Sad Article

By now most of you have probably heard (and seen the youtube video) about the tragic incident at a mental health ward recently (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/02/nyregion/02hosp.html). There was a similar incident earlier this year about a patient waiting in an ER for help...was seen and then discharged by the MD. The patient still felt bad and pleaded for more medical attention, but the staff refused saying she had only minor issues. It got so bad she called 911 in the waiting room of the hospital! 911 essentially said stop being stupid and tying up public resources and talk to the hospital staff. The woman then collapsed and eventually died.

What do I think? I've been an EMT for 4 years and in the emergency medical arena for around 8. I've worked in both rich "academic" communities as well as inner-city areas I would not park my car in.

Unfortunately, there are people known as "frequent flyers". Called that because they call 911 sometimes a few times a day just to get attention, perhaps a meal, etc. Some claim it's a mental illness, some say it's just stupidity and selfishness, others understand the lonliness that sometimes takes us over.

The majority of frequent flyers (FFs) don't have insurance. And you can sure as hell bet they don't see a PCP regularly to make sure their BP is stable and their cholesterol levels are sound. In fact, the majority of FFs I met were homeless. When they feel sick, their only option is the ER - thus leading to the current problem of overburdened ERs. Too many people use ERs inappropriately. ERs are really supposed to be for life-threatening or other serious emergencies...not the sniffles. It is resource abuse.

My partner once mentioned to me -- FFs get free meals, VIP rides to hospitals, warm beds, and don't have to pay a dime for it. Meanwhile we're breaking our backs lifting these people up and down flights of stairs for $10/hour. Who's the real sucker? -- I laughed. But he had a point.

So now ER docs get inundated with more patients than they can handle, and do they have time to ask how little Jonny is doing in school? How Mary is handling the stress of changing jobs after 30 years of dedicated service? No, unfortunately it forces MDs to treat them and turf. Sucks for the doctor.

And it sucks even more for the patients.

It's a true tragedy what happened in that mental health ER. Yes, the security guards should have caught it, yes the doctor should have been more keen and faster to act, etc etc. But let's get to the root of the problem: we're floating around in a broken system. What happened in NYC could have easily happened anywhere else in the nation. And unfortunately, in our society with a million worthy issues and agendas, it often takes an unnecessary death to catalyze change.

This is why I hope and advocate for strong, systemic health care policy reform. Incidents like this are symptoms of a deeper problem. Let's aim to give everyone insurance, provide incentives to doctors who are overworked and underpaid (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jucINN3POiwPC9YNtNKHQ2lSofkAD91KCQEO0), grow community health resources, direct people to take advantage of the proper resources for their problem, and in such a way, hopefully resolve this crisis.

Anyway, that's my opinion... RIP Ms. Green.