My Watch Alpharetta: Paramedics develop long-term program to assist city's most vulnerable

ALPHARETTA, Ga. - Alpharetta’s My Watch community paramedics are working to reduce some people’s dependence on 911, not just by responding to their emergencies, but by working to connect them to vital resources that will help them long-term.

FOX 5’s Eric Mock took an exclusive ride-along with Alpharetta’s lead community paramedic David Allen and fellow paramedic Austin Turnbull to see firsthand how they reduce the 911 call volume by helping residents become more self-sufficient.

How does My Watch Alpharetta work?

Their first stop was to check in on Becky Barnett, who they’ve been helping for months now.

"She had frequent 911 calls where she was falling down or falling out," Allen said.

These community paramedics identify members of Alpharetta’s community who are frequent 911 callers and help them get out of cycles of crisis by following up with them for weeks or even months later.

Barnett says she was constantly having to rely on 911 before Allen and My Watch Alpharetta came into her life.

"I had been in the hospital for like 114 days and I had eight surgeries, five of them were emergency," she said.

Allen and his team got her connected to vital community resources she didn’t even know about and even helped her move into a better assisted living center where she now doesn’t have to worry about falling down.

"They just have been amazing, they saved my life," Barnett said.

And Allen continues to follow up with her.

During Friday’s visit, David learned she needed help getting to her doctors' appointments.

"I appreciate you sharing that, I will definitely work on that," he told her.

This kind of long-term work means a better quality of life for people like Barnett and freeing up first responders to respond to more life-threatening emergencies.

But Allen and his team don't just handle check-ins.

While on the ride-along, a 911 call came in for a "lift assist" and it turned out to be one of Allen’s clients.

"You can cancel Engine 82, we’ll take care of that," Allen responded on the radio.

It was exactly the type of call he could handle to free up firefighters.

"That allows that engine to stay in service and be available for an emergency," he said.

When they arrived, they found the client outside his apartment, unable to get inside with his wheelchair.

He told Allen and Turnbull that his transportation service usually helps him into the apartment, but this time the driver dropped him off without helping him inside.

This client is wheelchair bound and blind.

So, Allen and Turnbull helped him inside and made sure he was able to attach his oxygen.

Allen says they’ve worked with this client before to clean up his apartment and get him connected to resources like transportation and food distribution.

It’s work that goes beyond emergency response to reduce the need for emergency response in the future.

"It just feels natural and it feels right. And it feels like a purpose fulfilled," Allen said.

How many people has My Watch Alpharetta helped?

Jim Darling, Division Chief for the Alpharetta Fire Department, says they’ve helped more than 200 people become less dependent on 911 since they started the program during the pandemic.

He says they now want to expand the program.

How to recommend someone for My Watch Alpharetta?

"We’re looking to add a nurse to our program because right now we have the mental health clinician part, obviously paramedics. And one of our community paramedics is also a contractor, so we also offer home safety assessments," Darling said.

If you would like to learn more about the program, including how you can recommend a client for its services, click here.