Tele-Nurses Tackle 911 Calls by Phone

Most people know that their best bet for emergency medical attention is to call 911.

(ABC News Photo Illustration)

But what about refilling your prescriptions or diagnosing that peculiar rash on your arm?

They are hardly emergencies, but that doesn't stop many residents in Houston, Tex., as well as other cities across the country, from calling 911.

"A lot of people who call 911 do so for a non-emergency," said Dr. David Persee, Houston's director of Emergency Medical Services. "As many as 40 percent of ambulances sent out following a call end up not even taking anyone to a hospital."