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Ed Yeates ReportingDr. Sandra Schneider, Board of Directors, American College of Emergency Physicians: "We are barely taking care of what we have now. If something big hits, it will probably fail."
Emergency rooms across the country got some pretty poor evaluation scores today by the very doctors who staff them, but out of all the states, Utah is among only three with the WORST grades of all!
The University of Utah has one of the better ER's, but if you measure the state as a whole, it's one of only three fully credentialed, fully staffed trauma one emergency centers.
The American College of Emergency Physicians, the very docs who are in these rooms, released this first ever national report card. For the most part, it's not good; not one single state got an "A". Only ten got "B" or "B-minus", 29 were average with "C plus," "C's" or "C-minus." Nine barely breached the "D Plus" mark. And only three states - Utah, Idaho and Arkansas - got the weakest score of all, a solid "D."
Leigh Vinocur, M.D., American College of Emergency Physicians: "This is unacceptable when talking about emergency care. Citizens deserve an environment for emergency care that can earn straight A's."
The U of U has already doubled its trauma one capacity with its new Eccles Emergency Center. IHC will do the same when its new medical center is completed on 53rd south. But still, with all this added space that's only three fully designated trauma one ER's for the state as a whole.
Utah's not alone. ER's across the country are seeing 114 million patients per year - a dramatic increase from a decade ago.
Eric Swanson, M.D., U of U Division of Emergency Medicine: "The number of patients utilizing ER departments has gone up 26-percent in the last ten years, but the number of ER departments available to see patients have gone down 14-percent."
Frederick Blum, M.D., President, American College of Emergency Physicians: "What we see are overcrowded ER's where patients wait hours, if not days, for inpatient beds."
Ambulances are diverted more and more now because ER's run out of room. Dr. Frederick Blum worries too many are simply be ill prepared for a really big catastrophe.
Dr. Blum: "We really believe this country is not prepared for a terrorist event or a bird flu epidemic, or other similar things because our current capacity is so limited."
The College of Emergency Physicians calls today's report card a wake up call. Wider access, more funding, more nurses, more beds -- it's all needed, they say, if ER's are to rise above the average score.
