St. Lawrence Health System and United Helpers, Inc. are partnering to provide specialized care coordination for patients who are experiencing repeat avoidable visits to the emergency room.

The move is an effort to improve the quality of care by providing it in the most appropriate setting, according to a news release from SLHS.

Care coordination will be instituted in the emergency rooms Canton-Potsdam and Gouverneur hospitals.

Kyle Backus, health home outreach care coordinator, has been appointed to provide on-site specialty care coordination at the system’s two hospitals in Potsdam and Gouverneur. Backus possesses “a history of providing case management services for both adults and children in need of linkage and referral to various community-based services,” the SLHS release says. He holds a bachelor’s degree in childhood education and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction.

He will provide services to adults, children, and families who visit the emergency room for symptoms more often addressed by community-based practitioners and providers, thereby reducing avoidable utilization of ER departments.

ER Medical staff will work with Backus, who will be embedded as part of the ER staff at CPH and GH. Together with the ER staff, they will identify patients who may benefit from care coordination.

In the case of a medical emergency, members of the public should dial 911. For more information about care coordination at St. Lawrence Health System’s two hospitals, people can call Backus at 315-393-3074, extension 4248.