San Diego Health Leaders Concerned About ERs Burdened By Non-Emergencies
Officials say better education about what constitutes a real emergency is pivotal to solving the problem.
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Non-Emergencies Clog Local Hospital ERs
Local health care leaders sounded the alarm Friday about emergency room crowding, asking the community to help preserve a precious resource for patients who need it most. According to the county’s Health and Human Services Agency, 53 percent of ER visits made in the region between 2004 and 2014 were for non-emergencies. The volume of ER visits surged 40 percent during that time, dwarfing a 7 percent increase in the county’s population. (Sisson, 3/28)
In other hospital news —
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
New Gift Broadens Reach Of Rady's Genetic Institute
A new $10 million gift to support neuro-oncology research at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego focuses on opening more avenues of treatment for kids like 3-year-old Gemma Guion. Already, a genetic test has added precision to doctors’ efforts to shrink the slow-growing tumor on Gemma’s brain stem. But more can be done to connect the frontline neuro-oncologists at Rady to the geneticists, computer scientists and other specialists exploring the leading edge of a “precision medicine” revolution that seems to turn up important new findings with each passing day. (Sisson, 3/27)