Las Vegas Sun

December 2, 2009

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ER changes will free up ambulances

Thursday, Feb. 6, 2003 | 9:51 a.m.

Ambulance crews will now be able to leave patients in hospital emergency rooms if the wait for a bed takes longer than an hour.

The Clark County Health District Medical Advisory Board approved the immediate change in protocol Wednesday night to free up the emergency crews to respond to more 911 calls. The one exception the one-hour limit is for patients who are on cardiac monitors.

Ambulance crews have reported waiting up to five hours at Las Vegas Valley emergency rooms for patients to be seen. There have been times when almost all of the valley's ambulance crews were waiting with patients at hospitals. That left public safety at risk because there weren't enough hospitals available to respond to 911 calls, authorities said.

"Hospital overcrowding and the subsequent problem of ambulances being detained at facilities while they wait to transfer patients is an ongoing problem in Clark County," Dr. Donald Kwalick, chief health officer for the Health District, said.

The medical advisory board also discussed other problems contributing to overcrowded hospitals.

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