Join INtouch Senior Services in challenging local Fire Departments that deny vulnerable adults living in Assisted Living their rightful access to Hospital Care after calling 911.
Stop unlawful 911 denials for Arizona Seniors. Reports show residents of Arizona are declining and dying after being refused by emergency responders despite the law that passed in 2022. Representative Shah introduced HB2431 to prohibit paramedics from convincing patients to not go to the emergency room. We’re asking local Fire Fighters and Paramedics to stop denying emergency care if and when a resident of a Assisted Living Home requests it, their representative requests it and/or their primary care provider directs it.
INtouchSS CEO & Lobbyist Ligia Ilea, fought against local Phoenix Fire Fighter Steve Wagner and his organization Right Care when they wrongfully and publicly accused Assisted Living Homes of calling 911 excessively. Steve Wagner provided inaccurate evidence from a large Senior Community called Beatitudes which has 129 beds to show how excessive 911 calls are in Assisted Living Homes which are only licensed up to 10 beds. INtouchSS Director of Home Health Kerry Halcomb assisted with investigating these accusations, and the results showed an average of 10 calls a year per ALH.
CEO Ligia Ilea said; “We want Seniors to feel safe and sure that when they have an Emergency, Arizona’s Law are created fair and just to protect them. After speaking with Steve Wagner in 2021, I noticed his agenda changed and was no longer one of Education and Change it had become one of Revenge so we could not support his fight and advised him to see the whole picture and the damage he could create by creating a false sense in our Industry”
Since Steve Wagners public accusations, local Fire Departments has been reported to deny more Seniors living in Assisted Living Homes access to emergency care. Recent reports show that small business operators owned by immigrants are afraid of Fire Fighters because of their aggressive demeanor and yelling at their staff. Some facilities have reported their Resident died after emergency services was refused. Unfortunately, many ALH’s are reporting repeat cases where their Residents are being denied access to emergency care. In 2023, an ALH reported to INtouchSS that they drove their Resident to the hospital after being denied by emergency services. Unfortunately the Resident passed shortly after arriving at the Hospital. It’s also reported that local Fire Chiefs are receiving these complaints and not taking them seriously.
INtouchSS has requested a more collaborative effort to create Educational Meetings and have Senior Care Facilities and Fire Departments discuss their concerns and bring awareness to needed changes. Since Right Care’s public request for a call to action to the community, Steve Wagner has declined our repeated requests to join our Community Meetings. We are asking any or all local Fire Departments in Arizona to join us to provide education and understand our concerns email admin@intouchseniorservices.com.
We are asking all Fire Fighters to treat everyone with respect and dignity and be a Team Player when entering a Facility. You are very much respected in the Industry, please show the same respect to Assisted Living Homes who operate 24hrs around the clock to provide care. Let’s work together on creating better education on 911 calls, DNR’s and Emergency Services. Let’s work towards the best interest of the aging adult in Arizona.
Senior Community Residents
“Arizona law protects your right to have a place to live and makes it unlawful for any person to discriminate in connection with housing because of an individual’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status or physical or mental disability.”https://www.azag.gov/civil-rights/fair-housing/what-is-fair-housing
Senior Community Administrators
File complaints here
See links below
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