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CA: Hospital considers closing emergency room in Inglewood
AP on Bakersfield Californian ^ | 8/28/06 | AP

Posted on 08/28/2006 12:22:58 PM PDT by NormsRevenge

A hospital that has faced a series of financial setbacks is considering closing its emergency room, potentially forcing thousands of additional patients onto another emergency unit about 1 1/2 miles away.

Centinela Freeman HealthSystem said it will decide within 30 days whether to shut the emergency room at its Memorial campus, leaving only its Centinela unit operating in the working-class city.

It would be the ninth emergency room to close in Los Angeles County in recent years and the prospect could be "devastating," said Carol Meyer, director of the county's emergency medical services agency.

"This is going to be the biggest one yet," she said of the closures.

"These are tough decisions," said Michael A. Rembis, president and chief executive of the health system. "We are losing a lot of sleep over this. We're going to do what we believe is best for the community."

Memorial, formerly known as Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital, has a long record of financial losses. It has had three owners in the past five years.

Its emergency room treated about 38,000 patients in its emergency room last year. Centinela treated about the same number, but it has room to handle more, officials said.

If the plan goes forward, the hospital system said it would add two new urgent care centers at Memorial and Centinela, with extended hours to increase access to urgent and primary care services.

The health system said a consulting firm found that nearly two-thirds of the emergency room patients at Memorial and Centinela were treated for non-life-threatening conditions.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: california; centinela; closing; considers; emergencyroom; hospital; inglewood
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1 posted on 08/28/2006 12:22:59 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
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To: NormsRevenge

There they go....cutting off the healthcare to the illegal immigrants. (sarc)


2 posted on 08/28/2006 12:25:16 PM PDT by shankbear
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To: NormsRevenge

Wow - not one word on why...


3 posted on 08/28/2006 12:29:14 PM PDT by 2banana (My common ground with terrorists - They want to die for Islam, and we want to kill them.)
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To: NormsRevenge

expect the Hezbocrats to start complaining about the problems with insufficent healthcare facilities in CA and its all the republicans fault.

I heard Michael Moore's next movie, thats going to be released during the next presidential elections, is all about how the evil republicans and HMO's are taking away everyones healthcare.



4 posted on 08/28/2006 12:29:30 PM PDT by Proud_USA_Republican (We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good. - Hillary Clinton)
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To: 2banana

AP article.


5 posted on 08/28/2006 12:29:52 PM PDT by Proud_USA_Republican (We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good. - Hillary Clinton)
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To: shankbear
Not to mention the gangbangers (of legal status) who seek treatment for gunshot wounds.
6 posted on 08/28/2006 12:32:02 PM PDT by doctor noe
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To: NormsRevenge
nearly two-thirds of the emergency room patients at Memorial and Centinela were treated for non-life-threatening conditions.

I hope not, but have you been in an actual emergency room in a city lately? People with fevers and cuts, bumps on the head etc... few real emergencies... it is the "doctor's office of choice" for so many.

7 posted on 08/28/2006 12:33:05 PM PDT by AbeKrieger (Liberals are the Mongol herds destroying America from within.)
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To: doctor noe

Since a hospital cannot turn them away under the anti-dumping laws, the next and most logical solution is to close the doors. I am sure the government at some level will try to make them reopen.


8 posted on 08/28/2006 12:36:28 PM PDT by shankbear
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To: NormsRevenge
A hospital that has faced a series of financial setbacks is considering closing its emergency room, potentially forcing thousands of additional patients onto another emergency unit about 1 1/2 miles away.

And you can just bet hellsapoppin' right now over at the other ER about 1 1/2 miles away.

9 posted on 08/28/2006 12:37:11 PM PDT by yankeedame ("Oh, I can take it but I'd much rather dish it out.")
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To: 2banana
The real "why" is why do hospitals maintain an ER in the first place?

They lose money, they are a liability headache, they are a huge security problem. There's no law saying a hospital HAS to have an ER. I don't know why they all don't close.

