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- About the Story
- The owners of Daniel Freeman Hospital have decided to close down the ER that serves a poor community. They say a large portion of cases are not emergencies. Community leaders disagree, and say the closure will leave thousands of people unserved. Toni Guinyard looks at the latest ER closure in a long trend. (TRT: 7:35)
- allnurses.com’s “Emergency in Inglewood to Close” Blog
- Cal/ACEP’s “State Urged to Intervene in Hospitals’ Urgent Care” Article
- California Healthline’s “Los Angeles County ED Could Close” Article
- Diggers Realm’s “Illegal Aliens Drive another Hospital to Closure” Blog
- 89.3 KPCC’s “A Plan to Save King/Drew” Audio Report
- Hospital Association of Southern California’s “Lott on Healthcare” Blog
- Mayor Sam’s Sister City’s “What to Do with ‘Killer’ King Hospital?” Blog
A True Emergency?
Last updated: May 16, 2009
Reporter's NOTES
Toni Guinyard
When I was doing the initial research for this story, one of the interview subjects mentioned something that stayed on my mind. She said that the public is well trained when it comes to dialing 9-1-1.
She presented that statement as part of the larger problem about the way in which hospital emergency rooms are being used to treat non-emergencies. Think about it.
When you call a hospital and reach the recorded message, it often states, “If this is an emergency, hang up and dial 9-1-1.” If you call a doctor’s office after hours, the recorded message directs you to either dial 9-1-1 or to go to your local hospital emergency room.
The problem — we’re left to determine when our situation/pain/illness constitutes a “real” emergency. We all need to learn the differences between emergency care, urgent care and primary care.
But we also need to figure out what can be done to ensure that additional emergency rooms and hospitals don’t close their doors. No matter where you live, it will eventually impact you. Few, if any, of us think about the importance of having a hospital, ER or a doctor nearby until we really need one, and they’re either too busy, too crowded or simply not around.
Insider Viewpoints
While everyone’s health insurance goes up to cover the uninsured, we get poorer and poorer service. If you pay your insurance on time for coverage for you or your family, and there is an emergency, you may just end up having to drive an extra 10 to 15 miles to get to an emergency room.
Upon arriving, you may be in line behind someone who doesn’t pay, but expects the same services you receive. Something has to be done, of course.
Illegal aliens receiving this free service should be number one on the list. Preventing illegals from being here in the first place is a law, after all.
Hospitals should be able to note whether someone is here illegally. The only way to tackle the issues is with full disclosure and good input data. If you don’t know the breakdown of why someone is uninsured, how can you fix the problem?
Digger
Digger’s Realm
On the heels of learning that the hospital [King-Drew Medical Center] had lost its Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services certification, each county supervisor expressed his or her commitment to preserve this…community resource, which is relying on health department leaders to provide them with what needs to be a…real miracle. With funding scheduled to be cut off on November 30 [2006], the task of producing a miracle cure is daunting, but not impossible…
To save King-Drew, the most direct treatment plan is to consolidate the license and operations of King-Drew with Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a nearby county hospital…This plan is not free of risk…but it is the best plan with the greatest chance of being implemented before time and federal money run out.
The fallback plan would be to contract out the hospital to a private operator. But officials must focus on what can be accomplished in the next 30 to 60 days, and it is unlikely that a private operator plan could be negotiated and implemented in such a short period of time.
James Lott
Executive Vice President
Hospital Association of Southern California
…as a taxpayer, I can’t help but feel that KDMC [King/Drew Medical Center] has…passed the point of no return as a viable medical facility…The millions of dollars paid to Navigant [a hospital management consulting company] could not turn around three decades of a culture of incompetence.
Despite getting rid of a large number of staff…the company was unable to help the hospital to pass 15 inspections in the past two years. The last inspection was the final exam — and King failed nine of the 23 categories…
…many of the hardest working…staffers have complained to their supervisors, administrators and…county supervisors…Their reward has been ostracism and punishment, but they stayed because they believe in the original mission of the institution.
Politics and accusations of racism have insulated the hospital from meaningful reform. Would Catholic HealthCare West or any other private nonprofit be willing to take over the management of the hospital under present conditions? Not likely. Any new provider would have to demand two conditions: that its costs would be covered and that it would have a free hand in personnel.
Jennifer Solis
Contributor
Mayor Sam’s Sister City
