UPDATE: A press release, well isn’t that special.
Jill wrote such a sweet letter today telling us about an ordinance that was already passed weeks ago by the city council instead of talking about the real elephant in the room, the musical emergency codes of Paramedics Plus.
Public health policy is a collaborative effort. It combines the efforts of leaders charged with, and invested in, improving the health of our city, public health experts who are responsible for making effective policy recommendations, as well as advocates and concerned residents who want a healthy community and a better future for those who live, work and play in Sioux Falls.
Oh, really Jill? If you were so CONCERNED about the health and well being of our community, you would make sure ambulances show up in a timely manner.
I encourage the citizens to call these fine folks and ask them why the code for Level Zero got changed to a 980.
Public Health Director • Jill M. Franken, 367-8761
Assistant Director of Public Health • Alicia Collura, 367-8009
Emergency Medical Quality Assurance Coordinator • (REMSA) Julie Charbonneau, 367-8763
EMS Medical Director • Jeff Luther, M.D., 271-9000
What’s sad about Franken’s statement is she believes it. How come 4 city people supervise an ambulance service with one ambulance? I wouldn’t want to challenge them at solitaire or crossword puzzles. Maybe all those stored games is why there’s no room on city servers for public meetings.
When people learned that ‘Code 5’ meant Rural Metro was out of ambulances, Paramedics Plus came to town and changed the code to ‘Level Zero’.
When KELO let that cat out of the bag, they changed the code again, this time getting sneakier, using multiple codes when multiple calls were without ambulances, (980, 981, 982, etc.).
Franken and REMSA are now complicit in trying to cover up the ambulance shortage and put a private company’s profits ahead of patient care. It’s time for them to go.
I hear the SD Healthcare Coalition is looking for a new Executive Director:
http://www.ksfy.com/content/news/Healthcare-Coalition-rescinds-offer-to-Sideras-for-executive-director-position-423326644.html
Do you remember KSFY’s story last summer about PP? I wonder why they are not chiming-in again too, to defend the City and PP at KELO’s expense?
http://www.ksfy.com/content/news/City-addresses-confusion-over-ambulance-service-385770821.html
The funny part is that the Argus was tipped off on this weeks before Angela. KSFY and KDLT were both given a heads up the same time as KELO.
It seems even when these stories are handed to them on a silver f’ing platter they still have important things to do like telling us eating asparagus makes our piss smell bad. Stellar journalism.
Heres an idea to save a ton of goverment money. Buy an ambulance, put those three empty salaries in it and have them respond to the drunk homeless calls we send to the ER. Get that office to working on actual health needs rather than twiddling their thumbs.
I think they call that last example “Yellow Journalism.”
If there’s no ambulance and these 4 are responsible, isn’t it criminal? We can accept city employees addicted to porn but there’s a line in the pink granite when it comes to murder?
Bob Marley’s final words, “Money Can’t Buy Life”.
Well isn’t this convenient, REMSA cancelled their monthly meeting for May. No results for April and May until the end of June.
Jill, Julie, Alicia and Jeff make sure the robust quality assurance system “is in place to ensure that our EMS system is meeting the needs of the community.” They just don’t let us know what community. Anyone seen our missing 980 ambulances around town lately?
I think, I found the ghost of 980:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS8QAfSDwNE