The Demise of Fountain Valley Trauma Center

Having been a principal architect of the Emergency Medical Services of Orange County and founding director of the trauma service at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center, I have been following with concern the deterioration of emergency medical services in Orange County and the impending demise of the Fountain Valley Regional Trauma Center.

The loss of the trauma center impacts almost exclusively on relatively affluent cities, like Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Fountain Valley, whose population of about 400,000 is able and willing to pay for emergency medical services.

The absence of Fountain Valley Regional Hospital from the Orange County trauma system will force diversion of patients from these communities to Western Medical Center, UCI Medical Center or even Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center, which would require an unacceptable surface transport time, according to national and local standards.

These cities have excellent paramedic coverage and are served by two base stations at Hoag and Humana Huntington Beach hospitals.

It is conceivable that for the immediate future, these communities could develop a program in which their citizens can still obtain the benefits of trauma coverage.

The financial burden of emergency systems and trauma centers now falls on physicians and hospitals, whereas in fact these facilities benefit society as a whole.

As with police and fire department services, the burden of paying for emergency services should fall on the public.

Physicians who back up hospital emergency departments should be reimbursed for their services at the same level as they would be compensated for treating patients in their private practices. Funds for payment of physician services could come from local communities by way of individual taxation or by contributions from the involved city governments.

Governments have always been derelict about their obligations on behalf of the poor in hope that the private sector will bail them out. Local emergency medical services are in need of urgent critical care, and innovative solutions by the public will be required.

Dr. WILLIAM M. THOMPSON

Huntington Beach