Dispatcher denies help in 911 call

[Billy 68]

What is your thought on this situation?

06/13/2007  10:30:53 EST

911 Dispatchers Denied Dying Woman Help

LOS ANGELES - A woman who lay bleeding on the emergency room floor of a troubled inner-city hospital died after 911 dispatchers refused to contact paramedics or an ambulance to take her to another facility, newly released tapes of the emergency calls reveal.

Edith Isabel Rodriguez, 43, died of a perforated bowel on May 9 at Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital. Her death was ruled accidental by the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

Relatives said Rodriguez was bleeding from the mouth and writhing in pain for 45 minutes while she was at a hospital waiting area. Experts have said she could have survived had she been treated early enough.

County and state authorities are now investigating Rodriguez's death. Relatives reported she died as police were wheeling her out of the hospital after the officers they had asked to help Rodriguez arrested her instead on a parole violation. Sheriff's Department spokesman Duane Allen said Wednesday that the investigation is ongoing.

In the recordings of two 911 calls that day, first obtained by the Los Angeles Times under a California Public Records Act request, callers pleaded for help for Rodriguez but were referred to hospital staff instead.

"I'm in the emergency room. My wife is dying and the nurses don't want to help her out," Rodriguez's boyfriend, Jose Prado, is heard saying in Spanish through an interpreter on the tapes.

"What's wrong with her?" a female dispatcher asked.

"She's vomiting blood," Prado said.

"OK, and why aren't they helping her?" the dispatcher asked.

"They're watching her there and they're not doing anything. They're just watching her," Prado said.

The dispatcher told Prado to contact a doctor and then said paramedics wouldn't pick her up because she was already in a hospital. She later told him to contact county police officers at a security desk.

A second 911 call was placed eight minutes later by a bystander who requested that an ambulance be sent to take Rodriguez to another hospital for care.

"She's definitely sick and there's a guy that's ignoring her," the woman told a male dispatcher.

During the call, the dispatcher argued with the woman over whether there really was an emergency.

"I cannot do anything for you for the quality of the hospital. ... It is not an emergency. It is not an emergency ma'am," he said.

"You're not here to see how they're treating her," the woman replied.

The dispatcher refused to call paramedics and told the woman that she should contact hospital supervisors "and let them know" if she is unhappy.

"May God strike you too for acting the way you just acted," the woman said finally.

"No, negative ma'am, you're the one," he said.

The incident was the latest high-profile lapse at King-Harbor, formerly known as King/Drew. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is investigating claims of recent patient care breakdowns, including Rodriguez's case.

Federal inspectors last week said emergency room patients were in "immediate jeopardy" of harm or death, and King-Harbor was given 23 days to shape up or risk losing federal funding.

Dr. Bruce Chernof, director of the county Department of Health Services, which oversees the facility, has called Rodriguez's death "inexcusable" and said it was "important to understand that this was fundamentally a failure of caring." He has said conditions are improving, though.

A call Wednesday seeking comment about the 911 tapes from the department's communications office, which handles information about the hospital, was not immediately returned.

Dr. Roger Peeks, the chief medical officer at the hospital, was placed on "ordered absence" Monday, the Times reported. Health officials declined to elaborate, saying it was a personnel matter. Dr. Robert Splawn, chief medical officer for the health department, was named interim chief medical officer, the newspaper said.

[JBE 328]

This is a tough one. There's nothing in the article that states what the regulations call for in a situation like this. Can't really say it was the dispatchers fault if they were following regulations.

[tbendick 27]

I had a case like this sometime back. Lady called 911 from the corner outside the hospital, we found her standing there with here chart. She was waiting a long time and getting no help. So she ended up getting into a verbal fight with one of the nurses,she then picked grabed her chart and left.

I wanted to take her to another hospital, but a supervisor said to bring her back inside. I felt she would have been giving better care in another hospital, were they didn't know her..

[PC_420 28]

I don't know. As a police, fire, and ems dispatcher I think I would have used some discretion and sent at least the police to investigate. This was an apparent blatant act of negligence on the part of the hospital right in front of the public's eyes.

[JetPhoto 626]

If the 911 dispatcher did call the hospital to check on this patient and the hospital officials did not then it would be on the hospital. As for the second call, right or wrong the dispatcher shouldn't have lost thier cool (if what's in the artical is true) Yes a PO should have been sent just to CYA.

