Note from Audra: A Dunwoody mother is joining the chorus of city and county leaders expressing concern about delayed ambulance response times in emergency situations. She contacted me yesterday with the following note:
“I’m sure you’ve heard about Dunwoody’s poor ambulance response time and the push for changes. It can be hard for people to connect with facts and figures on an issue that most think they’ll never have to deal with. Here’s our personal story, along with two other Dunwoody women who experienced long ambulance wait times and their spouses died. Thank you for considering including this in your newsletter so we can raise awareness about this dangerous public safety issue.”
Shanna Tolbert’s daughter, Ireland, was born with a disorder that causes her to have severe seizures. “They’re prolonged and what’s called status epilepticus, and they do not stop until we get to a trauma center,” she told Channel 2’s Mike Petchenik. “It’s a medical emergency. She turns blue. She is not breathing.”
I asked Shanna what concerned citizens should do about this issue and she responded with the following note:
“Thank you so much for your willingness to help! Here are Terry Nall’s recommendations for what Dunwoody residents can do to change this:
We encourage DeKalb County residents to contact their county commissioners, as well as DeKalb County Fire Chief Darnell Fullum and DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond. Specifically, Commissioners Nancy Jester and Kathy Gannon who represent Dunwoody and other parts of North DeKalb County.”
