 Some patients don't understand their medications. They don't make me feel good, so I don't want to take them, so I don't take them, and then I end up being a 911 call. The closest hospital is more than an hour away, so her department's one ambulance can be tied up for a good chunk of the day on an emergency call. That's a big part of why Martin's team has launched a community paramedicine program, where paramedics regularly check in on people with known health issues, patients who might not get to the doctor as often as they should.