[Oswegowind 17]

No, it is the hospital's responsibility! The hospital should be competent enough to see that patients are cared for properly. Waiting times being too long at one hospital are not a reason to call 911...there is a proper way to go about that! The hospital should have recognized the situation...how can a 911 dispatcher override what a nurse who has first hand knowledge of the patients condition has decided. That is not our job...that is why they have triage. Sad as it may be I don't believe in sending EMS to an emergency room which is a higher level of care, or is supposed to be. I have a feeling there is more to this story than we are being told...also this hospital seems to be trouble. As for sending the police...not all cops are medically trained so what can they do, also they don't have any authority to tell a doctor he is not doing his job...that is what the DOH is for. This is not any fault of 911, the issue is with the hospital and the hospital alone!

[Guest mediconpatrol]

Working in the hospital we have had many patients call 911..either because they thought things weren't happening fast enough....because they didn't think they were getting proper care...or for the in-patients because they were confused and thought we were going to hurt them...

Each time that had occurred when I was supervisor I am impressed to say I was given a call by either 60 control or state police dispatcher to inform me what was going on..Then I was able to intervene if necessary....

I cannot speak for this specific issue, but I do believe that in Westchester county, this situation would be handled appropiately and with dignity.....which was definately lacking in this case.

[Guest WCDES636]

If they call .... send it. Simple rule we follow. As a dispatcher you can not be wrong if you send out resources. If you refuse.... it all lands on you.

Yes the Medic or EMS crew may be pissed at you, you did your job. No one can question that.

[COMMANDCHIEF 4]

Instead of second guessing this thing. Why don't you come up with some alternatives. Like. Tell the guy to call a private ambulance and transport her to another hospital.

I can tell by half the people that "contribute" to the discussions in these posting that you have very little. If any, "real life" experience with half the crap you post in here. Spend less time on here and more out in the world, and you might get a clue.

You can't hold a persons hand all through life...

[IzzyEng4 427]

You cannot take a patient out of a hospital via 911 period without proper discharging from any hospital. This law is federal and no local law can supersede it. It is one thing if the patient was outside the facility an on the ground of the hospital, then an ambulance can transport a patient to that hospital or another. If the patient is already in the care of a hospital care facility then the liability falls on the hospital.

The problem here is that a call was placed to 911 from "third party" caller (I use this term since the person who called was at a phone away from the patient). The 911 dispatchers are not at fault and you can argue with anyone here that has worked in a 911 center that the dispatchers did do there job, they cannot send an ambulance to investigate a problem inside of a hospital facility. (Mind you I am not talking about convalescent homes, rehabilitation facilities or outpatient / doctor's offices just hospitals.) I will agree that the dispatchers should have used their terminology more wisely and also (if they didn't) get in contact with the hospital (either ER, security, et. al) to find out what the problem is.

The problem lies only with the care (not) provided by the hospital personnel. They failed her, not the 911 dispatchers. But dispatchers have to remember what they say is recorded and will be take verbatim. I have come across this problem many times with intra facility 911 calls from a hospital and the first thing you need to do is determine where inside of the building they are and contact the hospital ASPA. If you send ANY outside medical response with out the authorization of the hospital then there is a major problem with liability issues. The only time an ambulance can take a patient to another hospital is by doing an inter facility transfer that is set up. If not, it will be considered kidnapping (believe it or not).

Also too we are only getting one side of the story here because the media is quick to jump on something we all do wrong. I am not saying that there was a good possibility that the hospital didn't provide proper care or investigated the patient's problem correctly. Yes it is a fine line about this buy the be all, end all is that you cannot take a person out of a hospital or send an ambulance for such a thing.

Edited June 14, 2007 by IzzyEng4

[EJS1810 7]

If they call .... send it. Simple rule we follow. As a dispatcher you can not be wrong if you send out resources. If you refuse.... it all lands on you.

Yes the Medic or EMS crew may be pissed at you, you did your job. No one can question that.

←

My job also has a similar "rule" to a point. In this case however i would also not send EMS. They are in a medical facility. What gives a Medic or EMS crew the right to take someone from a hospital to another hospital. If the family wanted the person transported elsewhere, they should call a medical transport agency.

On the same note, I have taken calls from people who have had a police agency at thier house handling a call and they were not satisfied whith how that particular agency was handling the call and wanted us to send another agency. I tell them if they don't like the way the officer is handling th ecall then they should talk to his/her supervisor. I do not send another police agency.

