By Bill Carey
EMS1
CATSKILL, N.Y. — Two Catskill EMS employees have resigned following the circulation of a surveillance video on social media.
Catskill Town Supervisor Patrick McCulloch said the video, which shows the alleged mistreatment of a patient, immediately caught the town’s attention, prompting an internal investigation, News10 reported.
On May 16, Catskill EMS responded to a call off Main Street. The nature of the call was not reported. An EMT can be heard telling the patient, “Come on down,” to which someone responds, “He’s very weak.” The EMT replies, “I can’t carry him down the stairs. He’ll have to go on his butt and come down.”
The video does not show the patient, who lives on the second floor, struggling to descend the stairs and approach the ambulance.
“Let’s go,” one EMT is heard saying. Both EMTs stand by as the patient struggles to climb up on his knees. The patient eventually collapsed in the back of the ambulance before getting onto the stretcher, News12 reported.
“You need to get up,” one EMT says. “I’m not doing this.”
Another is heard saying, “I literally just watched you put yourself on the ground on purpose. I’m not playing this game with you.”
“In the town, we take patient care at the utmost importance, first and foremost,” Catskill Town Supervisor Patrick McCulloch said. “So when I saw the video, I felt it was our duty to act on this and be as transparent with the public as we can.”
McCulloch said that with the resignation of the EMTs, the town considers the internal investigation closed but they are still reviewing their policies to improve service.
The patient was reportedly a multiple-stroke victim and suffered internal bleeding after the incident, WRBG reported.
