SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — More and more Sacramento residents are calling 911 to request services from emergency responders for symptoms such as hiccups, rashes and low-grade fevers, according to first responders.
Calls have ballooned to a 300% increase in the past year.
Brian Jenson, of Sacramento Metropolitan Fire, said the rise in non-emergency calls correlates into a rise in ambulance rides which eventually translates into excess wait times for emergency room patients with more immediate needs.
In addition to advising residents to restrict 911 calls for ambulances to the most immediate emergencies, Jenson said a few initiatives are on the horizon to address callers with nonimmediate questions:
- Sacramento Metro Fire's Mobile Integrated Health Unit will begin responding in mid-August to callers phoning in for services that don't require ambulance transportation
- Two fire agencies in the area are expected to launch programs before the end of this year to integrate telehealth into their response so that callers get answers faster.
"All of these initiatives are designed to reduce the wait times in the emergency department so that people who are there experiencing a true emergency get the care that they need in a timely way," Jenson said.
Sacramento is launching a website for health questions at RightCareRightPlace.info
