A state board is calling for an investigation of Sedgwick County’s Emergency Medical Services as a result of the handling of a 2019 suicide case in Wichita.
The Kansas Board of Emergency Medical Services has raised concerns over the case of a man who shot himself on June 19, 2019, and was not taken to a nearby hospital. The man was taken to a hospice, where he later died.
Sedgwick County issued a statement saying that three current EMS employees were sanctioned over the incident, and they have continued to work as paramedics and first responders over the past 21 months without incident. The county said the sanctions are not final and the county will “vigorously contest the proposed action.” The county said it disagrees with the Board’s findings and believe that competent and appropriate care was provided to the patient.
The county has retained attorney David Cooper to represent the three employees. In the statement, the county also said the case was reviewed by the Sedgwick County Medical Society and it found that the EMS providers gave appropriate care within their protocols and standard of care.
