What is your problem, Washington Regional?
Tracy has a nasty infection - flu like symptoms, ear ache, etc. - that her doctor’s medication hasn’t been fixing, and since her temperature was hovering around the 102 mark, we decided we needed to take a trip to Washington Regional’s Emergency Room.
A few months ago there was great fanfare in the press about how the emergency room procedure had been streamlined. Well, I’m pleased to report today that their flirting with such new fangled notions seem to be a thing of the past.
Over an hour went by, while we sat in the waiting room, and no one called Tracy up to ask for her insurance information, take her blood pressure, or ask about symptoms - you kinow, the usual sort of thing they used to do before you’d sit and wait for about six hours.
Three people got called forward in the space of that hour. In the meantime, people were bringing food in for people who had been waiting a long time.
One couple came in with food to eat while they were waiting; I guess they have the routine down pretty well.
In the end, we went home and monitored her temperature throughout the night.
Maybe next time a reporter does a story on the emergency room they shouldn’t just take the self-serving press release the hospital hands out, but instead should sit in the ER for a few hours, and just observe what is going on.
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If too many people like Lioneld Jordan, I may have to run - for your own good, you understand
So Grand Moff Coody claims that he and others are worried about the “extreme” right and left positions of the current crop of Fayetteville mayoral candidates?
Well, other than an obvious slam at Lioneld Jordan, what on earth is he talking about? Who could possibly be so far right that Coody wouldn’t approve of him - save for Jay Cole, Jr.?
When pressed, expect Coody (like George Bush and his barbs about Obama last week) to deny that he was singling out anyone in particular.
The truly ironic thing is that if Coody Classic - the fellow who sat on the city board of directors in the early 1990s - ran for mayor now - New and Improved Coody might see no choice but to run against him.
He’d be too “extreme.”
Comments
I was hit in the eye with a softball so hard that it broke my nose, cheek bone and eye socket. My eyesight was permanently damaged on impact. I entered the Washington Regional ER on a Tuesday night with a blood-dripping towel over my face and sat there for an hour after checking in without anyone performing any kind of basic "is this guy dying or is he stable" kind of examination. The guy next to me told us his chest was hurting so bad he could hardly breathe and that he'd been there for 7 hours so far without any help. We immediately left and went to St. Mary's in Rogers where I was treated upon 15 minutes of my arrival. So if you can wait the extra 20 minutes it takes to drive to Rogers, it's absolutely worth it.
Posted by: Crasymaker![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/streetjazz/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 21, 2008 10:22 AM
I had a waiting spell at Wash. Reg one year ago this month. I had a serious lung infection, about to become more serious my partner, a RN, told me. So, I signed in..they had me on file...and we had a seat..just needed to see an Md just past Md's office hours to get the usual anti-inflammatory and anti-biotics and make sure the infection hadn't gone too deep into my lungs. Breathing was difficult. It took from 4:30 pm until 10:06 to see Md and get xrayed, have a 4 min diagnosis.
When checking out I inquired why the 6 hour wait. Was told there were two traffic accidents which brought in seriously injured patients thus making staff short handed. To their credit the ER folks came out every hour to check my pulse oxygen.
While on the issue of emergency responses-about 2 years ago there was Morning News article promoting the emergency preparedness in this area of 250,000 people.
I became very suspicious of the article. I asked my partner who worked in emergency rooms how many people could be treated for inhaling deadly chemicals, say from a RR spill or leakage. I was alarmed at how few could be treated in that first critical hour.
In the three city area of Fay., Spdle, Rogers, maybe 180 could be treated.
One half of one percent of the three city area would be 1,250.
Better hope they really slow down the trains as they move thru the center of Fay, Spdle, Rogers. You never know.
Posted by: L.Wood![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/streetjazz/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 23, 2008 04:48 AM