Grady says paramedic and EMT shortages partly to blame for long ambulance response times
Grady Memorial Hospital is responding after Channel 2 Action News reported on slow ambulance response times.
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It’s gotten so bad that the City of Atlanta created its own ambulance service.
Channel 2′s Candace McCowan was at Grady, where the administration answered some question from city council members on Monday and laid out why response times are delayed.
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In particular, the administration asked about a call Channel 2 Action News reported on in which a woman who fell off a scooter and hit her head ended up having to take herself to the hospital because ambulances never arrived.
Grady administrators said they continue to answer the most urgent calls first and that overall, calls are up more than 9% since 2019.
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Administrators said the calls they are seeing are also more severe, leading EMTs to spend 17% more time at scene.
Grady is also down 30% in staffing.
“Just like nursing shortages nationwide, the paramedic and EMT shortage is a nationwide problem,” Grady President and CEO John Haupert said. “Just like you see with our partners at the fire department and police department. They too are experiencing significant shortages.”
Atlanta Fire Rescue said Monday that they are making changes along the BeltLine, adding mile markers that make it easier to respond and locate victims. Atlanta fire is also adding two more ambulances to help serve the city, but said they are still waiting on ambulances to arrive that they ordered last year.
