Emergency 911 Calls From Elderly Care Facility – Pasadena Now
Pasadena's Elderly and Dependent Adult Liaisons (PEDAL) team has successfully reduced non-emergent 911 calls and unnecessary paramedic transports from a local residential care facility for the elderly (known as an RCFE). The initiative, launched in August 2021, enhances the quality of life for Pasadena's elder community while improving public safety.
The approach led to improved procedures and a significant reduction in unnecessary 911 calls and medical transports.
Assistant City Manager Nicholas G. Rodriguez reported that "through the combined efforts of the Pasadena Elderly and Dependent Adult Liaisons (PEDAL) team and management staff of a specific Pasadena residential care facility for the elderly (RCFE), the participants were successful in developing strategies to reduce non-emergent calls to 911 and medically unnecessary requests for paramedic transport from the RCFE to an acute care hospital."
The City did not name the specific facility involved.
The PEDAL team, which includes representatives from various City departments, USC's Keck School of Medicine, Huntington Hospital, and WISE & Healthy Aging, identified unusually high 911 calls from a specific RCFE. They then benchmarked this data against other similar facilities in Pasadena.
Team members from the Pasadena Fire Department, Long-Term Care Ombudsman's office, and Keck School of Medicine engaged with RCFE staff to understand underlying issues and respond to resident concerns.
RCFE staff were collaborative and receptive throughout the process, the City reported.
Pasadena has a higher per capita population in long-term care facilities compared to the rest of Los Angeles County. The PEDAL team oversees more than 3,000 residents in over 100 skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and long-term care facilities.
PEDAL focuses on raising awareness of focused healthcare matters, resolving issues important to facility residents, their families and healthcare professionals, and conducting community outreach, code enforcement and, if necessary, prosecution.
