Q&A
Council Member Rivera discusses freestanding emergency departments and their impact on response times
1:44:54
·
175 sec
Council Member Carlina Rivera inquires about the impact of freestanding emergency departments on ambulance response times and patient care. She discusses the potential benefits of these facilities in areas without full hospitals and expresses interest in establishing one in place of a closing hospital in her district.
- Rivera mentions her legislation for a two-tone European-style siren for ambulances.
- FDNY officials acknowledge potential benefits of freestanding EDs in hospital deserts but lack specific data on their impact.
- Rivera expresses interest in working with FDNY to advocate for appropriate care solutions in neighborhoods losing hospital beds.
Carlina Rivera
1:44:54
Well, I just wanna thank the chairs again for giving me one one more quick round, and I wanna thank chair brewer for bringing up the sound of the sirens.
1:45:02
I do have legislation for a 2 tone more European sounding siren that I don't think you all are exactly feeling, but I think we're gonna get to a point where we can figure something out.
1:45:12
And I think the only person that likes the sound of those sirens is my toddler at home who says, weu, weu, whenever he hears, you all coming through.
1:45:22
Alright.
1:45:22
So I wanna ask about freestanding emergency departments.
1:45:27
I realize that they're not for major trauma.
1:45:29
They're for non life threatening illnesses and injuries.
1:45:33
And they usually provided, of course, for people with insurance or low cost.
1:45:38
This is what they did in St.
1:45:39
Vincent's with Lenox Hill.
1:45:41
And I had I had had had a conversation with doctor Katz actually not too long ago, and he said that, you know, in the beginning, people were very reluctant to accept freestanding emergency departments in their community.
1:45:52
Because well, I know the history is that typically when community hospitals close amid, like, very heavy financial losses because of gentrification in the neighborhoods, you'll see them pop up, but in mostly prosperous areas, places that have changed.
1:46:09
And I think that happened in Greenwich Village specifically because that's a very affluent place with a lucrative market.
1:46:15
Anyway, I do think that they fill an important void in areas without full hospitals and that they've proven helpful in your response times, I want to assume.
1:46:26
I'd say that because I'd like to get a freestanding emergency department in place of Mount Sinai with Israel when it closes, and I'd like to know if you have any information or data that supports that the emergency the freestanding emergency departments that have come in, unfortunately, in place of hospital closures has been beneficial to response times and and to your teams.
1:46:47
Do you have any information?
1:46:49
Or data related to freestanding emergency departments that have proven they have been beneficial in response times and to care.
Rebecca Mason
1:47:02
We haven't looked specifically at freestanding EDs.
1:47:05
However, like the chief has said multiple times, having access to these resources in geographic areas that would be considered hospital deserts could be quite beneficial.
1:47:17
We would have to a closer look co.
Carlina Rivera
1:47:19
Okay.
1:47:20
Yeah.
1:47:20
And like I know even stabilizing a person is always important.
1:47:24
So if you could maybe we could work on that together.
1:47:27
I would love to talk to your team about how we can advocate appropriately and effectively to make sure that we have care for people, especially in neighborhoods that are losing beds per person.
1:47:40
That was really my question.
1:47:41
I just wanna thank you.
1:47:42
I've I've really just have appreciated your testimony so much.
1:47:45
I think it's been very, very honest and and comprehensive.
Michael Fields
1:47:48
Right.
Carlina Rivera
1:47:48
So thank you.
