ATLANTA — Passengers in need of medical attention will now have a place to get it at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Airport officials introduced a new on-site triage center on Tuesday. Atlanta Fire Rescue will man the center, which is located on the domestic third-floor atrium.
Atlanta's Fire Chief James McLemore says it will only treat passengers who need minor or "non-acute" medical assistance, keeping some patients from having to take an ambulance.
"And that cuts out the hour-long going out to Grady or somewhere, having to wait there and then come back," McLemore said.
For example, the drive to Grady from Hartsfield Jackson is 20 minutes without traffic. Since people have to hop on Interstate 85 to get there, it certainly could take longer. Atlanta Fire Chief James McLemore says the longer it takes, the longer EMS staff will be away from their airport post.
"It just cuts out time," McLemore said, "And so, with being able to get them triaged here, we can keep those ambulances close to the airfield. And now they can respond to more calls in a quicker manner."
Plus, it can get passengers back to their flights.
Aviation General Manager Balram Bheodari says this has been in the works for years. The center is staffed with two registered nurses and a nurse practitioner seven days a week to handle non-life-threatening situations.
"Here, they will have a higher level of treatment before the decision is made to transfer them to an onward facility for additional care if it's warranted," Bheodari said.
McLemore explains, each year, the airport deals with 2,000 emergency room transports—with 35 percent of them being non-emergencies.
Two years ago, 11Alive looked into complaints of slow response times to medical emergencies at the airport.
"Response time will be much better," Bheodari continued, "Anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of minutes."
And with the center, along with the already five ambulance units and four fire trucks, McLemoere is hoping that passengers won't ever have to be treated, but if they do, they'll feel that much safer.
"It just helps everybody; the passengers, the people that work here, the people that come through a visit," McLemore said.
Officials claimed that the triage will be the first in the country run by a fire department.
This is a developing story. Check back often for new information.
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