When Chicago Fire Department paramedics Margaret Piwowar and Lauren O’Connor come to Denise Jackson’s home, their visit lands somewhere between a health care house call and a check-in with a friend.
Last year, a COVID-19 infection devastated Jackson’s lungs and left her bedridden. She said she was caught in a cycle of emergencies and hospitalizations for her condition. “The two ladies came to the door, and they came in with smiles and they were so excited, they made me excited,” Jackson said. “They didn’t come in like nurses or anything, they came in like cheerleaders.”
Chicago Fire Department district chief of special projects Jonathan Zaentz said people with chronic conditions often find themselves trapped in a self-perpetuating emergency room cycle that can strain CFD resources. That cycle of emergency care and hospitalization is also expensive.