If we had to follow the "get a call, send a car" rule by rote, they might as well replace us with computers. Dispatchers are trained to deal with the public and how to handle emergency calls. We have to have a little latitude in what we dispatch. Just because you think it is an emergency dosent make it an emergency.

[RescueKujo 130]

This article and others like it are really starting to piss me off. It only shows the caller's perspective that 9-1-1 failed the patient. Here are a few facts...

1) Izzy has it correct. It is a Federal Cobra violation to transport a patient from one hospital to another without proper coordination, discharge and acceptance by the receiving hospital. So for any provider (9-1-1 or private, and in LA County most private companies are the transport agency, as LA County only has non transport squads) to remove this patient would set them up for a large fine.

2) If in LA County and you are ill or injured, and you want to survive, DO NOT allow yourself or your family to be transported to USC/Drew Med Center or Martin Luther King, Jr/Harbor. There have been major patient care issues at both, with both having been threatened with closure due to those facts. In fact, on TV tonight, one LA County Board of Supervisors member stated he had seen the hospital security tape, and how the hospital handled this patient verges on criminal.

3) The 2nd dispatcher on the tape (you can listen at KTLA.com) should be punished. No matter what they say to you, you do not get rude.

The dispatchers/calltakers are getting the blame for this, and the Media isn't researching the issue thoroughly (shock ). Take a look at the regulations we must follow, then maybe they'll see the reasons why the decisions were made and the actions taken or not.

Edited June 14, 2007 by RescueKujo

[Guest partyrock]

Izzy and kujo nailed it. I understand those jobs on hospital grounds or on the corner by the ER, but god help the CRO that knowingly sends me to and ER because the patient is unhappy with the care they are recieving. This persons death falls squarely on the hospital staff and administrators. This makes WMC's inability to follow up on pain management seem not so bad doesn't it.

[firemoose827 324]

First, I am ONLY pointing something out here, a certain fact that everyone is overlooking. I've been in EMS for 16 years, and know full well about interfacility transfers and cobra violations. BUT, thats only if the victim is an ESTABLISHED PT at said hospital. This person was forced to wait in the LOBBY. No pt contact has been made so COBRA has no part in it. They let her sit in the waiting room in the condition she was in, and if I knew how to use the quote thing on this site than I would quote it for you all, it says she was in the "Waiting Area", not a treatment room under a doctors care already.

SOMEBODY should have been sent to check this out, PD, EMS Supervisor, ANYONE. I believe there might have been a language barrier and mis-understanding somewhere. No one should be made to wait in agony like that, ESPECIALLY at a hospital. An earlier post hit it on the head, TRIAGE at this hospital is HORRIBLE, how did a triage nurse not take one look at her and bring her back for treatment? Did ANY nurse look at her at all? Did the person at the ER reception desk screw up? There is more to the story that we arent hearing and therefore we cant be judging anyone yet.

And for CommandChief, and your remark about people posting on here and getting "real life experience", MOST of the people on this site have tons of experience and choose to get involved with the discussions to "Share their knowledge".

[Guest]

First, I am ONLY pointing something out here, a certain fact that everyone is overlooking.  I've been in EMS for 16 years, and know full well about interfacility transfers and cobra violations.  BUT, thats only if the victim is an ESTABLISHED PT at said hospital.  This person was forced to wait in the LOBBY.  No pt contact has been made so COBRA has no part in it.  They let her sit in the waiting room in the condition she was in, and if I knew how to use the quote thing on this site than I would quote it for you all, it says she was in the "Waiting Area", not a treatment room under a doctors care already.

SOMEBODY should have been sent to check this out, PD, EMS Supervisor, ANYONE.  I believe there might have been a language barrier and mis-understanding somewhere.  No one should be made to wait in agony like that, ESPECIALLY at a hospital.  An earlier post hit it on the head, TRIAGE at this hospital is HORRIBLE, how did a triage nurse not take one look at her and bring her back for treatment?  Did ANY nurse look at her at all?  Did the person at the ER reception desk screw up?  There is more to the story that we arent hearing and therefore we cant be judging anyone yet.

And for CommandChief, and your remark about people posting on here and getting "real life experience", MOST of the people on this site have tons of experience and choose to get involved with the discussions to "Share their knowledge".

