HMO POLICY ALERT!
To my fellow NENA members:
I am Joe Reavy, President of the Florida Chapter of NENA….
NENA has, in the past, taken up some important and vital issues. There is an issue,or situation, that is happening today that I think NENA, as a national organization,should address.
The issue is a movement among HMOs to establish an alternative to calling 9-1-1 in amedical emergency. One HMO, Kaiser, already has a “call center” established andis advising its members to call this center BEFORE calling 9-1-1. The theory is that theHMO call center can then determine if an emergency response is really necessary.
This entire concept is contrary to the very reason for the existence of 9-1-1! If acitizen believes an emergency exists, 9-1-1 should be the first call!
I have recently been approached by an employee of Johnson & Johnson, Inc. selling thissame type of service. I told him that 9-1-1 should not be compromised by any third party’sattempt to “diagnose” an emergency response simply for financial reasons.
Our 9-1-1 network exist, is working fine and is still the best option for our citizenswhen it comes to public safety.
I hope that National NENA will take up this call to protect the integrity of our 9-1-1family.
Chapter Presidents… If you agree, please contact National. Laverne, if you agreecould you please pass this on to National….
Thanks… Joe Reavy