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Saturday , December 30 1899

Comments (total comments:17)

Bonnie :

I think too many people are getting up in arms over the whole 'ambulance driver/attendant' thing and missing the point here: A YOUNG MAN DIED WHILE UNDER CARE OF EASTERN HEALTH.

It is sad that he died and that the EMTs/Paramedics only followed procedure shows that things need to be changed. The procedure failed to protect this young man, and it is the transportation policy that needs to be reviewed. Personally, I hold whoever created that transportation policy responsible for this death. As difficult as it would have been, he ideally should have been transported in a secure vehicle (such as a police car) from point A to point B, not an ambulance where the paramedics feared for their own safety.

Posted: 9/27/2012 12:33:20 PM

Boat Driver :

Ambulance Drivers/Paramedics , get over yourselves ,it's just a description. We all get what you are!!We all drive something!! And thank you for your service . Let's concentrate on the real problems at hand! ;)

Posted: 9/27/2012 11:30:19 AM

RN :

I am an RN who has worked for many years on a PSYC ward.The paramedics were absolutely right to do what they did.What was the alternative? In my opinion,if the patient was at risk to act out aggressively,he should have been completely restrained.All the paramedics posting on here,you are absolutely right.You guys/girls are professionals. 15 $ /hour is not enough when you have to put up with this kind of crap.People who dont see this are just plain stupid!

Posted: 9/27/2012 9:46:02 AM

Sherry :

After reading through the comments,all I can see is ignorance.This man,no doubt became agitated or aggressive,Something happened for those Paramedics to stop and call the RCMP.What do people suggest they do.Allow this patient to act up while they are driving on the highway?REALLY?Perhaps cause the death of others?He should have been in a straight jacked or completely restrained until arrival at hospital.Yes,mentally ill patients have rights but so do the people who are caring for them.They have the right to not be assaulted or harmed in any way as well!

Posted: 9/27/2012 9:20:46 AM

Outraged...! :

this is totally unacceptable! how many more must die before our government opens their eyes and does something to help people with mental illness?they are thought of as criminals, treated like animals while they suffer and the families suffer just as much.my heart goes out to the family,this should not have happened,i just hope and pray that it never happens to anyone else.

Posted: 9/27/2012 3:16:06 AM

Andrea :

Again, we are not ambulance drivers and people need to stop and get that...do we call police officers police car drivers or firefighters fire truck drivers? I think we need to remember as well that there is a family suffering a great loss because of negligence on someone's part...this young man obviously had a mental illness which is no different then a physical illness and I think he should have been brought by an ambulance to the facility he was being transferred to but I think as a paramedic myself that he should have had a police escort or have been sedated for the transfer. We are trained to save lives not act as police officers and I am pretty confident that the crew on that call did everything they could have to talk their patient back if it were possible. Please remember there are many items in the back of that ambulance that can be used as weapons and unlike police cars, there is no glass partition or handcuffs or any other form if protection available to us when an incident like this happens. My deepest condolences to the family and friends of the gentleman and the driver of the truck who now has this to deal with for the rest of his or her life and the paramedics who did their job with such a sad ending. I hope this issue gets dealt with because it is an ongoing one. Last thing I ask is why wasn't the patient kept at the original facility at least until morning.

Posted: 9/26/2012 6:04:31 PM

Para Medic :

To Mary:
There are no longer "ambulance drivers" in the province. Only EMRs and Paramedics, and to be referred to as "ambulance drivers" is extremely irritating and disheartening to all those in the profession. It is just plain ignorance towards what the job actually entails.
Furthermore, there are probably a handful of factors that came into play that night, and I assume that is the reason the investigation is going to take so long. After it is all said and done, hopefully we all get the answers we are looking for.

Posted: 9/26/2012 12:43:50 PM

CJ :

Sad thing is that had the man been restrained the complaint today would be that it was unnecessary and that it is cruel to restrain someone.

