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Council reviews proposal for nurse-navigation program to triage 911 calls
Summary
Council discussed Item 63, a nurse-navigation program to place nurses on 911 lines to divert non-emergency calls and reserve ambulances for high-priority calls; councilmembers said the program would not cost the city initially and cited successes elsewhere, but budget and implementation details were not provided in the transcript.
The Buffalo City Common Council discussed a proposal to implement a nurse-navigation program for the city's 911 system intended to route nonemergency calls to medical professionals who can provide guidance and refer callers to alternative resources.
An unnamed council member described the program as a way to ensure ambulances are available for high-priority emergencies and to have "health care professionals and nurses on the other side of the line to help deescalate those calls," further saying the program "will not cost the city of Buffalo anything" as presented in committee (transcript language). The speaker cited examples from Rochester and other municipalities where similar programs had succeeded.
Council members said the item would go to committee for additional analysis and that they look forward to reviewing numbers and implementation details. The transcript does not include a final budget allocation, vendor selection, a vote tally, or a start date for the program.
