WASHINGTON COUNTY, Texas — Washington County EMS says it’s so overwhelmed by non-emergency 9-1-1 calls, and the county is spending $100,000 to fix what it calls a broken system.
“With an increase in call volume, increase in expectation of service, and a decrease in revenue, there becomes a problem,” said Washington County Emergency Medical Services Director Kevin Deramus.
Last year, Washington County responded to at least 5,000 calls, and 1200 of those were frequent flyers. Frequent Flyers are patients that called at least 3 times a year. If one of those calls could be knocked off with this program, it would save taxpayers $800,000 a year according to Washington Co. EMS. Several paramedics are being trained to use their down time to keep up with patients who frequently call 9-1-1 for minor health problems like headaches or if they just want a ride to the hospital.
Full story: Unique EMS Program Could Save Taxpayers $800,000