Community Paramedicine Program Awarded Funding For Residential Knox Boxes

The Crawfordsville Fire Department’s nationally-recognized Mobile Integrated Health Community Paramedicine (MIH-CP) Program functions to address healthcare issues and gaps in the Crawfordsville and Montgomery County community. The paramedicine program has implemented numerous MIH-CP programs in chronic disease management, high-risk maternal and infant healthcare, and a Quick Response Team that works with frequent fallers, substance use, and behavioral health patients to protect citizens cradle to grave.

One Community Paramedicine Program social worker, Lyndsey Sparrow, works directly with the aging population who experience frequent falls in their homes. Lyndsey provides home assessments, social resources, and home safety equipment such as smoke detectors and Knox Boxes.

A Knox Box is a secure key vault that mounts over the door of a residential property and inside is a key to the resident’s home. The only keys available to open the Knox Box are in possession of the fire department. When there is an emergency, the fire department can access the key safe and use the resident’s key to enter the home safely with minimal barriers, no damage to windows or doors, and reduced potential for injury.

The Montgomery County Council on Aging graciously awarded the Crawfordsville Fire Department’s Community Paramedicine program funding to purchase four Knox Boxes. “We are very thankful for our partnership with the Montgomery County Council on Aging. With their donation, we can continue our mission to provide the best possible care for our aging population in Montgomery County” says Social Worker, Lyndsey Sparrow.

“The Montgomery County Council on Aging so appreciates the work of the Paramedicine program especially for their focus on our senior population. IF there is an opportunity to collaborate and support this amazing group of people, we will” says Kitty Haffner, Treasurer for Montgomery County Council on Aging. “The Knox Box provides an additional safety net for our loved ones.”

On Tuesday, April 4, 2023 Montgomery County resident and Community Paramedicine patient, Maddy Kiger received the first Knox Box at her home. She shares that this program is a “wonderful idea and thank you to everyone who is participating in putting it on”. Division Chief, Brian Bechtel installed the box for resident Kiger and explained how the master key accesses the Knox Box that holds a spare key to her residence. A Knox HomeBox sticker was also placed on resident Kiger’s door to alert emergency personnel of the access for entry.

The remaining three donated Knox Boxes will be installed at patient homes based on need as determined by the Community Paramedics. The addition of the first four Knox Boxes will allow the Mobile Integrated Health Community Paramedicine program to focus fully on the holistic and collaborative team-based care provided for the Crawfordsville Community.