Take Action Now
Will lifesaving emergency care be there when you need it?
A study published in the Journal Health Affairs found that it is taking longer for patients in emergency rooms to be treated by a doctor. These longer wait times can diminish the quality of care for patients with a heart attack, stroke, pneumonia, trauma or other conditions.
The reason for longer waits: emergency rooms continue to be forced to close while more patients seek emergency care. These continuing emergency room closures have led to a 78% increase in the number of patients treated in emergency rooms that are still open.
These findings are alarming, but not surprising. They support what the American College of Emergency Physicians, which represents 25,000 emergency physicians, has been saying for many years.
This all points to the need for national health care reform that will strengthen and provide additional resources for your hospital’s emergency department so that lifesaving emergency care is there when you or a loved needs it.
Help us assure your access to emergency care.
Let Congress know how you feel about the state of emergency medicine at your hospital’s emergency room. Take action now.