By Sonny Long
Victoria Advocate (Texas)
Copyright 2007 Victoria Advocate
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
GOLIAD, Texas — Despite a letter from the Goliad EMS medical director urging paramedics to transport patients even if they don’t perceive an emergency, the Texas Department of State Health Services has closed its investigation and the complaint case against Goliad Emergency Services.
A letter from Fernando Posada, EMS program manager for TDSHS, concluded the investigation. He could not be reached for comment Monday.
Toi Auten and her husband, Kevin, who initiated the complaint, said they were not contacted by anyone from the state agency.
“We have never been contacted about anything except by (county) Judge (Harold) Gleinser,” Kevin Auten. “And he wanted to know if the state had contacted us.”
The complaint stemmed from an incident two days before Christmas 2005 when Toi Austen, who was expecting a baby, was being driven to DeTar North Hospital in Victoria by her husband when they were stopped for speeding.
“We were stopped for speeding by a Goliad deputy and when we explained the situation and he saw me curled up in the back seat, he called EMS,” Toi Auten told the Advocate almost a year ago. “When the ambulance got there, they didn’t take any vital signs. They just said there was nothing they could do for me. One of the paramedics even joked to the deputy that we were just trying to get out of a speeding ticket.”
The Autens were allowed to continue to Detar.
“I think EMS finally called the doctor, but we were already gone. It was an emergency,” Auten said.
At Detar, during the Christmas holidays, Auten underwent surgery and had an ovary and fallopian tube removed.
Peggy Fonseca, county EMS administrator, on Monday presented the December 2006 results of the investigation to county commissioners, who accepted the findings without further review.
“We’re happy with the findings,” Fonseca said. “We felt all along the complaint was unfounded.”
“I’m satisfied,” said Commissioner Ted Long.
Gleinser, however, expressed his displeasure that the state investigation only included the Auten case and not other incidents reported to the commissioners court early last year.
“They never even talked to these other families,” he said. He, too, unsuccessfully tried to reach Posada on Monday.