ER, EMD, and 911 failure in California

[Guest guest]

When I was a County based Dispatcher in Camden County (NJ) where in the

1980's and 19990' we had some of the best examples of ED crowding not only in

" inner city " ED's but also in the rest of the County we had a list of every pay

phone located in the County so that we could always identify the calling

location (remember this is BEFORE ANI and ALI of the 9-1-1 of today, you had to

dial 7 numbers at the time to get into the CC Communications Center).

We'd get calls from the ED all the time and then turn and call the hospital

on the in-house dedicated " Red Phone " system. Once we were sued (my platoon

was named as individuals along with everyone from me the rookie to God, the

Holy Ghost and 12 and Jane Doe Angles I think).

The County settled for a small sum and the case " went away " . The county then

created a policy on the mandatory dispatch of ambulances to pay phones at

any medical facility.

When in doubt send them out was a motto.

Louis N. Molino, Sr., CET

FF/NREMT-B/FSI/EMSI

Freelance Consultant/Trainer/Author/Journalist/Fire Protection Consultant

LNMolino@...

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" A Texan with a Jersey Attitude "

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[Guest guest]

I found this story on MSNBC's website. Presuming this story is true, there's

plenty of tort liability to go around, especially in California...

-Wes Ogilvie

Woman dies in ER lobby as 911 refuses to help

Tapes show operators ignored pleas to send ambulance to LA hospital

The Associated Press

Updated: 9:43 a.m. CT June 13, 2007

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 , 43, died of a perforated bowel on May 9 at Luther

King Jr.-Harbor Hospital. Her death was ruled accidental by the Los Angeles

County coroner’s office.

Relatives said 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 ’s death.

Relatives reported she died as police were wheeling her out of the hospital

after the officers they had asked to help arrested her instead on a

parole violation. Sheriff’s Department spokesman Duane 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 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,†’s boyfriend, 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 just watching her’

“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 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’

“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 ’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.

‘Fundamentally a failure of caring’

Dr. Bruce Chernof, director of the county Department of Health Services, which

oversees the facility, has called ’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. 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. Splawn, chief medical

officer for the health department, was named interim chief medical officer, the

newspaper said.

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