A patient drove off in an ambulance outside of Alpena-based MyMichigan Medical Center on Feb. 6, sparking an hourlong police chase, WSBT reported.
Michael Erickson, the hospital's president, discussed the incident in a Feb. 7 interview with the local CBS affiliate.
According to Mr. Erickson, EMTs were in the emergency bay preparing to move a patient to a different facility. Another patient walked up, got into the running vehicle, and drove off. The patient awaiting a transfer was not in the ambulance at the time.
Due to HIPAA laws, Mr. Erickson could not provide further information about the patient who stole the vehicle, including what he was being treated for and which unit he came from.
He stated that hospital leadership was aware of the situation immediately, as employees could see it occurring from the emergency department. They immediately called 911 and coordinated with the EMS supervisor, who has access to GPS data in all vehicles and could track the stolen ambulance in real time.
Law enforcement tracked the patient for about 50 miles before cornering the vehicle in a neighboring county. The patient and ambulance were returned to the hospital unscathed.
Hospital staff has already adjusted protocol to prevent a recurrence, Mr. Erickson said.
"The standard used to be, you'd have [the ambulance] running and have it open, so that's not the case any longer," Mr. Erickson said. "They're now going to retain the fob on-person and lock the doors."
Becker's connected with a spokesperson from MyMichigan Health, who declined to add to Mr. Erickson's statements. Local police have also declined to speak with members of the press or release security footage.