You Could Soon Be Waiting Longer For An Ambulance
MEDIC officials are rolling out a new response plan that could increase wait times for less serious calls.
Mecklenburg County’s ambulance service provider says it will reduce the use of lights and sirens on calls and reduce its use of other first responders such as fire crews. The change is being made to address a “disproportionate” number of calls that turn out to be non-emergent. In numbers released by the agency, only 6.9% of calls involving lights and siren result in life saving interventions.
MEDIC executive director John Peterson said at a Davidson Town Board Meeting Tuesday, “The purpose of this is that we want to ensure we are getting the right resources, to the right patients, in the right amount of time.”
Officials expect the change to open up resources for high acuity calls, but it will likely increase wait times for calls that are not as serious.
According to WJZY-TV, some Davidson commissioners were concerned about how the plan would affect their part of Mecklenburg County. Davidson does not have an ambulance permanently stationed there. Commissioners were told MEDIC would monitor and assess the success of the new response plan.
MEDIC officials have already outlined the new plan for Charlotte City Council members. They will next explain the new response plan for Matthews Town Council on February 13.