10 posted on 08/28/2006 12:39:02 PM PDT by Mamzelle
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To: NormsRevenge
Doesn't everyone KNOW that tens of millions of illegal immigrants are essential to this country?

Whats wrong with you racists?


11 posted on 08/28/2006 12:41:47 PM PDT by bill1952 ("All that we do is done with an eye towards something else.")
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To: NormsRevenge
Its emergency room treated about 38,000 patients in its emergency room last year.

Fire the copy editor.

12 posted on 08/28/2006 12:43:35 PM PDT by PAR35
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To: Mamzelle

Actually, there are many laws concerning that exact situation, right down to how many free beds must be available, especially if you accept any government money, eg, Medicare or Medicaid.


13 posted on 08/28/2006 12:45:26 PM PDT by bill1952 ("All that we do is done with an eye towards something else.")
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To: 2banana

Exactly, and they won't tell you either, because it's not popular within the healthcare establishment to talk about the fact that you can't keep hospitals and emergency rooms in business if there aren't very many doctors in your community to provide healthcare services or to staff emergency rooms.


14 posted on 08/28/2006 12:51:00 PM PDT by Brilliant
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To: bill1952

My guess is that most illegals don't have family doctors, so when someone gets an upset stomach, they go to the emergency room. It' expensive for the hospital, but free for them.


15 posted on 08/28/2006 12:52:11 PM PDT by BW2221
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To: bill1952
Depending on the state, there are few laws requiring an ER. Think about how you'd write such a law. There are laws defining what the hospital must provide if they are to be a high-Trauma hospital, and how the ER must be run. But if this hospital can close down an ER and keep the rest of the hospital open...the laws you describe must be easy to circumvent.

The ER is a convenience for admitting patients--one advantage of having an ER.

The real reason there are as many ERs still operating is one you'd likely disbelieve. It is tradition, part of the mission of a hospital to provide emergency care to a community. But when the community will not compensate the hospital, when that community is quick to blame the ER for all the problems that come from the nature of such a service, when the community will not secure the facility from marauding thugs...it can be shut down. And they will continue to be shut down. Once enough hospitals lead the way, and break with tradition--other hospitals will follow suit.

16 posted on 08/28/2006 12:53:26 PM PDT by Mamzelle
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To: BW2221
And they all know that the way to get priority treatment in the ER is to arrive via ambulance. Trust me, it is true.
17 posted on 08/28/2006 12:54:10 PM PDT by bill1952 ("All that we do is done with an eye towards something else.")
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To: 2banana
The health system said a consulting firm found that nearly two-thirds of the emergency room patients at Memorial and Centinela were treated for non-life-threatening conditions.

Well, that didn't help.

18 posted on 08/28/2006 12:55:26 PM PDT by mewzilla (Property must be secured or liberty cannot exist. John Adams)
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To: AbeKrieger

"...have you been in an actual emergency room in a city lately?"

In my case, yup. The really bad ones came in Air Life and we didn't see them - just heard the choppers. The lady who was vomiting uncontrollably and me with my massively dislocated shoulder went to 1 & 2 in line when we arrived.

Everyone else was ambulatory and looked fine to me.


19 posted on 08/28/2006 1:12:35 PM PDT by Felis_irritable
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To: Mamzelle
I don't see that here. I worked at Martin Memorial in Stuart, Florida and we were bound hand and foot by regulations, both Federal and State concerning the ER and free beds and patient care.

Now, Martin is a not for profit corporation, - though not a trauma facility like St. Marys - and so is bound by more Federal Laws than a private facility, and I believe, but do not know, that this is true in any State.

Now, I also cannot see how any private hospital that does not accept any Federal money can be forced to have an ER, and personally, I wouldn't even bother to have a public ER.

But hey, I don't know other State laws, anyway. 8^)

The fact that America's medical care is overwhelmed by illegals is a disgrace

20 posted on 08/28/2006 1:13:17 PM PDT by bill1952 ("All that we do is done with an eye towards something else.")
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