Strained city EMS workforce feels the heat
A scorching heat wave last week is shining a spotlight on New York City's strained emergency medical response system.
FDNY EMS Local 2507, the union for thousands of emergency medical technicians and paramedics, responded to over 20,000 medical emergencies over the sweltering four-day span.
On Primary Day, the number of medical emergency calls was 20 percent higher than average, according to the union.
City Health Department data shows that emergency department visits for heat-related illnesses peaked Wednesday at 141, while 112 New Yorkers showed up at hospitals the day before.
The heightened demand for emergency medical responses meant some calls had to be placed on hold, while others waited up to three hours for an ambulance to arrive, union president Oren Barzilay said.
'Every day, FDNY EMS members are struggling to keep up with exceedingly high call volumes with an underappreciated and underinvested in workforce,' Barzilay said in a statement.
The Fire Department told one news outlet that it responded to about 1,000 more calls per day than usual, noting that calls were prioritized so the neediest New Yorkers got help as soon as possible.
Each summer, more than 500 people die prematurely because of hot weather in New York City, according to the city Health Department — and summers are getting hotter because of climate change.
And that's only exacerbating retention issues among the city's EMS workforce, which has gone without a union contract for three years, Barzilay said.
Emergency response times have risen in recent years due to a lack of emergency medical technicians and paramedics as well as a smaller pipeline of potential recruits, the Mayor's Management Report found in January 2025.
'Heat waves like this only exacerbate this fundamental issue,' he said in a statement. 'It's why there is such a massive burnout and stress among our membership, who are providing lifesaving medical care and transport each day in neighborhoods across our city.'
IN OTHER NEWS:
— Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation Friday that authorizes certain health care professionals licensed outside New York to treat participants in specific sporting events: the Ironman Lake Placid 2025 or an event sanctioned by the New York Road Runners.
'With world-class athletes traveling and competing across the state, New York wants to ensure they have the best care,' Hochul said in a statement. 'This legislation not only provides more opportunities for health care professionals, but it also allows athletes to have top-of-the-line care during their events.'
— Northwell's Center for Gun Violence Prevention received $200,000 in gifts to expand research into the root causes of gun violence and to support development of a national toolkit for health systems to implement gun violence prevention initiatives.
ON THE AGENDA:
— Tuesday, 10:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. The Public Health and Health Planning Council's health planning committee will convene.
MAKING ROUNDS:
— Andrew T. Pickens was appointed executive director of western region hospitals for the Westchester Medical Center Health Network.
GOT TIPS? Send story ideas and feedback to Maya Kaufman at mkaufman@politico.com and Katelyn Cordero at kcordero@politico.com.
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Odds and Ends
NOW WE KNOW — Some cost-conscious Americans are making their own weight-loss drugs.
TODAY'S TIP — How to protect yourself from ticks.
STUDY THIS — Black and Hispanic patients with opioid use disorder were 'significantly less likely' to receive the medication buprenorphine, especially if they had commercial insurance, researchers found.
What We're Reading
— U.S. charges 11 in Russia-based scheme to bilk Medicare of $10.6 billion. (New York Times)
— Too sick to work, some Americans worry Trump's bill will strip their health insurance. (KFF Health News)
— People whose lives were permanently altered by disease send a warning as vaccine opposition grows. (AP)
Around POLITICO
— Via POLITICO's Erin Schumaker: RFK Jr. is bringing psychedelics to the Republican Party.
— House GOP moderates dig in against Senate Medicaid cuts, Meredith Lee Hill and Nicholas Wu report.
MISSED A ROUNDUP? Get caught up on the New York Health Care Newsletter.
