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Rankin County officials raise alarm over rise in nonemergency 'lift assists'; staff to examine alternatives
Summary
Fire and emergency services officials told supervisors an increase in repeat nonemergency calls for 'lift assists' is straining resources; speakers recommended exploring community paramedicine, social-work referrals and outreach to reduce repeated nonurgent responses.
Rankin County fire chiefs and emergency management staff briefed the Board of Supervisors on April 7 about an apparent increase in nonemergency “lift assist” calls — repeated requests to help residents who cannot transfer from bed to wheelchair or vice versa — and outlined options to reduce repeat, nonurgent uses of emergency responders.
Emergency management staff and local fire chiefs described several illustrative cases where single addresses accounted for dozens of responses over a multi-year period. Staff cited one address with 66 recorded calls dating back to early 2023, and reported 23 responses to that address in a recent three-and-a-half-week period; staff also said one address had about 30 calls in the current year. Chiefs said…
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