A proposal for a new nursing facility was squashed by local leaders recently due to worries about heightened call volume that emergency medical service workers could face.
It is a hurdle that has popped up in various locations around the country recently. City Council members in Xenia, OH, voted down the proposal following concerns about added burdens that a new 99-bed facility could place on local paramedics, the Dayton Daily News reported. Local lawmakers denied the zoning request to construct a new facility in the area for families and potential residents.
Greg Miller, a developer and operator with Ohio-based company Health Care Management Group, made the request for the new nursing home. Miller said the facility would add more than 125 jobs and generate more than $100,000 in income tax revenue, the report stated.
Xenia has been dealing with increased EMS call volumes since 1988, with about one in five ambulance calls currently coming from nursing homes and assisted living facilities, according to the local report.
One city official said current long-term care operators are already straining the system, and often for the wrong reasons. Local facilities often request EMS services for non-emergency issues, such as transporting residents to doctor appointments or for routine falls, City Manager Brent Merriman said.
“They are picking up the phone and calling EMS because they can’t find private transport agencies,” he explained.
The area is also struggling to hire workers to meet the increased call volume, according to the report. The town is now analyzing call volume and working with EMS and long-term care providers to try to reduce the burden on the local government agencies.
“The city of Xenia is not the only community in the region trying to find creative ways to deal with increasing EMS call volume,” Merriman noted.
