Good Samaritan Hospital closing will stress EMS transport system, Dayton chief says

Premier Health's decision to close Good Samaritan Hospital in Dayton by the end of the year will stress the city fire department's emergency transport system, but the issue will be regional issue in terms of emergency medical service response and transport, Dayton Fire Chief Jeffrey Payne said.

"It will leave a little bit of a void in coverage for emergency rooms we can transport to," he said of the Dayton Fire Department, but "we should still be able to get patients to the hospital within five minutes or so, for the most part."

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The closing of Good Samaritan will mean longer transport times, which will stress the Dayton Fire Department's system, the chief said, noting, "this could be problematic, but I think it's something we can handle."

The protocols -- official procedures or a system of rules under which all hospitals and fire departments operate -- call for taking patients to the closest hospital.

Payne said, "The most important message we need the public to understand is that regardless of which hospital you go to ... whether it's Miami Valley, Kettering, Grandview, the VA , Wright-Patt, they all operate under the same protocols to make sure you get swift, efficient and effective patient care."

He warned that the void left by the hospital's closing will be a regional issue, not just a city of Dayton issue, in terms of EMS response and transport because there are a number of fire departments that normally transport to Good Samaritan Hospital.

Payne stopped his comments there, saying he didn't want to speak for those other fire departments.