Don’t allow abuse of ambulances

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Sep 18, 2012

~~<p>When Hawaii Medical Centers closed down in January, one of the most acutely felt gaps in medical care was felt in the emergency services arena — two fewer emergency rooms to supply the services needed by a rapidly growing area.</p>
<p>And now it comes to light that the demand side of the equation has been adding to the strain, too, even more than necessary. The city Department of Emergency Services reviewed its log of 911 calls and found a top 10 list of patients, most of them served by EMS dozens of times in a year — 527 help calls in all. Topping that list was a single individual for whom the ambulance was summoned 142 times in 2010.</p>
~~

When Hawaii Medical Centers closed down in January, one of the most acutely felt gaps in medical care was felt in the emergency services arena — two fewer emergency rooms to supply the services needed by a rapidly growing area.

And now it comes to light that the demand side of the equation has been adding to the strain, too, even more than necessary. The city Department of Emergency Services reviewed its log of 911 calls and found a top 10 list of patients, most of them served by EMS dozens of times in a year — 527 help calls in all. Topping that list was a single individual for whom the ambulance was summoned 142 times in 2010. Login for more...