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| Copyright © 2009-2010. MediRide, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
Why would Marquette County Central Dispatch, Joe VanOosterhout, and others simply
refuse to follow the law? Could it be politics? Maybe. I have my opinions, you can
form your own.
If any of these things were isolated incidents, if any of these things were rare
occurrences, I might think differently, but there are so many instances of "mistakes"
made at Marquette County Central Dispatch, that it's become laughable. I cannot tell
you the countless number of times that Central Dispatch has "accidentally" skipped
MediRide EMS in the dispatch rotation and sent a MGH ambulance instead. When
we've complained, we're told that it was simply an "accident." Sorry.
Sure, I've been labeled a complainer, a trouble-maker over at Central Dispatch. Joe
VanOosterhout is certainly not inviting me to his next Christmas party, but I think it's
important to call them on the repeated errors. Their "accidents" that have cost this
company tens of thousands of dollars over the last five years. But still, we go on.
What is Marquette County Central Dispatch's excuse for dispatching ambulances in
this way? Simply this. MGH EMS and MediRide EMS are located within two miles of
each other. Thus, MCCD considers our agencies to be "at the same location." Now,
MGH is at 420 W. Magnetic Street, and MediRide EMS is located at 925 W.
Washington Street. This is obviously, not the same location. They're there, and we're
here. I have worked tirelessly to get this dispatch policy changed to conform with the
law and the Marquette County protocol. I strongly believe that the patient deserves
access to the closest (fastest) emergency responder, regardless of who the
responder might be. Why should people suffer because of what I consider to be the
greed of big business? Here is copy of a speech I gave to the Marquette County
Central Dispatch Policy Board on March 20, 2008. In this speech, I again, give
examples to the Policy Board of abuse and misuse of the system. I point out the rule
of law, and give examples of how ambulances are dispatched in other Michigan
counties served by multiple EMS / ambulance agencies. It's always closest car.
Clearly, Cheryl Hill, the Central Dispatch legal counsel, has a differing view on the
subject than I do, but I wonder what does Phillip Brown, Assistant Attorney General,
Public Health Division, have to say on the subject? In a memo (Page 1 | Page 2) to
Walter Wheeler, III, Director, Bureau of Health Systems, Assistant Attorney General
Brown states, "You ask whether dispatching of the closest ambulance is required by
law and, if so, whether that requirement applies equally to dispatching of police and
fire units as well as public and private ambulances." Brown goes on to say, "...the
"9-1-1-" law is intended by the legislature to govern dispatching of all emergency
vehicles wherever a 9-1-1 system is in operation. The definition of each (dispatch)
method requires that the unite "located closest to the request" for service be
dispatched. Accordingly, it is my opinion that the Committee policy for dispatching the
closest ambulance is required by law."
I don't imagine it could be any clearer than that. Do you?
There is so much more that could be said about this issue. I have countless other
letters and e-mails, but by now, I think you get the point.
Let me conclude by saying that the information I've presented here is only the tip of the
iceberg. It is my opinion and belief that none of this is by accident, and that a lot of it
could put the very lives of the people we are to serve at risk, and for what? Money?
What is the value of any person's life? As far as I'm concerned, it's far greater than any
amount of money.
In any business, is revenue important? Absolutely. It's a necessity. Is it worth it to me
to put a person's life at risk to make a buck. Never.
Growing up, I always wanted to believe that the people entrusted with governing and
ruling our society were honest, just, fair people, and many of them are. Unfortunately,
however, even in a small community like Marquette, Michigan, there are greedy forces
at work, manipulating and controlling things behind the scenes. If I wasn't personally
affected by it, I would never have realized it was going on. I never would have known,
and if I was told about it, I probably would've dismissed them as crazy conspiracy
theorist whakos.
I want you to know, however, that the information I've presented here is as accurate as
I can make it. The explanation I provided for the motivation behind some of the
decisions and moves that've been made by Marquette General Health System, and
Marquette County Central Dispatch are my opinion, but I base that opinion on
countless numbers of documents (many, many more than are posted here), and on
the actions of the people, groups and agencies involved. I've done my best to present
to you the facts as I see them, but I'll leave it up to you to form your own opinion.
