DUNWOODY, Ga. — For several years, slow EMS response times in DeKalb County have been an ongoing issue. Dunwoody is now the first city in the county to launch a pilot program they hope will better serve residents.
Residents like Malcom Elavia have been waiting for a solution. Earlier this year, in February, he said his 8-month-old, twin daughter nearly scared him to death.
"We gave her some medicine," Elavia continued. "She would start crying. And she would stop breathing and, like, close her eyes. And I'd shake her and wake her back up."
In a panic, Elavia called 911. He said the fire department arrived in about 15 minutes. However, the wait for an ambulance felt like forever. So, he began weighing his options.
"For us to drive her to the E.R., I would have had to put her in the car seat in the back," he explained.
Elavia worried something could go wrong. He got chills just thinking about it.
"I wouldn't be able to watch her to see if she was breathing or not," Elavia said.
So, he chose to wait but didn't expect the ambulance would take almost 30 minutes. Thankfully, his daughter is OK, but now, Elavia is asking, "What if?"
Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch said she's heard stories like this for the past five years.
"We had seen some improvements. And then, the pandemic happened," Deutsch said. "And EMS response times, which had not been a huge problem for many communities, became a problem for lots of communities."
A contract between DeKalb County and a private company provides ambulance service county-wide, including Dunwoody. Deutsch said delays are likely due to workforce shortages, hospital delays, and changes in healthcare availability after the pandemic. Dunwoody is taking matters into its own hands.
"We have elected to pilot a program where during the 12 busiest hours of the day, there is a dedicated ambulance in Dunwoody," Deutsch said.
The ambulance will stay in Dunwoody unless transporting a patient.
"We're going to track it to see if it improves response times," Deutsch said.
Deutsch said the city is limited on what they can do about slow EMS response times due to state laws. For example, it can't start its own fire department. And the county will be under contract with AMR until the end of 2024.
"Simultaneously, we're going to be pushing legislators to address this," Deutsch said.
The city will fund the ambulance pilot program with just over $500,000 from federal COVID funds, according to Deutsch.
Dekalb County Fire Rescue Chief Darnell Fullum said in a statement:
"DeKalb County Government applauds Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch and the Dunwoody City Council for voting to subsidize ambulance service in their community.
Dunwoody is the first city in DeKalb to take advantage of this option in DeKalb County’s 2019 contract with AMR to pay for supplemental ambulance service in its municipality.
Dunwoody will pay $566,000 to contract one ambulance for the city for 12 hours a day for a year. This service is expected to start as early as this month.
This is the result of Dunwoody and DeKalb County working together to resolve an issue affecting municipalities nationwide."
Elavia said he loves the program and hopes for no more life-or-death emergencies.
"Before we worry about parks we need to fix our 911 infrastructure," Elavia added. "If I could have Uber Eats at my house faster than an ambulance, there's a problem."
Deutsch said the contract is signed, staff is hired, and Dunwoody expects the ambulance to be up and running by the end of the year.
Elavia created a website where people can report slow response times. Click here to visit the website.