Firefighters: On Front Line of Health Care
672 views · Published 19 November 2009 · 4:19 · Indexed 20 September 2026
Channel: Voice of America · 2009 · People & Blogs
Keeping health care costs under control is a goal of reforms being debated in the U.S. Congress. One hidden cost is the burden to fire departments that find themselves providing expensive primary medical care for people who have no other place to turn. For the poor and elderly in one neighborhood of the U.S. capital, firefighters are the first on the scene to treat people who otherwise might not have easy access to doctors or clinics. VOA's Chris Simkins spent a few days with some very busy Washington firefighters who are on the front line of medical care.