If you, like me, don't want to stand for corruption and good ol' boy politics, there are
things you can do to put a stop to it.
If you're a MGH Lifeline customer, and you want the closest ambulance to respond to
you when you need help, all you have to do is call the number located on your Lifeline
base unit, and ask that the ambulance preference be removed. I'm not telling you to
change your listed "preference" from MGH EMS to MediRide EMS. I don't want that for
you. What if our ambulances are busy, and you have to wait for service. You should
receive help immediately, and you deserve it.
If you don't like the fact that Marquette County Central Dispatch is making rulings that
could delay response to you or your family members because of policies that do not
adhere to state of Michigan laws, call your County Commissioner and demand they
dictate the policy be changed. Here is a link to all Marquette County Commissioners.
You can also write a letter to the editor of the Mining Journal or to TV6. It's only by
putting pressure on these people and expressing your outrage that anything will ever
be done to correct the situation.
I also encourage you to patronize local, family-owned, independent health care
providers. There are so many incredible, talented people out there who aren't
controlled by a big machine. These folks, like MediRide EMS care more about the
health and welfare of their patients, than about the almighty dollar.
I'd like to recognize the many government groups and people who are not swayed by
petty politics, and actually enforce the laws in the state of Michigan. All of the
communities we serve have been approached by Marquette General in an effort for
MGH to gain exclusive contract rights and maintain their monopoly on the EMS
industry in our area. Each and every one of them recognized the fact that competition
is a good thing. It helps stimulate a higher quality of services, and helps to reduce the
costs of services for the consumer (our patients). I think they also realized that the
more emergency services resources available to the citizens, the better their lives will
be. Who wouldn't want an abundance of help when necessary.
I'm so thankful for the tens of thousands of patients that have allowed MediRide EMS
to serve them in a time of need over the last decade. You folks have been incredible
and have enriched all of our lives. I've met a lot of great patients, heard a lot of
amazing stories, and learned a lot from our patients, and for that I am forever grateful.
Be assured, all of us here at MediRide EMS will continue to fight the fight, on behalf of
everyone in our community. We really do care about you!
I hope you'll take a minute to browse the rest of our website. You'll learn about many
of MediRide's community service programs and you'll also get a little bit of insight into
our mission for the people of Marquette County.
I'd love to hear from you about what I've posted here. If you send me a legitimate
email (daveg@mediride.com) with your name, address and phone number, I will
respond to you. I can also be reached by calling me at (906) 226-4565, ext. 10. I look
forward to hearing from you. You can also leave your comments online by visiting our
blog.
Respectfully,
David L. Guizzetti, MBA, BSA, NREMT
President & CEO
MediRide, Inc. EMS
refuse to follow the law? Could it be politics? Maybe. I have my opinions, you can
form your own.
If any of these things were isolated incidents, if any of these things were rare
occurrences, I might think differently, but there are so many instances of "mistakes"
made at Marquette County Central Dispatch, that it's become laughable. I cannot tell
you the countless number of times that Central Dispatch has "accidentally" skipped
MediRide EMS in the dispatch rotation and sent a MGH ambulance instead. When
we've complained, we're told that it was simply an "accident." Sorry.
Sure, I've been labeled a complainer, a trouble-maker over at Central Dispatch. Joe
VanOosterhout is certainly not inviting me to his next Christmas party, but I think it's
important to call them on the repeated errors. Their "accidents" that have cost this
company tens of thousands of dollars over the last five years. But still, we go on.
What is Marquette County Central Dispatch's excuse for dispatching ambulances in
this way? Simply this. MGH EMS and MediRide EMS are located within two miles of
each other. Thus, MCCD considers our agencies to be "at the same location." Now,
MGH is at 420 W. Magnetic Street, and MediRide EMS is located at 925 W.