←

You are very WRONG! Once a patient has arrived inside of a hospital waiting room and has a chart made or been triaged they are a responsibility of the Hospital and Cobra regulations do apply. If PD, FD, or EMS transported that patient out of the ER and died during transport they would be facing huge fines and DOH issues. The ER is the higher level of care. No matter how bad they are. Izzy, partyrock and Kujo are all correct. Jonesy you are very wrong. People should understand the law before they get themselves in trouble. I have been a career EMS provider for 20 years and 23 years total. I have been involved with a cobra case where a Doctor was punished and fined for not treating a head bleed who died at the second hospital. He refused to treat the patient and called the second hosipital said he was sending them a patient while the patient was posturing on our stretcher in his ER! we did our job and only transported the patient after he made the phone call despite the seriousness of the patient's problem. When we were interviewed by DOH. they said we were correct and if we had left prior to the notification we coyuld have been at fault as well.

[INIT915 1,119]

EMTALA: EMTALA Information

[firemoose827 324]

You are very WRONG! Once a patient has arrived inside of a hospital waiting room and has a chart made or been triaged they are a responsibility of the Hospital and Cobra regulations do apply. If PD, FD, or EMS transported that patient out of the ER and died during transport they would be facing huge fines and DOH issues. The ER is the higher level of care. No matter how bad they are. Izzy, partyrock and Kujo are all correct. Jonesy you are very wrong. People should understand the law before they get themselves in trouble. I have been a career EMS provider for 20 years and 23 years total. I have been involved with a cobra case where a Doctor was punished and fined for not treating a head bleed who died at the second hospital. He refused to treat the patient and called the second hosipital said he was sending them a patient while the patient was posturing on our stretcher in his ER! we did our job and only transported the patient after he made the phone call despite the seriousness of the patient's problem. When we were interviewed by DOH. they said we were correct and if we had left prior to the notification we coyuld have been at fault as well.

←

As I stated earlier, there was NO PT CONTACT MADE. NO CHART< NO TRIAGE, I fully understand the cobra laws also. I am only going by what I read in the article and expressing my opinions. We dont have ALL the info for this topic. The article clearly states she was in the waiting room WAITING to be seen by a nurse and being ignored. Why are my opinions always taken for law and immediately jumped on when I am merely trying to continue the discussion and ask questions?

[Goose 188]

Whatever the case was or may have been, the dispatcher should have assigned a unit.

[ltjay157 10]

I've reread the article 5 times. All it says is that the woman was in the ER waiting room & people said the nurses were ignoring her. It never said if she was triaged or not. So everyone is jumping to conclussions on whether she is a patient or not. But from my experience in walking into the ER to get stitches a few times, you have to go to the sign in desk, fill out forms & insurance forms then get put on a list based on the severity. So for arguments sake, say this woman did all of that. Isn't that technically being triaged since you talk to a nurse at the desk when you describe what your problem is? I'm sorry if this questions seems off the wall. I've only been involved as a first responder & never actually transported someone to the hospital.

[Guest]

Yes you are correct. Once you sign in anywhere you are the responsibility of the institution you are at. If you speak to a nurse or any hospital employee about your injury in any fashion you are also their responsibility. Technically even if you now walk out side but are still on hospital property you are or even if you sign in and are triaged then leave and are walking down the street and are hit by a car and killed . Responsibility falls back on that institution to some degree.

As far as sending a unit to check this out. People need to get a clue, we are talking about a city hospital. first people will call to go from hospital to hospital just to find an ER with less wait times. this puts an increased burden on EMS, then add PD to check the situation out? to do what? the ER is higher trained. It stated that the dispatcher called the hospital about the patient. That means the hospital knows about the patient and is responsible for them. The police have no power to force them to treat a patient or to make them transfer. The hospital needs to clean up it's act in this situation. We need all of the facts to make suggestions but they definatetly have some issue's to deal with.

[Goose 188]

It goes beyond signing in. If you are on any part of a hospital's property they have a legal obligation to treat you under EMTALA.

As far as sending a patrol car or ambulance - it seems to me that it would be far easier to mitigate/decode the situation with boots on the ground than from a dispatcher's chair. If i was him, i would have just to cover my own a$$ and the agency i worked for. Notify the on duty sup and take it up with the hospital at a later time.

It's just as wasteful as sending an ambulance on an assignment for a leaky bladder, but it's just something you have to do in my mind.

