Re: our discussion of BS calls.......read this from yesterday's Beaumont paper

[Guest guest]

Fine then.......I'll just post the entire freeking thing. What's with not

being able to post correct links anyway?

By SARAH MOORE

The Enterprise 01/15/2004

Eslinger/The Enterprise

Paramedics with Beaumont Emergency Medical Services deal with a

high number of non-emergency calls every day.

BEAUMONT - At about 7:30 p.m. one night in December, the 9-1-1 calls

started rolling in. Dispatchers broadcast the calls over the radio one by

one.

A person not breathing was reported on Landry Lane. Someone was

vomiting blood on Hartel Street. A man on Burton Street had passed out in

the shower and hit his head. After two more calls, all five Beaumont EMS

units had their hands full.

This was a typical night in Beaumont, where Emergency Medical Services

workers scramble to cover the never-ending string of calls.

In 2003, Beaumont EMS made an average of 1,500 calls a month, with

spikes in calls in the summer and Christmas holidays, MS manager Andy Foote

said. But not all 9-1-1 calls are equal, and some people are abusing the

system, diverting much needed resources from real emergencies, EMS officials

say.

Foote estimated that one in three 9-1-1 calls for EMS are

non-emergencies that should be handled in a doctor's office or with

over-the-counter medicines.

Last year, that represented more than 5,000 calls, with the city

absorbing $700,000 in costs, Foote said.

And although Beaumont's population has changed little in more than a

decade, the problem continues to worsen, he added.

When Foote came to work for Beaumont EMS in 1984, units averaged about

five calls a day, Foote said. At that time, weekends were the busiest.

In 1991, when Beaumont first began using the 9-1-1 system, EMS

responded to 5,998 calls, according to city of Beaumont figures. Last year,

despite little population change over the past decade, the department

responded to 17,900 calls.

Beaumont EMS operated in 2003 on a $2.8 million budget but recouped

about $2.1 million in bills for EMS services. Foote estimated that 40

percent of EMS customers do not pay their bills, and a majority of those are

responsible for the unnecessary 9-1-1 calls. The basic charge for an

ambulance ride is $375. Both the Christus St. emergency room and

EMS are overwhelmed by trivial medical situations that should be dealt with

in doctor's offices and clinics, said Foote and Dr. Herman Gerhardt, medical

director for the Christus St. Hospital emergency department.

Gerhardt estimated that 80 percent of the people who use emergency

services do so unnecessarily. EMS must respond to every 9-1-1 call, and

frivolous calls contribute to slow response times, he said.

Sometimes people are scared, in pain and don't know where to turn,

Gerhardt said. Sometimes, patients lack education about what 9-1-1 is for,

or they simply have no other way to get to the hospital.

A contributing factor to EMS abuse is insufficient medical care for

the indigent in Beaumont, Gerhardt said. And because of liability issues,

most doctors aren't willing to advise patients over the phone.

" There's not that much help for people who are hurting or scared, "

Gerhardt said. " That being said, the system is totally abused. "

Some people believe that they will be seen more quickly at the

hospital if they arrive in an ambulance. This is a myth, said Freda Lyons, a

registered nurse and Christus St. urgent care services director.

Some 9-1-1 calls come from elderly people whose families are too busy

with their own lives to care for them, or from parents who can't be bothered

to take their children to the doctor after they fall off their bicycles,

Foote said.

People without cars call 9-1-1 to " save " the cab fare. Never mind that

an ambulance ride without any other medical services costs $375. Some people

never intend to pay it anyway, Foote said.

Paramedics once raced to attend to a patient who " couldn't breath, "

only to find that the reason he had troubling breathing was because he had a

cold and a stuffed-up nose, Foote said.

Some 9-1-1 uses are even more frivolous, he said.

One elderly woman panicked and called because her feet were tangled in

the sheets and she couldn't free them.

Many frivolous calls come from the same people, District Chief Jerry

Lyons of the Beaumont Fire Department said. One elderly woman in north

Beaumont complains of medical ailments when what she really wants is for

someone to bring her a burger and a soft drink and sit and chat with her.

Most outrageous of all are parents or caretakers of elderly people who

call for an ambulance to provide transportation to the hospital so they will

be free to go out on Friday night, Foote said.

The bogus calls also tax an already tight EMS budget.

Five units usually manage to stay occupied on a typical day in

Beaumont, Foote said. Because of the tightening city budget, in 2003,

Beaumont EMS stopped paying overtime to emergency workers.

Part-timers are called in when regular workers are off. About four

days per month, EMS operates with only three units, and on those days,

medics often race from call to call without a break.

Another problem associated with the high rate of trivial calls is

employee burnout, Foote said. Paramedics who entered the field to save lives

get tired of responding to trivial calls for which they often can't do

anything anyway.

" There is no answer, " Foote said. " The answer is education, but if

people are going to abuse (the system) there is no answer. "

Gerhardt hesitated to put hard guidelines on what is not an emergency.

However, some situations that probably warrant emergency care include:

* Heavy bleeding.

* Breathing problems.

* Chest pains and shortness of breath.

* Severe abdominal pain.

* Fainting episodes.

" Think of the word 'emergency,' " Foote said. " Is it life threatening?

If it isn't life threatening, take yourself to the hospital or call your

doctor. "

What are not medical emergencies are sprained ankles, minor burns,

colds and scrapes. Even cuts requiring stitches are not an emergency unless

they occur after regular doctor's hours, Foote said.

Pregnant women going into labor under normal health conditions do not

warrant a 9-1-1 call, Foote said.

While the non-emergency medical calls are a problem, they are not

illegal, Foote said.

" The law states that we have to respond (to all 9-1-1 calls), " Foote

said.

However, there are misdemeanor penalties for making false reports or

for repeatedly dialing 9-1-1 for no reason, but police issue few citations

for this because it doesn't happen often, Foote said.

Unpaid accounts are turned over to collection agencies, but if those

people continue to call, EMS must respond.

" Those we can educate, we do, " Foote said. " Those we can't, we

tolerate. "

Reach this reporter at:

, ext. 419

smoore@...

©The Beaumont Enterprise 2004

magnetass sends

our discussion of BS calls.......read this from

yesterday's Beaumont paper

> http://www.southeasttexaslive.com/site/news.cfm?

> newsid=10812269 & BRD=2287 & PAG=461 & dept_id=512588 & rfi=6

>

>

>

>

>

>

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our discussion of BS calls.......read this from

yesterday's Beaumont paper

http://www.southeasttexaslive.com/site/news.cfm?

newsid=10812269 & BRD=2287 & PAG=461 & dept_id=512588 & rfi=6

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[Guest guest]

try this link for the full story it worked for me/

http://www.southeasttexaslive.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10812269 & BRD=2287 & PAG=461\

& dept_id=512588 & rfi=6

our discussion of BS calls.......read this from

yesterday's Beaumont paper

http://www.southeasttexaslive.com/site/news.cfm?

newsid=10812269 & BRD=2287 & PAG=461 & dept_id=512588 & rfi=6

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

try this link for the full story it worked for me/

http://www.southeasttexaslive.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10812269 & BRD=2287 & PAG=461\

& dept_id=512588 & rfi=6

our discussion of BS calls.......read this from

yesterday's Beaumont paper

http://www.southeasttexaslive.com/site/news.cfm?

newsid=10812269 & BRD=2287 & PAG=461 & dept_id=512588 & rfi=6

------------------------------------------------------------------------------