Washington Street. This is obviously, not the same location. They're there, and we're
here. I have worked tirelessly to get this dispatch policy changed to conform with the
law and the Marquette County protocol. I strongly believe that the patient deserves
access to the closest (fastest) emergency responder, regardless of who the
responder might be. Why should people suffer because of what I consider to be the
greed of big business? Here is copy of a speech I gave to the Marquette County
Central Dispatch Policy Board on March 20, 2008. In this speech, I again, give
examples to the Policy Board of abuse and misuse of the system. I point out the rule
of law, and give examples of how ambulances are dispatched in other Michigan
counties served by multiple EMS / ambulance agencies. It's always closest car.
Clearly, Cheryl Hill, the Central Dispatch legal counsel, has a differing view on the
subject than I do, but I wonder what does Phillip Brown, Assistant Attorney General,
Public Health Division, have to say on the subject? In a memo (Page 1 | Page 2) to
Walter Wheeler, III, Director, Bureau of Health Systems, Assistant Attorney General
Brown states, "You ask whether dispatching of the closest ambulance is required by
law and, if so, whether that requirement applies equally to dispatching of police and
fire units as well as public and private ambulances." Brown goes on to say, "...the
"9-1-1-" law is intended by the legislature to govern dispatching of all emergency
vehicles wherever a 9-1-1 system is in operation. The definition of each (dispatch)
method requires that the unite "located closest to the request" for service be
dispatched. Accordingly, it is my opinion that the Committee policy for dispatching the
closest ambulance is required by law."
I don't imagine it could be any clearer than that. Do you?
There is so much more that could be said about this issue. I have countless other
letters and e-mails, but by now, I think you get the point.
Let me conclude by saying that the information I've presented here is only the tip of the
iceberg. It is my opinion and belief that none of this is by accident, and that a lot of it
could put the very lives of the people we are to serve at risk, and for what? Money?
What is the value of any person's life? As far as I'm concerned, it's far greater than any
amount of money.
In any business, is revenue important? Absolutely. It's a necessity. Is it worth it to me
to put a person's life at risk to make a buck. Never.
Growing up, I always wanted to believe that the people entrusted with governing and
ruling our society were honest, just, fair people, and many of them are. Unfortunately,
however, even in a small community like Marquette, Michigan, there are greedy forces
at work, manipulating and controlling things behind the scenes. If I wasn't personally
affected by it, I would never have realized it was going on. I never would have known,
and if I was told about it, I probably would've dismissed them as crazy conspiracy
theorist whakos.
I want you to know, however, that the information I've presented here is as accurate as
I can make it. The explanation I provided for the motivation behind some of the
decisions and moves that've been made by Marquette General Health System, and
Marquette County Central Dispatch are my opinion, but I base that opinion on
countless numbers of documents (many, many more than are posted here), and on
the actions of the people, groups and agencies involved. I've done my best to present
to you the facts as I see them, but I'll leave it up to you to form your own opinion.
If you, like me, don't want to stand for corruption and good ol' boy politics, there are
things you can do to put a stop to it.
If you're a MGH Lifeline customer, and you want the closest ambulance to respond to
you when you need help, all you have to do is call the number located on your Lifeline
base unit, and ask that the ambulance preference be removed. I'm not telling you to
change your listed "preference" from MGH EMS to MediRide EMS. I don't want that for
you. What if our ambulances are busy, and you have to wait for service. You should
receive help immediately, and you deserve it.
If you don't like the fact that Marquette County Central Dispatch is making rulings that
could delay response to you or your family members because of policies that do not
adhere to state of Michigan laws, call your County Commissioner and demand they
dictate the policy be changed. Here is a link to all Marquette County Commissioners.
You can also write a letter to the editor of the Mining Journal or to TV6. It's only by
putting pressure on these people and expressing your outrage that anything will ever
be done to correct the situation.
I also encourage you to patronize local, family-owned, independent health care
providers. There are so many incredible, talented people out there who aren't
controlled by a big machine. These folks, like MediRide EMS care more about the
health and welfare of their patients, than about the almighty dollar.
I'd like to recognize the many government groups and people who are not swayed by
petty politics, and actually enforce the laws in the state of Michigan. All of the
communities we serve have been approached by Marquette General in an effort for
MGH to gain exclusive contract rights and maintain their monopoly on the EMS
industry in our area. Each and every one of them recognized the fact that competition
is a good thing. It helps stimulate a higher quality of services, and helps to reduce the
costs of services for the consumer (our patients). I think they also realized that the
more emergency services resources available to the citizens, the better their lives will
be. Who wouldn't want an abundance of help when necessary.
