BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Concerns over American Medical Response (AMR) response times in Buffalo are back in the spotlight.
Council Member Mitch Nowakowski is pushing to implement a Nurse Navigation Program, which would employ trained nurses to triage non-urgent 911 calls and direct patients to appropriate care.
"We've, as a Council, talked about AMR and our emergency services here in the city of Buffalo," Nowakowski said.
The goal? To reduce strain on ambulances, ensuring emergency services are available for those who need them most.
"It allows ambulances to go to people who need it the most," he added.
Fire & EMS Back the Plan
Buffalo Fire Commissioner William Renaldo and Buffalo Fire EMS Medical Director Dr. Joe Bart said the program could make a significant impact, noting that a third of the city’s 911 EMS calls are high-priority, while many others could be handled differently.
Bart said the City of Buffalo receives around 65,000-70,000 911 requests for EMS each year.
"We've had 911 calls from people needing help picking up medication because they don’t know where to go," Dr. Bart. explained. "We need to divert those calls so our resources are available for real emergencies."
Dr. Bart estimated that up to two-thirds of Buffalo’s EMS calls could benefit from the Nurse Navigation Program.
"The nurse navigation program will help us to get down to the weeds of those callers to determine specifically what their needs may be," he said.
Renaldo said there is no downside to this program.
"We believe strongly that it will reduce response times for our ambulance services and free up fire resources as well," he added.
Proven Success in Other Cities
The Nurse Navigation Program is already operating in over 30 cities, including Rochester. Mayor Malik Evans recently told me the program has been "very effective" and is helping ease the burden on emergency rooms.
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Despite the program being fully funded by AMR, it has yet to be implemented in Buffalo.
Renaldo said contract negotiations with AMR are ongoing and the program could be implemented without needing a contract.
He said there is another contract meeting with AMR in the next few weeks.
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