ADVERTISEMENT
Podcasts
EMS Indictments, Terminations, and the Need for Culture Change
02/13/2023
In the last month, five EMS providers have been terminated and two of them were charged with murder as a result of treatment provided to patients. EMS is under the microscope and significant changes are coming.
In this sobering yet essential podcast, host Mike McCabe speaks with Peter Antevy, MD, pediatric emergency physician and EMS medical director for several Florida fire-rescue services, and Steve Wirth, founding partner of EMS law firm Page Wolfberg & Wirth, to analyze the ramifications of these cases and the crossroads at which EMS stands.
Comments
I have been an EMS provider for 40 years and agree with most of the ideas the participants voiced. I think a significant issue is the lack of identity for EMS. EMS is not thought of as healthcare providers nor is it considered a public safety asset. The issues of burnout and high turnover have existed long before COVID and will continue until EMS providers are recognized and compensated as the healthcare professionals they are.
I do take issue with the reference to the assumption the events discussed were due to a racial bias. I have seen over many years similar albeit not as egregious incidents occur with persons if all races. I think a lot of these incident are a result of lack of training in handling EDP and impaired persons and frustration over the wide ranging issues affecting EMS in the US.
—Robert Smith