The Counseling Center has responded to concerns raised by local EMS workers that the facility in Franklin Furnace was making unnecessary use of 9-1-1 for non-emergency situations.
A spokesperson for The Counseling Center (TCC) said, “TCC truly appreciates our area’s emergency responders and front-line workers and appreciates their efforts to save lives daily.”
The facility emphasized that staff only called emergency services when they felt it was warranted. “At times, individuals are transported to the Withdrawal Management operation by police and EMS while experiencing what constitutes a true medical emergency (i.e., cardiac, seizure, or respiratory distress). TCC is staffed with 24-7 on-site healthcare providers, but at times, when an individual does require medical emergency care, emergency services do have to be called.”
They said there had only been one recent EMS call, “In reviewing the past few weeks, TCC did have 1 case where emergency services were called. The case, in particular, had blood labs that indicated an immediate emergency, was experiencing active seizures, had lost bodily control, was largely unresponsive, and was deemed by a veteran nurse practitioner as needing 911 transport to ensure their safety.”
TCC also pointed out that they often deal with individuals in the grip of a serious mental health crisis. “Psychiatric evaluations are also sometimes requested from independently licensed clinical or medical staff. Typically, individuals requiring this type of evaluation are experiencing active hallucinations or delusions and qualify as a potential for harm to self or others. Ensuring the safety of our clients, staff, and community is always our highest priority as an organization. Part of ensuring safety in these types of situations requires assistance from local EMS to medically transport to a higher level of care for evaluation. It is not uncommon for these to be the same individuals who were, just hours before, wandering throughout our region in various states of homelessness and confusion.”