Edited June 14, 2007 by Goose

[Guest alsfirefighter]

At any time someone is on hospital GROUNDS, and report/suffer/sustain and injury or illness they must be seen by a licensed medical professional or immediately be brought there. If you sprain your ankle in the parking lot and need assistance do they call an ambulance? No. Some facilities call a certain code and a crew comes with a wheelchair.

There isn't one party to blame in this issue there are numerous.

1. Why did a patient die in an ER waiting room.

2. Why did a telecommunicator not send some resource to investigate why a person would be calling from an ER. Let's not forget in public education we tell them to call that number when they assistance and those involved viewed that they needed assistance they were not getting from a hospital. Anyone else on here discuss that issue?

636 hit it. Send resources can't be wrong...covers your liablility and pushes it more on the hospital.

I actually had one of these where 642 sent me to the parking lot to HVHC for a foot injury. The person was GOA when I got there. (Lucky for him, it was like 3 am). I wasn't angry at all at him for sending me but the potential patient who was going to get a lecture and told RMA or that facility right there. In fact I thought the boys were joking with me....I actually asked on the radio..."Medic 1 to 60 Control...John are you serious?" LOL.

[IzzyEng4 427]

As far as sending a patrol car or ambulance - it seems to me that it would be far easier to mitigate/decode the situation with boots on the ground than from a dispatcher's chair. If i was him, i would have just to cover my own a$$ and the agency i worked for. Notify the on duty sup and take it up with the hospital at a later time.

←

Goose I agree and disagree here.

If there is a protocol and directive that is in place with the dispatch center, it must be followed. We have one where I work and the first thing to do in any situation where a 911 is received from a hospital about patient care in the hospital is to contact that hospital first. (Law enforcement, fire and hazardous material incidents area a whole different breed and we are not going to touch that here.) As stated before there are COBRA violations and if you think to use a "CYA" approach without following the protocols that should be set up, then you as a dispatcher area in violation and your actions will not hold up in a court of law. (See how ugly this gets? Confusing too.)

Now they sent a police officer (two or three) because of this, I'm going to say disturbance for lack of a better term that escapes me though it really isn't, the police officers should have taken an approach that the woman was in the care of a hospital and they also should have not tried to remove her because she was there seeking help. Not the fact she had a violation as stated in the news articles, that can wait, obviously!

Another thing is that every EMT and Medic here would question going to a hospital on a priority call for a patient / person called 911 for someone in the ER already. Does it make sense, no of course not.

What has to happen here is;

1. Why did the woman not receive the proper care in the hospital she seeked help at.

2. Why did the police officers try to remove a patient from the hospital when she was in obvious dire need.

3. Though the 911 dispatchers did what they were supposed to do (explained the situation and we not rude at all as reported by many a new outlet) did they follow up with their protocols that are in place and contact the hospital to see what is the problem in the ER and make them aware of it.

4. If the person who called 911 was a Spanish speaking person who had difficulty with the language, why didn't they get a Spanish speaking dispatcher or use the "Language Line" that is nationally available to let the person speak in their native language to describe accurately the problem.

Of course we can go on and on and on here for a long time. Unless you have worked as a 911 operator, it is hard for people that are not dispatchers to understand the protocols and operating procedures especially in the sense of this particular instance all the liability issues that area at had. Yes the hospital has a DUTY TO ACT (emphasis on the statement) and I'm sorry but they failed this woman! No doubt!

If they are in the ER, you have to contact the ER charge nurse immediately and state what the problem is to her. Remember EMT's and Paramedics have no authority in a hospital when it comes to care after the transfer of care has been completed or the care of those who walk into an ER under thier own free will.

[helicopper 1,050]

A lot of assumptions are being made and relying on a newspaper article for clarity is really not the answer. Some very valid points are being raised here and it points to the years of experience that people on this board do have.

636, I agree with your perspective that "if they call, you send" but in this case I think you're handcuffing the EMS crew. What is the EMS crew supposed to do if the person is "under the responsiblity of the facility" and COBRA applies? If you were a police dispatcher would you send units to the lobby of the precinct because someone didn't want to wait for the desk officer to address their issue. What about a 911 call from a jail or correctional facility? EMS isn't going to get in there without the concurrence of Corrections.

A private ambulance wouldn't be better off than a 911 ambulance going to the hospital ER.

Sounds like at least one of the dispatchers did refer the person to police at the hospital. They apparently didn't avail themselves of that resource.

