Q&A
Discussion on misuse of 911 services for faster ER access
1:00:19
·
84 sec
Council Member Mercedes Narcisse raises the issue of people calling 911 to get faster service in emergency rooms. Chief Michael Fields responds to this concern:
- EMS takes non-life-threatening cases to the ER waiting area, not directly into treatment.
- For life-threatening emergencies, patients are taken directly to the emergency room for triage.
- EMS personnel must stay with patients until they are triaged, even for non-critical cases.
- The council member suggests that some people claim respiratory complaints to get faster service, highlighting the need for thorough assessments.
- Chief Fields acknowledges this as a systemic problem nationwide, with increasing call volumes and limited resources.
- He notes that some people have learned what to say to get a faster response, which exacerbates the problem.
Mercedes Narcisse
1:00:19
There's a background thanks to because a lot of folks, by the way, called EMS 911 because they feel like they're gonna get services in the ER faster
Michael Fields
1:00:29
Right.
Mercedes Narcisse
1:00:30
To your service.
1:00:30
So what kind of education that been being done to kind of educating communities to that approach?
1:00:38
Because I've been hearing it when I was in a year.
Michael Fields
1:00:41
I mean, respectfully, the the education that we we take is to take them to the waiting every year.
1:00:48
You know, you when you arrive by ambulance and it's not a life threatening emergency.
1:00:52
When it is a life threatening emergency, we're taking you straight into the emergency room and you're dealing with the triage that's inside the emergency.
Maisha Morales
1:00:58
Mhmm.
Michael Fields
1:00:58
When it is not a life threatening emergency, we have people who can ambulate that can walk.
1:01:03
We take them to the outside waiting there, and then we wait for triage in that area with them.
1:01:07
Unfortunately, we can't leave them.
1:01:09
We have to stay until we get triage.
Mercedes Narcisse
1:01:11
Mhmm.
1:01:11
And about the respiratory complaint to get them faster.
1:01:17
So those assessment have to be done to the tee.
1:01:21
So if folks doesn't, you know, overcrowded the ER.
Michael Fields
1:01:24
Yes.
1:01:25
But this is a systemic problem, not just in New York City.
1:01:29
This is nationwide.
1:01:30
That the amount of coal volume is going up and the resource is limited.
1:01:34
But, yes, people have our coal and cracked the coal in respect to coal at 911.
1:01:38
They have tried they have they know what to say in order to get a resource fast.
1:01:43
That's the problem.