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Politico
2 days ago
- Politico
Strained city EMS workforce feels the heat
Beat Memo A scorching heat wave last week is shining a spotlight on New York City's strained emergency medical response system. FDNY EMS Local 2507, the union for thousands of emergency medical technicians and paramedics, responded to over 20,000 medical emergencies over the sweltering four-day span. On Primary Day, the number of medical emergency calls was 20 percent higher than average, according to the union. City Health Department data shows that emergency department visits for heat-related illnesses peaked Wednesday at 141, while 112 New Yorkers showed up at hospitals the day before. The heightened demand for emergency medical responses meant some calls had to be placed on hold, while others waited up to three hours for an ambulance to arrive, union president Oren Barzilay said. 'Every day, FDNY EMS members are struggling to keep up with exceedingly high call volumes with an underappreciated and underinvested in workforce,' Barzilay said in a statement. The Fire Department told one news outlet that it responded to about 1,000 more calls per day than usual, noting that calls were prioritized so the neediest New Yorkers got help as soon as possible. Each summer, more than 500 people die prematurely because of hot weather in New York City, according to the city Health Department — and summers are getting hotter because of climate change. And that's only exacerbating retention issues among the city's EMS workforce, which has gone without a union contract for three years, Barzilay said. Emergency response times have risen in recent years due to a lack of emergency medical technicians and paramedics as well as a smaller pipeline of potential recruits, the Mayor's Management Report found in January 2025. 'Heat waves like this only exacerbate this fundamental issue,' he said in a statement. 'It's why there is such a massive burnout and stress among our membership, who are providing lifesaving medical care and transport each day in neighborhoods across our city.' IN OTHER NEWS: — Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation Friday that authorizes certain health care professionals licensed outside New York to treat participants in specific sporting events: the Ironman Lake Placid 2025 or an event sanctioned by the New York Road Runners. 'With world-class athletes traveling and competing across the state, New York wants to ensure they have the best care,' Hochul said in a statement. 'This legislation not only provides more opportunities for health care professionals, but it also allows athletes to have top-of-the-line care during their events.' — Northwell's Center for Gun Violence Prevention received $200,000 in gifts to expand research into the root causes of gun violence and to support development of a national toolkit for health systems to implement gun violence prevention initiatives. ON THE AGENDA: — Tuesday, 10:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. The Public Health and Health Planning Council's health planning committee will convene. MAKING ROUNDS: — Andrew T. Pickens was appointed executive director of western region hospitals for the Westchester Medical Center Health Network. GOT TIPS? Send story ideas and feedback to Maya Kaufman at mkaufman@ and Katelyn Cordero at kcordero@ Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You'll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day's biggest stories. Odds and Ends NOW WE KNOW — Some cost-conscious Americans are making their own weight-loss drugs. TODAY'S TIP — How to protect yourself from ticks. STUDY THIS — Black and Hispanic patients with opioid use disorder were 'significantly less likely' to receive the medication buprenorphine, especially if they had commercial insurance, researchers found. What We're Reading — U.S. charges 11 in Russia-based scheme to bilk Medicare of $10.6 billion. (New York Times) — Too sick to work, some Americans worry Trump's bill will strip their health insurance. (KFF Health News) — People whose lives were permanently altered by disease send a warning as vaccine opposition grows. (AP) Around POLITICO — Via POLITICO's Erin Schumaker: RFK Jr. is bringing psychedelics to the Republican Party. — House GOP moderates dig in against Senate Medicaid cuts, Meredith Lee Hill and Nicholas Wu report. MISSED A ROUNDUP? Get caught up on the New York Health Care Newsletter.
