Jennifer Johnson
Grand Forks Herald
GRAND FORKS, N.D. — Altru Health System in Grand Forks has seen a 15 percent increase in ambulance calls this year, but there is no clear reason why.
Emergencies in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks requiring an ambulance have significantly outpaced average annual activity and prompted the hospital to hire about a dozen more workers so far this year, said Art Culver, ambulance service manager for Altru.
From Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, the ambulance service received 6,303 calls.
“My best guess is that we are having a bigger population increase than we realize,” he said. “The other possibility could be that with health care reform, more people have insurance now and do not fear calling an ambulance because they now have insurance to offset the cost.”
The average number of ambulance calls the hospital receives has grown in recent years but rose more dramatically this year.
The hospital reported a 2 percent increase in calls in 2013 and a 5 percent increase last year, Culver said. But as of last month, the hospital reported a 15 percent increase, he said.
As a result, Altru has hired a dozen more emergency medical technicians and paramedics, bringing the current total to about 56.
More emergencies
The increase correlates with a higher number of overall emergency calls received by the Grand Forks 911 Center, which handles calls across the county, though it has not had same growth Altru is reporting.
So far this year, the center has seen a 5 percent overall increase in calls for service, which include accidents, burglaries, robberies and other emergencies, said Shannon LaHaise, center supervisor.
Although the center doesn’t track the numbers of calls coming from one particular city, and cannot break down the number of medical calls it has received, overall “we’ve noticed Altru has definitely seen an increase in their calls for service,” she said.
Over the past six years, the overall number of 911 calls has increased at the center by 18 percent, she said.
The U.S. Census Bureau report shows Grand Forks had a population of 56,057 in 2014, representing a 6 percent increase since 2010. Population growth in the state isn’t tracked by the North Dakota Census Office because it relies on federal government data, said Kevin Iverson, manager at the Census Office.
Whether the ambulance calls come from Grand Forks residents or out-of-state residents passing through—in the event of a vehicle accident, for instance—is hard to tell.
Culver said the hospital doesn’t track calls for service based on residence. In addition, there has been no increase in the type of calls that come in. It has just seen an overall increase in service calls, he said.
A higher number of these calls means more emergency vehicles are on the road. In a recent radio interview, Culver talked about the appropriate response drivers should take when they spot an ambulance.
State law requires drivers to slow down, pull over to the right side of the road and stop if possible, he said.
Drivers should try to be more aware of emergency vehicles, which can be easier to forget when cars are more sound-proof and audio systems are better, he said.
“If you see an ambulance, don’t panic, even if they’re right behind you,” he said. “Just slow down, move over to the right and stop.”
©2015 the Grand Forks Herald