CLEVELAND — An EMS provider of a private ambulance service is accused of abandoning a patient he was transporting to the hospital.
The incident occurred Oct. 28 in the 4100 block of West 150th Street, where a female patient was being taken to the Cleveland Clinic for chest pain when the driver reportedly got lost, told her he was finished driving for the day, and called an Uber to take himself home, WOIO reported.
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There was no report on any actions by any additional EMS personnel inside the ambulance with the patient.
A Cleveland EMS unit was dispatched to the scene after the driver left the patient behind, according to Cleveland Association of Rescue Employees (CARE) Local 1975. Action 5 News reported the EMS provider worked for Lynx EMS.
A CARE spokesperson said paramedics then administered medical care and transported the woman to the hospital.
Lynx EMS replied in a statement to local news outlets,
“Patient safety and quality care are of the utmost importance to us and responsibilities we take very seriously. Upon becoming aware of the situation, immediate steps were taken to address the matter and ensure the patient’s well-being and care needs were addressed.
We are continuing to review the circumstances surrounding this incident and will take appropriate action based on the findings of that review. As this involves personnel and patient related matters, we are unable to comment further.
We remain committed to providing high-quality care and maintaining the trust of our patients, their families, healthcare partners, and the communities we serve.”
