Access to Medical Care
* The death of Selene Segura Rios reported by David Hayes-Bautista and Robert M. Stein (Opinion, Oct. 1) was indeed an unnecessary tragedy, but it resulted from a lack of knowledge about the emergency medical services available in this state rather than a shortage of Latino doctors. Any doctor could have saved this child and would have if the parents had known where to turn for help.
The problem the Segura Rios family faced is not a Latino problem, it is a problem for poor and poorly educated Americans everywhere. It will never be solved on an ethnic basis, as Hayes-Bautista and Stein propose, but only on an American basis that provides access to medical care for all children.
CORNELIUS DEASY
San Luis Obispo
* I was extremely upset by your article. I remember the story of Selene Segura Rios and wondered why her parents had not rushed her to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. Although most of their staff speak fluent Spanish, it is unnecessary for an emergency room physician to speak with parents to know the correct treatment for a sick baby. Hayes-Bautista and Stein can’t sell me their tale of woe with such skewed observations.
JIM WESTON
Los Angeles
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