Re: Texan requests helicopter rescue from Mt. St. Helens
Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 10:15 pm
I had an experience that will support some of what has been said regarding SAR operations. My mother-in-law has alzheimer's and is under the care of 24/7 home-health care providers. One of the newer nurses over reacted to a situation and called 911 when she could not reach my wife. By the time my wife was contacted, an ambulance was on location to take her mom to the hospital, which we objected to once we understood the situation that had provoked the call. However, the head fellow with the ambulance said he could not comply with our request as once the paramedics were in a home responding to someone deemed potentially in need of emergency care, regardless of what we said, they had to take the victim to an emergency room (Where she inevitably racked up a huge and unnecessary medical bill!) I was kind of floored when my over-the-phone demands where ignored. We were told we can overturn an emergency responder if a similar situation were to recur only if we had a doctor's signed authorization on premise providing the likes of my wife's objections to be enforced. We now have that authorization.
Beware before initiating any sort of medical emergency for yourself or on someone else's behalf! That should go without saying, but I'm just saying.
Beware before initiating any sort of medical emergency for yourself or on someone else's behalf! That should go without saying, but I'm just saying.