The New Orleans CityBusiness
NEW ORLEANS — A quarterly performance report by Philadelphia-based consulting firm Public Financial Management bares some stark realities of life in New Orleans.
The report, presented to the City Council on Aug. 31, offers a glimpse at what PFM consultant Chris Pencikowski called a performance-based assessment of city services. He said the number of deaths in New Orleans rose 25 percent in 2008, while calls for emergency medical service topped 11,000 in the first quarter of 2009.
“This is really a significant sign that there is limited access to care across the city,” Pencikowski said.
Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell said the lack of emergency room services leads more citizens to turn to first responders such as the fire department and emergency medical services, putting a strain on those services.
The New Orleans Fire Department responded to 75 percent of emergency calls within six minutes, Pencikowski said, but that number is still well below the national average of a six-minute response time for 90 percent of calls.
“This shows that while we’ve all been focused on the mental health crisis, we’re also having a straight medical crisis that is all part of the same picture,” New Orleans Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Cary Grant said.
Copyright 2009 Dolan Media Newswires