Investigation reveals problems with Houston-area emergency services

DEER PARK, Texas – A Deer Park woman whose husband died in an ambulance in 2012 was never made aware of a Department of State Health Services investigation into problems surrounding that emergency transport.

The investigation revealed deficiencies within the Deer Park Volunteer Fire Department's emergency services at the time.

[READ: Agreed order and notice of violation]

Channel 2 Investigates has learned DSHS does not notify patients or their families when violations are revealed, and the agencies are not required to contact patients or their families either.

"I do think the EMS service should have contacted me to let me know instead of me finding out three years later," Jeanne Allen, the victim's widow, said.

It should be noted that in this particular instance, the Deer Park Volunteer Fire Department self-initiated the review of their ambulance service following the incident on Aug. 6, 2012.

"We provided the state with the findings of our investigation. We also provided them with our resolutions," Chief Greg Bridges said.

Allen's husband had a history of heart trouble before he made his 911 call on the morning of Aug. 6, 2012. When he was transported, he was conscious, alert and talking, but his condition worsened en route to the hospital.

"He said, 'I will see you at the hospital,'" Jeanne Allen said.

On that day, two ambulances from Deer Park VFD arrived at the Allens' home. One crew consisted of paramedics with advanced life-support training. The other crew consisted of basic EMTs without the specialized training.

Mistakenly, the crew with less expertise transported Jimmy Allen, 68. When his condition worsened, the basic EMT crew was ill-equipped to provide advanced life saving measures.

A DSHS letter to Deer Park VFD spelled out the violation:

"Partly due to lack of clarity in the provider's standard operating procedures regarding proper response to calls, said EMTs failed to properly identify the patient's need for advanced life support and/or a basic life support with staff at the EMT-basic level who lacked the appropriate level of education, training, experience and/or knowledge and/or authority to provide the appropriate level of care."

Channel 2 Investigates also uncovered errors at other agencies and ambulance services. Sometimes problems exists with individual EMTs and paramedics.

A state-level investigation revealed a paramedic with Acadian Ambulance Services stole up to 78 vials of morphine and fentanyl. The investigation concluded that during 2013 and 2014, the paramedic appeared to be self-administering the medication.

In another DSHS investigation, a Cypress Creek EMS paramedic charged with training other EMTs and paramedics was suspended for a week after he admitted to reusing a syringe during an employee flu shot clinic.

Norm Uhl, the public information officer for Cypress Creek EMS, described the incident and the aftermath.

"About a year ago, while administering flu shots to employees at Cypress Creek EMS, a paramedic inadvertently attached a new needle to a syringe that had been used on the previous employee," Uhl said. "It was an error he did not realize until a count of the discarded pieces revealed there was one more needle than there were syringes. Although the risk was extremely low, we paid for the affected employee to have extensive testing. The paramedic in question volunteered for re-training. A later state investigation found him in violation of the state health code and suspended his license for one week. This individual has been a paramedic since 1993 and has had no previous or subsequent violations."

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