Ambulances Waiting Longer at Local Hospital EDs
Population growth, the slow pace of hospital expansions and a limited ambulance diversion policy have contributed to long waits at emergency departments for ambulance crews in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.
In December, ambulances waited a total of about 1,000 hours at hospital EDs in Riverside County -- more than twice the wait times of any other month in 2005. Ambulances in San Bernardino County waited at EDs for about 1,500 hours in December.
According to Michael Osur, director of Riverside County's emergency medical services system, hospital ED delays are the biggest problem facing the emergency medical system and "why we're late to calls" (Beeman, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 3/13).