The Crisis in Emergency Departments
Now that a video of a New York woman's unnoticed death in a hospital waiting room has become an Internet sensation, people are shocked—SHOCKED!—that something like this could happen.
Where have these people been? The American College of Emergency Physicians has been screaming from the rooftops about the problems in this country's emergency departments for a decade.
New York's mayor is outraged.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg told reporters he had seen the video and was "disgusted."
"I can't explain what happened there," the mayor said earlier this week. "Does it say anything about our society? 'I hope not' is the basic answer."
Does it say anything about our society? Let's see. The health care system has been in crisis for years. People are suffering and dying every day because of it. This country's infrastructure is crumbling out from under us.
Meanwhile, every major city in the United States seems to be able to come up with a half-billion dollars for a luxurious new football or baseball stadium.
In fact, Bloomberg's own city government is currently subsidizing two sparkling new baseball stadiums for the Mets and Yankees.
Does it say anything about our society when health care is ignored while politicians cater to sports teams? You know what? I think it probably does.
Link
Link to video of patient dying in waiting room