Could communications have been better - based upon the article, perhaps. But the responsibility lies squarely with the "accredited" medical facility where this woman died while waiting for treatment.

Protocols for such situations should DEFINITELY be in place so you know what to do when a call comes in from a facility like this.

It will be interesting to follow the outcome of this case and the likely health department investigation about the hospitals actions/inactions.

[trauma74 111]

I have been dispatching for over ten years now and I know how to properly blow off bullsh*t calls and when to send or not send a cop to a job. I dispatch PD/FD & EMS. If I got a call like the one described here, I would not have sent EMS right away. I would have sent a cop to check and advised AND I would have called the ER and told them what was going on. If by the time the cop arrived the ER staff still had not done anything, our Sgt would have directed the cop to go in and speak with the ER staff and not to leave until this patient got the proper treatment.

Yes, the dispatcher is at fault to a point, but so is the hospital

[Guest mediconpatrol]

At any time someone is on hospital GROUNDS, and report/suffer/sustain and injury or illness they must be seen by a licensed medical professional or immediately be brought there. If you sprain your ankle in the parking lot and need assistance do they call an ambulance? No. Some facilities call a certain code and a crew comes with a wheelchair.

I have to disagree to a point..If someone hurts themselves in the ER parking lot with something like a sprain ankle, yes we will come out with a wheelchair and bring them in.....BUT, If someone gets injured in a more serious manner for example requires backboarding we definately call for an ambulance response.

As nurses in nursing school we are not trained in "street care" nor does the hospital cover us for anything we do outside the hospital.

Many times we have called to have mohegan ambulance dispatched for occurrences on the grounds of the hospital.

[Monty 35]

You are very WRONG! Once a patient has arrived inside of a hospital waiting room and has a chart made or been triaged they are a responsibility of the Hospital and Cobra regulations do apply. If PD, FD, or EMS transported that patient out of the ER and died during transport they would be facing huge fines and DOH issues. The ER is the higher level of care. No matter how bad they are. Izzy, partyrock and Kujo are all correct. Jonesy you are very wrong. People should understand the law before they get themselves in trouble. I have been a career EMS provider for 20 years and 23 years total. I have been involved with a cobra case where a Doctor was punished and fined for not treating a head bleed who died at the second hospital. He refused to treat the patient and called the second hosipital said he was sending them a patient while the patient was posturing on our stretcher in his ER! we did our job and only transported the patient after he made the phone call despite the seriousness of the patient's problem. When we were interviewed by DOH. they said we were correct and if we had left prior to the notification we coyuld have been at fault as well.

←

I'm far from an expert here - but I think you could both be correct. I can certainly see from this thread that if you are under medical care, then as mediconpatrol says it's up to the hospital to release the patient. Now, if a receptionist takes your details, are you receiving treatment?

From the sounds of it, if the patient 'self discharges' - is not in the hospital (walks out, is dragged out or whatever), then you can also transport.

In the end on a personal note - this just makes me less likely to go see LA

[RescueKujo 130]

In the end on a personal note - this just makes me less likely to go see LA 

←

Monty, there are many nice areas of LA County. Just where this hospital is (Central LA) is where you need to stay away from.

[emt301 4]

Could communications have been better - based upon the article, perhaps.  But the responsibility lies squarely with the "accredited" medical facility where this woman died while waiting for treatment. 

←

Exactly right....the responsibility is 100% WITH THE HOSPITAL. I've seen/been involved in situations where EMS has been dispatched to assist injured/ill persons in the parking lot or on the grounds outside of a hospital building...apparently the hospital/ER staff either didn't know there was a patient outside or wouldn't come outside due to some liability issues...don't recall what the exact reasons were in each case, but EMS was dispatched. There's no excuse, however, for a person ALREADY in the ER to need 911 assistance in order to obtain medical help...once inside the ER, the hospital has a moral, ethical (and correct me if I'm wrong legal) obligation to render the appropriate care. The dispatchers in LA not sending an ambulance to an ER (where patients are to have access to higher level care than that given by an ambulance crew) should not be the issue here, despite what the media is saying. The issue here is entirely the gross incompetence, negligence, and lack of compassion shown by the hospital.

Edited June 16, 2007 by emt301

[Oswegowind 17]

FOLLOW UP: msnbc.com follow up story-click here!!

Brief: LA Hospital will close its Emergency Room after death occurred in waiting room. Will remain open to outpatient services. See article for more.

Edited August 11, 2007 by Oswegowind