Man Dies at Home After Paramedics Diagnose Acid Reflux

After the family member found Edward Givens, who was not breathing, yesterday morning, another 911 call was made.

Improving the city's emergency medical services has been a stated priority for Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) and Rubin since the death of David Rosenbaum in January 2006. Rosenbaum, a former New York Times journalist who lived in upper Northwest, was beaten in a street robbery, but emergency workers assessed him as a drunk and considered him a low-priority patient. He died two days later at Howard University Hospital.

A task force chaired by Rubin suggested numerous reforms, which Rubin said are being implemented.

Givens was a father of two teenagers and worked as a counselor at a group home for youths who had been victims of domestic violence, his mother said.

He was a graduate of Eastern High School and Wilberforce University in Ohio, where he majored in business administration.

He coached Little League baseball and youth football and worked with a basketball team in the Barry Farm neighborhood.

"Sports was his love," Lolitha Givens said.