Incarcerated individuals represent a particularly vulnerable sector of society, with a disproportionate burden of drug use, mental health problems, and chronic illness. The purpose of this study was to perform a descriptive analysis of EMS response to detention facilities.

Retrospective review of EMS calls to detention facilities between 1/1/2002 and 12/31/2021 within our EMS system. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Student’s t-test. This study was deemed exempt by the Institutional Review Board.

3,126 requests for service occurred during the study period. Average patient age was 40.2 ± 13.3 years, compared with 54.0 ± 25.9 years for non-detention center calls (p < 0.001). The majority (80.8%) of patients were male. Mean scene time was 14:13 ± 7:49 minutes, compared with 12:04 ± 12:27 minutes (p < 0.01) for non-detention center calls. The most common complaints were chest pain (15.6%), trauma (13.6%), seizure (11.7%), behavioral (9.2%), and overdose (4.7%); OB requests accounted for 5.8% of calls for female patients. Most calls (86.0%) to detention centers involved incarcerated individuals. Four percent of patients refused treatment; 27.8% of these patients were still transported. One hundred and eight patients were identified by EMS as not needing transport. Consent for treatment/transport by the patient was documented in 5.2% of charts.

Within our 911 service area, calls to detention facilities are not uncommon, predominantly involve incarcerated individuals, and are primarily due to chest pain, trauma, or seizures. Consent for treatment/transport was not documented in most EMS encounters. Further study is needed to better understand the health care needs of these patients, including ability to consent and access to chronic medications.