Since July, I have had to use 911 on several occasions that were not the type that emergency medical services were designed for.

I was bed-ridden for most of them and could not feed myself or get to my meds. After a week of this, a deputy sheriff brought my brother up from Kannapolis to care for me until the VA got me into a rehabilitation center for me to become able to take care of myself again.

Monday, with the recommendation of the nurse treating my wound on my left foot, EMS took me to the hospital. Late Monday, I finally got a ride home in a cab (Nu Care would not transport me). But in order to get from the cab to my residence, I had to use the help of EMS to get my power chair out to me. I was informed by one of the medical technicians, if there had been a real emergency, they would have needed to leave, and I would have been stuck in that cab.

I am telling all this because we need another solution. During the week in July, one of the EMS personnel mentioned he was trying to solve this by setting up a separate department to handle these kinds of situations.

As a handicapped person living alone, I agree that something must be done. I make too much to qualify for Medicaid and not enough get into a nursing home. So, I am stuck in a situation where the kind of emergency support is needed.

I am sure that there are others like me in the same situation here in Rowan County.

Julian Torrey

Salisbury