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Residents urge Skokie to expand co‑responder coverage; one resident says ambulance hospital preference caused confusion during a recent transport
Summary
A resident thanked the board for the co‑responder program and urged a second team to cover evenings and weekends. The resident also described a recent ambulance transport that did not go to the hospital of choice, and asked officials to address paramedic communications and consider adding a fourth ambulance.
A Skokie resident urged the village to expand the co‑responder program and raised concerns about ambulance destination errors during public comment at the Village Board meeting.
David Alka, who identified himself as a resident at 93 30 Laurel, thanked Trustee Edie Sue Zucker for “putting together the co responder unit” and said the program has been “useful.” Alka asked the board to consider adding “a second team that works evenings and weekends because that's when a lot of those types of problems occur.”
Alka also described a recent personal case in which his father was taken by ambulance to a hospital that did not match recorded patient preference. He said paramedics were “confused by that request” (his stated preference was Lutheran General) and asked the village and Fire Department leadership to improve communications with residents and first responders. Alka urged the board and Fire Department leaders to consider a fourth ambulance to restore preferred routing to Lutheran General Hospital.
No board action or vote was taken on those requests during the meeting. The remarks were recorded in public comment; officials acknowledged the concerns and fielded requests for follow‑up from staff and trustees.
