providers.

The state program requires participating agencies to begin services within 90 to 180 days of contract execution. Camden County EMS has not publicly announced a complete local hiring, vehicle-deployment or service-launch schedule.

The advisory board recommended the plan first

The commissioners’ July 6 action followed a July 1 meeting of the Camden County EMS Advisory Board. According to the board’s approved minutes, EMS Director Joseph “Joe” Zaller presented the community-paramedic budget request, including an initial award of approximately $299,839.

The advisory board voted to recommend acceptance of the grant, creation of the grant-funded position and approval of the related budget request. The minutes say the position would remain fully grant-funded and would carry annual reporting requirements.

That July 1 vote was a recommendation to the Board of Commissioners, not final county approval. The commissioners’ later action accepted the state funding, according to local reporting on the July 6 meeting.

What community paramedicine would mean locally

Traditional EMS is generally dispatched after an emergency occurs. A community-paramedicine service adds scheduled contact with residents who may need follow-up, prevention or help coordinating care.

In Camden County, the planned role could include checking on residents after hospital discharge, helping prevent falls, supporting chronic-condition management, following up after overdoses and connecting people with medical or behavioral-health resources. The county has not yet publicly described the final referral or eligibility process.

Funding has an end date

The initial Camden County grant period ends October 30, 2027. The advisory-board minutes describe the position as fully grant-funded and subject to annual reporting. The state describes the broader Rural Health Transformation effort as a five-year initiative, but that does not guarantee continued funding for Camden County after its initial contract period.

Residents should therefore expect additional information about hiring, service availability, referrals and program deployment before relying on the community-paramedic service. The grant’s stated goals include prevention, education and care coordination, but local results such as changes in 911 use, hospital readmissions or emergency-department visits have not yet been demonstrated.

Sources

• Camden County EMS Advisory Board approved minutes, July 1, 2026
• Camden Tribune: Camden County Lands $300K Community Paramedic Grant
• North Carolina Mobile Integrated Health Grant Funding Opportunity