Emergency response officials in the Panhandle say residents should not hesitate if they or someone theyre caring for is experiencing symptoms of a critical, emergent health issue such as stoke or a heart attack.
Such has been the case in other parts of the country during the virus pandemic according to Scotts Bluff County 911 Communications Director Ray Richards, with tragic results. “We dont want to experience issues were seeing nationally, where people are having incredible health issues, or even dying at home, at work or before they get to the hospital, because theyre reluctant to call,” says Richards. “Please dont hesitate to call, thats what its there for.”
Richards tells KNEB News early messaging a few months ago about the threat to the health care system as the pandemic was emerging may have been confusing for some. “When a lot of this COVID information was being pushed out by the federal and state people, Dont go to the ER, dont call your doctor because youre going to overwhelm existing processes designed for other medical issues. We had that thrown at us so much that (some may have thought) Well, I better not call 9-1-1, because I dont want to overload the system.”
He says dispatchers will ask COVD-19 related questions for the safety of responders, but the 9-1-1 system, EMTs, paramedics and medical facilities in the Panhandle are more than prepared to handle all emergent and critical calls.
