The Advocate file photo by Sophia Germer
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New Orleans EMS is failing to quickly respond to emergencies as chronic understaffing driven by low pay forces the city to lean heavily on private ambulance companies, the Office of the Inspector General said in a new report.
In 71% of cases, NOEMS missed national benchmarks as average response times climbed to 17 minutes and 45 seconds — nearly double the recommended nine minutes, according to the report released Thursday.