Cleveland EMS rejects calls on minor ailments to save money
Transports for toothaches, boils will no longer occur
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By Mark Puente
The Plain Dealer
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"I really like the idea of this but how long will it take them to figure out you have to complain of chest pain to get a taxi?"
— Ashley Hiott III
CLEVELAND — The days of Cleveland paramedics hauling people to the hospital for minor ailments such as hemorrhoids and headaches are over.
At 7 a.m. today, Cleveland Emergency Medical Services will no longer serve as a hospital taxi for problems such as toothaches, boils and similar illnesses.
Callers with the most serious ailments, such as chest pains and trouble breathing, will still be treated before paramedics are dispatched on low-priority runs. Those lesser calls will not be dispatched until 10 ambulances become available and all life-threatening calls are finished.
Full story: Change prompted in part by budget cuts
