Northwest Fire District (NWFD) and Golder Ranch Fire District (GRFD) in Tucson adopted MD Ally's telehealth services to better support the community by providing the right resources instead of only relying on police or fire department assistance.
This will help spread the capacity of the public safety departments.
Emergency operators can now connect callers directly with healthcare providers in real-time, if they need it.
The City of Tucson's Public Safety Communications Department says Tucson Fire Department has implemented MD Ally's services for the last year.
Amber Rice, MD, and medical director for NWFD and GRFD says, traditionally, 911 callers were only offered support from either police or fire departments.
“Telehealth resources are important for our community because not all patients actually need an ambulance, not all patients need an emergency visit to an emergency room," Rice said.
MD Ally CEO Shanel Fields says they’re creating more pathways for 911 callers, which is helping them cut emergency room costs and wait times.
“They’re calling because they want to get to the ED or talk to a doctor, right? So, for them they get this option of speaking to a doctor, but much faster than they would if they had to go and wait in the emergency department," said Fields.
This expansion will keep emergency resources available and help first-responders stay rested. GRFD's Deputy Chief Mark Wilson, says in 2024 they received roughly 1,700 calls that could have been transferred to MD Ally.
“To be able to minimize those non-emergent type calls will have a huge effect on our community when they have a true emergency and they need our assistance," Deputy Chief Wilson said.
Deputy Chief Wilson tells me 911 callers have the final say on who they want to be assisted by.
“At any point in time, they have the opportunity to say, no, I just want to be checked out at the hospital and I want 911 to come to my house. And they’ll be transferred back to 911 and dispatched to the call. So by no means are they stuck with telehealth," said Deputy Chief Wilson.
——
Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