CBS News
5 days ago
- CBS News
NYC EMTs say they're understaffed and feeling the strain during summer heat
Ambulance response times in New York City have jumped. During the summer months, paramedics say they get even more calls. They fielded more than 1,000 calls a day this week because of the heat wave. It comes as EMTs say there's a staffing shortage. Paramedic Edgar Romero, who has been on the job for 20 years, works at FDNY EMS Station 27 in the Bronx. He says there aren't enough ambulances for the amount of calls coming in. "This week, with the heat, it has been unbearable. It's been tough. It's just been very busy," Romero said. "We have jobs holding two hours, three hours, sometimes even four hours." "The Bronx is suffering the most" According to the union representing 4,200 paramedics citywide, 911 calls went up significantly during this week's heat wave. They say there were 5,296 Monday, 5,208 Tuesday, and about 5,600 Wednesday. That's compared to a daily average of 4,325. "It's definitely a strain because there's hardly any units out there," Romero said. We're told 15-20 additional units are needed in the Bronx just to keep up with the amount of calls coming in. "The Bronx is suffering the most. Most of the calls on hold are in the Bronx. We simply don't have enough ambulances," EMS Local 2507 president Oren Barzilay said. "The demand is higher than the resources." According to the mayor's management report, response times have slowed down too. In 2023, it was 10:43. In 2024, it was 10:42. So how about this year? "We're over 11 minutes for critical calls such as cardiac arrest," Barzilay said. "Every second does matter," Romero said. Paramedic Joseph Arnold has been on the job for 13 years. He works at Station 14, next to Lincoln Hospital. "When we get there we do everything we can, but sometimes there aren't ideal outcomes," Arnold said. Barzilay says a staff shortage and high turnover rates due to workload and salary are also impacting their jobs to save lives as fast as they can. "We've been without a contract for three years," Barzilay said. "We need a raise, that's for sure. We need more people to come help us out," Romero said. The city told CBS News New York: "Under the Adams administration, our first responders are - and will always be - prioritized and properly funded to handle emergency medical calls. These brave men and women are saving New Yorkers' lives every minute - particularly during a heat wave - which is why we are hiring EMTs as fast as we can train them. We will always respond to every emergency call in a timely fashion." The FDNY said responding to emergency medical calls quickly is a top priority. During a heat wave, calls are prioritized to get to the neediest New Yorkers as soon as possible.
New York Times
6 days ago
- New York Times
Soaring Temperatures in N.Y.C. Land More Than 100 in Emergency Rooms
Soaring temperatures sent more than 100 people to emergency rooms in New York City for heat-related illnesses on Tuesday, the hottest day in more than a decade, according to data from city health officials. The temperature on Tuesday reached a sweltering 99 degrees at Belvedere Castle in Central Park, where the city's official weather station is. A thermometer there last reached that temperature in 2012. It was hotter elsewhere in the city, reaching 102 degrees at Kennedy International Airport in Queens, marking the hottest June day at the airport since its opening in 1948. On Tuesday, the City Health Department logged 112 visits to hospital emergency rooms related to the heat, the most in a single day since July 20, 2019, when a heat wave also sent 112 patients to E.R.s for heat-related illness. The condition includes heat exhaustion, muscle cramps, fainting and, most seriously, heat stroke, according to the Health Department. Monday, another steamy day, also saw an unusual number of heat-sickened patients turn up at hospitals in the city: 70. A spokeswoman for the City Health Department said no information was available on whether any New Yorkers died from heat stroke on Tuesday. In the last five years, there have been only three days when more than 50 patients were brought to E.R.s because of the heat, excluding this week. On average, five people die from heat stroke each year in New York City. Those deaths are directly blamed on the heat. From 2014 to 2023, about 45 percent of the people who died from heat stroke were at home — and their homes typically lacked air-conditioning. A comparable share of heat-related deaths involved people who suffered heat stroke while outside. Seven percent involved people in parked cars, and a single death came from exposure to heat on a subway platform. Nearly 15 percent of people who died from heat stroke were homeless, according to the city's most recent Heat-Related Mortality Report. While deaths directly attributable to the heat receive the most attention, the heat is indirectly responsible for about 520 premature deaths each year by exacerbating heart disease or another chronic condition, according to the City Health Department. Citywide, about 89 percent of homes have air conditioning. But in some neighborhoods the rate is lower, closer to 80 percent, according to a report by the city comptroller.
