By Peter Segall
The Bakersfield Californian
KERN COUNTY, Calif. — Calls to 911 increased by 23% between 2019 and 2023, according to a report from Kern County Public Health Services.
The increase was noted in the 2023 countywide ground ambulance service performance report submitted to the Kern County Board of Supervisors for approval at Tuesday’s meetings.
The report also found ambulance crews spent 24,694 hours in 2023 — more than 1,028 days, or 2.8 years — caring for patients within hospitals while they waited for the hospitals to assume responsibility for the patient, instead of being in the field available to respond to 911 calls.
The report notes staffing shortages are high in the healthcare industry across the nation. According to the report, the California Ambulance Association found a shortage of 7,000 emergency medical technicians and paramedics in the state and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics noted a shortage of 21,000 EMTs and paramedics nationwide.
“It is estimated that more than 9,000 physicians stopped practicing medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has limited the availability of primary care or medical homes for our residents, leading to a heavier reliance on the emergency medical care system,” the report said.
The report states public health has worked with the county’s private ambulance providers to enact changes aimed at addressing issues.
One implemented policy change was the patient transport to triage policy allowing patients determined to be low-acuity or not seriously or critically ill to be taken directly to the hospital waiting room triage nurse upon arrival at a hospital.
Another change was made to the use of fly cars, or EMS vehicles that don’t transport patients, but get paramedics from scene to scene. Fly cars are dispatched as 911 calls are received requiring a paramedic level of care.
If the paramedic determines the patient doesn’t need paramedic-level care, the paramedic leaves the EMT crew to handle the call and becomes available for the next call.
The county has also implemented Tele911, which allows field crews to connect with medical providers through a mobile app. The medical provider determines whether the patient requires transport to the emergency room or an alternative location, advises treatment on scene or links the patient to more appropriate forms of medical care and social services.
Public Health also created an Ambulance Patient Offload Time Taskforce to meet regularly to develop solutions to longer offload times.
Faced with a high number of false or trivial calls, the county has implemented an inappropriate user policy.
This policy provides a process for someone who has been continually and intentionally misusing the 911 system to be put on notice. If services continue to be misused, ambulance transports can be discontinued to that individual, the report said.
Public Health officials held a press conference in June urging members of the public not to call 911 unless there is a genuine emergency.
The Californian reported at the time that more than 40% of incoming 911 calls didn’t merit a response as they were concerning non-emergency issues such as headaches or coughs.
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