Times-Picayune
NEW ORLEANS — Ambulance service is critical for public health and safety, and making sure that New Orleans has enough ambulances to respond to accidents and other emergencies ought to be a high priority in New Orleans’ recovery.
But three years after Hurricane Katrina, the Emergency Medical Service — which answers 700 calls a week — is still short of ambulances and is operating out of trailers under the Crescent City Connection. Neither the Nagin administration nor the City Council is demonstrating much urgency in addressing those needs, and that’s frustrating.
Jullette Saussy, EMS director, pleaded with the City Council’s Housing and Human Needs Committee to find a permanent location for her staff, and the city needs to get moving on that.
Paramedics have to dodge trash thrown from the bridge by motorists, and the state, which owns the parking lot where the trailers are located, has even tried to evict the EMS a few times.
But Dr. Saussy is adamant about the need for ambulances, and that’s a concern that city officials should share. EMS lost 25 of its 40 ambulances to flooding during the storm and has been operating with the 15 remaining ambulances since.
Plans call for leasing an additional 15 ambulances, at a cost of $595,000 a year, to bring the fleet to 30 — a smaller number for a smaller population. But getting ambulances takes time: at least 120 days to build one plus the time demands of the bid process.
The city could address the need more quickly by buying eight “sprint vehicles,” which are SUVS that transport patients, at a cost of $340,000. But the city administration says it wants to wait for federal funding for ambulances.
That might not be the smartest approach, given how long it’s taking to get federal aid for Katrina-related losses. The city should take a hard look at what it’s spending on private providers, which it uses to fill in the gaps when an emergency occurs and all 15 of the city ambulances are tied up.
The amount of money involved isn’t large, and the need is truly critical. Dr. Saussy and her staff can live with cramped quarters, but neither they nor the public should have to wonder if the need for ambulances is going to be met.