WTNH News Channel 8 / News / 1999

	Report suggests improvements in ambulance service (Hartford-WTNH) _ For the past three months a state committee has been investigating and reviewing the way ambulance crews get to you when there's an emergency. One of the big problems has been response time. The state is now recommending improvements for ambulance service across the state, improvements that may save lives. News Channel 8's Leon Collins reports. Chief Frank Marcucio of Seymour says loopholes in the present state guidelines are the reasons why sometimes people don't get quick emergency ambulance service. Chief Frank Marcucio, Seymour Ambulance: "We're being forced to handle a routine transport that potentially takes us away from from being available for someone having a heart attack or something like that." The state set out to review emergency response a few months ago, and today a legislative committee released their findings and recommendations for better ambulance service statewide. Norma Gyle: "The system itself isn't broken and quite frankly there are so many different components that depend on whether you live in a city or a rural area. we have to address those individual aspects without throwing it all together in one great big pot." One of the recommendations calls for better tracking of ambulance response times to be reported to the Department of Public Health. Other recommendations require towns to monitor and report those records. Chief Marcucio: "I think the report is ambitious. It calls for thing to be done by January 2000. I think that's impossible." However, Frank Marcucio says if the recommendations are passed into law some municipalities may not be able to afford to make the required changes. Overall, officials at the Department of Public Health think the recommendations will help. Gyle: "Hopefully we'll get legislation to give more teeth into laws to hold providers accountable." The reform also calls for more flexibility for towns to stop using ambulance companies that don't live up to set standards. It also includes an experiment for towns to bid on ambulance services instead of having the Department of Public Health assign providers to communities. Today's News Page. WTNH Home Page. ©1999 WTNH/WTNH-DT A LIN station.

Report suggests improvements in ambulance service
(Hartford-WTNH) _ For the past three months a state committee has been investigating and reviewing the way ambulance crews get to you when there's an emergency. One of the big problems has been response time. The state is now recommending improvements for ambulance service across the state, improvements that may save lives.
News Channel 8's Leon Collins reports.

Chief Frank Marcucio of Seymour says loopholes in the present state guidelines are the reasons why sometimes people don't get quick emergency ambulance service.

Chief Frank Marcucio, Seymour Ambulance: "We're being forced to handle a routine transport that potentially takes us away from from being available for someone having a heart attack or something like that."

The state set out to review emergency response a few months ago, and today a legislative committee released their findings and recommendations for better ambulance service statewide.

Norma Gyle: "The system itself isn't broken and quite frankly there are so many different components that depend on whether you live in a city or a rural area. we have to address those individual aspects without throwing it all together in one great big pot."

One of the recommendations calls for better tracking of ambulance response times to be reported to the Department of Public Health. Other recommendations require towns to monitor and report those records.

Chief Marcucio: "I think the report is ambitious. It calls for thing to be done by January 2000. I think that's impossible."

However, Frank Marcucio says if the recommendations are passed into law some municipalities may not be able to afford to make the required changes. Overall, officials at the Department of Public Health think the recommendations will help.

Gyle: "Hopefully we'll get legislation to give more teeth into laws to hold providers accountable."

The reform also calls for more flexibility for towns to stop using ambulance companies that don't live up to set standards. It also includes an experiment for towns to bid on ambulance services instead of having the Department of Public Health assign providers to communities.

Today's News Page.

WTNH Home Page.