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Resident says ambulances refused MUSC requests; mayor explains destination protocol
Summary
A resident, a retired paramedic, said he asked ambulance crews to transport patients to MUSC downtown but was taken to other hospitals; the mayor said crews must take patients to the closest appropriate facility under trauma and triage rules.
Alex Ottman, a resident and retired paramedic and firefighter, told the Goose Creek City Council on June 9 that he and family members were transported by ambulance and that crews refused his request to be taken to MUSC downtown. Ottman said he had been taken instead to Roper or Trident and that on multiple occasions his preference was not honored.
Mayor (name not given) responded that ambulance crews'primary duty is to transport patients to the closest appropriate care facility under emergency triage protocols. The mayor said Trident is a trauma center and that taking an ambulance farther to a downtown facility when a closer appropriate trauma center exists would not be consistent with emergency response responsibilities. The mayor added that once a patient's need for transfer is identified after stabilization, subsequent transport arrangements can be made.
Ottman said patients were later transferred and that ambulance users were billed for multiple ambulance services; he called on the city to "fix" the practice. The exchange in the meeting made clear there is a difference between triage/protocol-driven emergency destination decisions and patient preference in non-emergency transfers.
The council did not take formal action on EMS policy during the portion of the meeting transcribed here; staff follow-up or clarification from the fire/EMS department was not recorded but the mayor said staff can explain procedures.
