BY TRACY LEE TATE
Special to the Times
A letter was received at the Times office last week making several complaints concerning a Union County Emergency Medical Services call made on Jan. 12, 2024. The letter went so far as to call the performance of the medical personnel “unconscionable” and to accuse them of “dereliction of duty.”
The letter was written by Paulette Stitt, who related in a text to the Times that she received a phone call on Friday, Jan. 12, alerting her that a co-worker’s relative had not reported for work and asking her to do a wellness check on the woman.
She said she and her son, Cody, drove to the woman’s house and found her confused in the kitchen. Knowing the woman was diabetic and fearing that she was hypoglycemic, Stitt said she called 911 for assistance. She said an EMS unit arrived, and two medical personnel brought a gurney and a medical bag into the house.
Stitt objected that one of the medical personnel stepped outside to take a call on his cell phone, taking the medical bag with him.
When he returned inside, he asked what was going on, and the woman was assessed and readied for transport.
Stitt was asked if there was a hospital preference, and she told them St. Vincent’s in Jacksonville. She was told that UCEMS does not “do Jacksonville,” but she was transported upon receiving information that the patient’s regular healthcare providers were all there.
Stitt also noted that she was never asked about the patient’s medications or when she last ate.
In discussing this letter with EMS Director Toby Witt, he said he had already heard about the incident and looked into the matter.
First, he said the medic who took the phone call was required to do so, as he was the officer in charge of the department at that time because Witt was on vacation. The medic took the bag because he was required to do it since he was responsible for its medications.
Union EMS does not normally take patients to Jacksonville because of the time it takes, not just the distance but also the delays due to traffic, but it made an exception because that was where the patient normally received care.
Witt said his personnel did not ask about medical history, medications, or eating because Stitt was not a relative, did not live in the same household, and had already said that the medical issue was already underway when she and her son came in.
Witt said, to his knowledge, that the patient was predicted to recover. The medical director cleared the call as properly handled, and there were no issues.
The director added that his department is fully staffed and fully trained but operating under a tight budget. In a larger department, the officer in charge would remain in the office to deal with operations, but that is not always possible in a small department. Answering calls is the number one priority.
Stitt also complained that there was no one at the office door when she went there to complain. Witt said the same situation applied: the secretary was away from the office, and the medical personnel were on calls.