Posted: 9/26/2012 12:28:12 PM

Miss D. :

2 Mary, family members are not allowed to travel in ambulances with patients for liability reasons.

Posted: 9/26/2012 12:05:37 PM

Frank :

We are not ambulance drivers we are Paramedics. On another note, we see this type of tranfers all the time when the patient assaults the Paramedic in the back or destroys the inside of our ambulance. The thing to do is pull over to ensure your own safety by having the paramedic who is driving assist. Our protocol is not to restrain a patient under no circumstances. Getting 15.00 per hr to have someone assault me is not good enough. I do agree that the police escort should have came along however this is a normal routine specially during the night.

Posted: 9/26/2012 12:01:02 PM

What? :

Of we leave it to the ambulance driver and hopefully a paramedic! Family members are not always able to accompany someone for one reason or another that is why we have "professionals" that are supposed to take care of us! This is a terrible accident and the family will have enough unanswered questions as it is without being made feel quilty. My heartfelt condolences go out to them along with prayers.

Posted: 9/26/2012 11:59:38 AM

Bonnie :

I am still confused that Eastern Health would think it appropriate to transport the young man via ambulance. Worst possible thing for mental health patients, really, especially when he was already making the ambulance attendants worry that he might jump out of a moving ambulance.

My condolences to the family of this young man, as well as the ambulance attendants and truck driver involved. This could have been avoided if somebody in authority had thought things through and put the young man into the back of a cop car for transport, or at the very least sedated and restrained him for the ride into St. John's.

There definitely are answered required to explain what happened. Hopefully this will at least change the way mental health patients are transported in this province.

Posted: 9/26/2012 11:52:10 AM

Metal illness does exist - YET the help isn't :

No one can imagine the stress in dealing with someone with a metal illness unless you deal with it first hand. Finding help is pretty much impossible in rural communities. The last time my family member fell sick and the metal illness got out of hand I made numerous calls to social services, metal health services for weeks and no one would help or even provide direction on how to get help. I sometimes wonder what these people do all day sitting behind their desks because I've encountered some very unkind heartless people. I pretty much had to call RCMP to remove my family member from the home after the illness got to the point that I felt the the person with the mental illness, my family and the public were all at risk given how bad the condition was at the time. People don't take mental health issues serious and they want to act like it doesn't exist. Its is shocking and the government needs to step up when it comes to metal health and what services are made available to the families and also the person(s) with mental health issues (shameful it is). My thoughts to the family in this case. I can only imagine your fustrations and hurt now that the system has failed you and your son.

Posted: 9/26/2012 11:46:40 AM

Sherrieo :

Who was with the ambulance drivers..? Shouldn't there be family..or a nurse or something..and shouldn't if he had a mental illness be strapped for his own protection until taken to a hospital..Mental Illness is not joke..it needs to be treated more seriously..I find that our health care is so lacking in this department..and this is sad...especially since this young man could have been helped, treated and lived a npormal productive life..so sorry for the families loss...this process needs to be reviewed so nothing like this happens again..

Posted: 9/26/2012 10:28:17 AM

Deborah :

We should be able to entrust our loved ones to the care of the these supposedly trained professionals.
I Don't know what the Policy is now but back a few years ago when I was involved in a very serious moose vehicle accident, my husband was not permitted to accompany me on the ambulance ride from the accident site to hospital. I was informed that although I was in a semi-conscious I literally begged for him to go with me but they refused.

Posted: 9/26/2012 10:23:17 AM

Intheyear2012 :

My heartfelt condolences to this young man's family.My condolences to all families that have loved ones suffering with mental illness here in NL. The services & treatment available to them are almost non-existant & they suffer, so do their families. Safety, theirs or others, having to live or provide care for them doesn't seem to be a big concern either. Remember the young man that burnt a neighbour to death a couple of years ago. I can assume nothing was learned from that incident.DISGRACEFUL.

Posted: 9/26/2012 9:51:50 AM

Mary mcgrath :

Did no family member accompany this young man to the hopsital?Or did they just leave it to the ambulance drivers?

Posted: 9/26/2012 7:49:53 AM

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