By Keith Upchurch
The Herald-Sun
DURHAM, NC — Emergency medical calls are up sharply in Durham, but why?
The top reason is population growth, according to Mike Smith, director of Durham County Emergency Medical Services, which is separate from the Fire Department and responds to all EMS calls in Durham County. The population was 256,500 in 2007, according to the Census. That is up from 246,896 in 2006 and 223,314 in 2000.
Other top reasons, he said, include:
- An aging population.
- Sicker patients. “Hospitals are moving them in and out quicker.”
- Heavier traffic.
“People are busier and driving faster,” he said. “They’re running more yellow and red lights, and that creates lots of problems.”
Smith said his department responded to 25,111 emergency calls in Durham County from July 1, 2007, to June 30 this year, and transported patients in 15,665 of those. Those figures include the first-responder EMS calls that the Durham Fire Department gets, which involve calls that are critical in nature, such as respiratory difficulty, vehicle crashes and heart problems, he said.
The numbers are up from the previous fiscal year, when the department responded to 23,132 calls and transported 14,313 patients, he said.
Why the difference in the number of responses and number of patients transported?
Some of the reasons Smith cited:
- The person didn’t need to go to the hospital.
- No one was there when EMS responders arrived.
- The call was canceled.
Smith expects a new computer system his department is getting has an automatic vehicle location feature that will allow the nearest emergency vehicle to be sent to the scene.
And a new patient database system will provide more information about the person calling and what their medical needs may be, and identify the most efficient travel routes, Smith said.