I'm so thankful for the tens of thousands of patients that have allowed MediRide EMS
to serve them in a time of need over the last decade. You folks have been incredible
and have enriched all of our lives. I've met a lot of great patients, heard a lot of
amazing stories, and learned a lot from our patients, and for that I am forever grateful.
Be assured, all of us here at MediRide EMS will continue to fight the fight, on behalf of
everyone in our community. We really do care about you!
I hope you'll take a minute to browse the rest of our website. You'll learn about many
of MediRide's community service programs and you'll also get a little bit of insight into
our mission for the people of Marquette County.
I'd love to hear from you about what I've posted here. If you send me a legitimate
email (daveg@mediride.com) with your name, address and phone number, I will
respond to you. I can also be reached by calling me at (906) 226-4565, ext. 10. I look
forward to hearing from you. You can also leave your comments online by visiting our
blog.
Respectfully,
David L. Guizzetti, MBA, BSA, NREMT
President & CEO
MediRide, Inc. EMS
| AUDIO EXTRA! Names / Phone numbers of private citizens or patients have been edited out to protect privacy. |
Cut # 1 - MGH EMS Delays Response For 98 y/o
Lifeline Subscriber
This audio clip is of 141 delaying its response for a
98 year old woman who pushed her MGH Lifeline
button. When the Lifeline operator tried to contact
her, she got "no response." This could be a
serious call. At 0:51, you'll hear the Lifeline
Operator tell Marquette County Central Dispatcher
that this is a "request" for MGH EMS. She states, "it
(her computer) says that when calling Central
Dispatch ask for Marquette General advanced life
support ambulance." Sounds exactly like what a 98
year old woman would say...right?
At 1:28 in, the dispatcher tells MGH unit 141 that
she has "another" run for them (they are currently
already out on another call). She asks them if they'll
be able to take the call or not? 141 says, "more
than likely, not. We're kinda tied up here." At this
stage no one knew the "nature of complaint" on this
patient other than there was an help alarm and the
patient wasn't responding to the Lifeline Operator.
It's important to note that MGH Unit 141 was just
dispatched on another call. Initially, they couldn't
take this call because they were busy, but, then
thought they'd go to their other call, treat and
transport that patient, and then mosey on over to the
second call.
All this time, there was a MediRide EMS Advanced
Life Support ambulance that could have responded
within seconds.
Luckily, this patient was not experiencing a severe
emergency, but what if she was? Should the
response have been delayed? Shouldn't MGH
Lifeline subscribers have access to immediate
care?
Lifeline Subscriber
This audio clip is of 141 delaying its response for a
98 year old woman who pushed her MGH Lifeline
button. When the Lifeline operator tried to contact
her, she got "no response." This could be a
serious call. At 0:51, you'll hear the Lifeline
Operator tell Marquette County Central Dispatcher
that this is a "request" for MGH EMS. She states, "it
(her computer) says that when calling Central
Dispatch ask for Marquette General advanced life
support ambulance." Sounds exactly like what a 98
year old woman would say...right?
At 1:28 in, the dispatcher tells MGH unit 141 that
she has "another" run for them (they are currently
already out on another call). She asks them if they'll
be able to take the call or not? 141 says, "more
than likely, not. We're kinda tied up here." At this
stage no one knew the "nature of complaint" on this
patient other than there was an help alarm and the
patient wasn't responding to the Lifeline Operator.
It's important to note that MGH Unit 141 was just
dispatched on another call. Initially, they couldn't
take this call because they were busy, but, then
thought they'd go to their other call, treat and
transport that patient, and then mosey on over to the
second call.
All this time, there was a MediRide EMS Advanced
Life Support ambulance that could have responded
within seconds.
Luckily, this patient was not experiencing a severe
emergency, but what if she was? Should the
response have been delayed? Shouldn't MGH
Lifeline subscribers have access to immediate
care?
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