Wednesday, August 5, 2009

** Baltimore medics under microscope after declaring live patient dead

** Cleveland paramedic vacations cancelled for week after staffing emergency

UNITED STATES NEWS

** Cleveland paramedics looking to get away from it all this week better think more about a stay-cation, after inadequate staffing prompted the department’s chief to cancel vacations. The Plain Dealer (August 3) said Ed Eckart declared a staffing emergency Saturday. Although normally fielding 19-21 units, high sick time and other absences had reduced the city’s available fleet to just 14. Union spokesman Stephen Palek said the situation proves the city needs to hire more medics. Frequently losing practitioners to higher paying suburban based jobs, the service currently has around 27 openings. Nine providers are expected to graduate soon from the EMS Academy.

** A pair of Baltimore EMTs is under investigation by the fire department after mistakenly declaring a live patient dead. That is the word from the Baltimore Sun (Richard Irwin/August 3) which said the duo attended the call early Saturday morning. According to the newspaper, EMS was hailed around 4:30 a.m. to a northwest grocery store where police shot a burglary suspect in the head. Although initially determining the man was not alive, medics returned to the scene shortly after when police noticed the suspect move. The patient was transported to Maryland Shock Trauma Center where he was listed Monday in critical condition.