'Use 911 sparingly.' Florida and Tennessee officials warn - think twice before calling for ambulance
'Use 911 sparingly.' Florida and Tennessee officials warn ambulance and emergency services are overworked due to Covid-19 surge
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/use-911-sparingly-florida-and-tennessee-officials-warn-ambulance-and-emergency-services-are-overworked-due-to-covid-19-surge/ar-AANgugz?ocid=msedgntp
As Covid-19 numbers surge across the country, officials in parts of Florida and Tennessee are warning that their emergency response systems are strained and pleading with residents to think twice before calling for an ambulance.
In Brevard County, Florida, Fire Rescue Chief Mark Schollmeyer said ambulances are taking longer because they're not able to hand off patients to hospital staff as quickly because many emergency rooms are already full.
County officials are asking that residents "use 9-1-1 sparingly for non-emergent issues and to save the ambulances and ER trips for those who urgently need those services," Schollmeyer said in a statement on Monday.
"Just being COVID positive but asymptomatic does not always make it a life-threatening emergent condition requiring a trip to the ER," the chief added. "We ask people to take advantage of your primary care physician, telemedicine or urgent care and leave emergency room and ambulance trips for those with life threatening or serious emergencies."