Letters: California’s emergency situation

Re “State gets F in speedy ER care,” Jan. 20

California is slowly improving in its support for emergency care but still ranks near the bottom of the country in access to such case. According to a just-released state-by-state report card on America’s emergency care environment by the American College of Emergency Physicians, California earned an overall grade of C-, but it is still ranked 42nd in the country with an F for access to emergency care — the same grade it earned in 2009.

The biggest contributors to California’s failing grade in emergency care access are hospital and workforce shortages. It has the lowest number of emergency departments per person and an inadequate number of hospital beds, as well as shortages of orthopedists, hand surgeons and registered nurses.

Our huge and diverse state has complex problems that create barriers to care. Our state legislators need to make access to emergency care a top priority.

Kathleen Clem, MD

Redland

The writer chairs the department of emergency medicine at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine.

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