Gov. Completes Report On Delayed EMS, Not Released
Posted September 25, 2009 9:13 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Ontario government has completed its report on delayed emergency services that may have contributed to a Toronto man’s death.
Jim Hearst, 59, died of a heart attack on June 25 and his partner Alejandro Martinez claims that emergency crews took half an hour to arrive at their home, despite three calls to 911.
The Ministry of Health investigated allegations that low staffing levels caused by a civic workers’ strike may have been a factor.
During the job action, staffing levels at EMS dropped to 75 per cent.
However, the city claims ambulance response times for high-priority urgent calls were not affected, and maintain the original 911 call did not express the seriousness of the situation.
Chief Bruce Farr of Toronto Emergency Medical Services requested the investigation and received a copy of the report on Thursday.
He will comment on the findings the week of October 5, but has not yet said if the full report will be released.
