.png?w=134&h=300&mode=max&format=jpg&quality=80&crop=0%2C694%2C2452%2C2160)
30+ healthcare groups urge President Biden to convene summit on ED delays
Advocacy, public health and medical specialty organizations signed a nine-page joint letter describing the ambulance bed crisis in a series of stories
By Leila Merrill
FireRescue1/EMS1 Staff
IRVING, Texas — The American College of Emergency Physicians and dozens of other healthcare organizations concerned about the strained U.S. emergency care system and the issue of boarding at emergency departments are urging the Biden administration “to convene a summit of stakeholders from across the healthcare system to identify immediate and long-term solutions to this urgent problem.”
More than 30 patient advocacy, public health and medical specialty organizations signed a nine-page joint letter sent to President Joe Biden on Monday in which the emergency department boarding and gridlock crisis is described in a series of stories.
Particular attention is brought to this winter’s threat of flu, COVID-19 and pediatric respiratory illness cases that have been rising.
“If the system is already this strained during our “new normal,” how will emergency departments be able to cope with a sudden surge of patients from a natural disaster, school shooting, mass casualty traffic event, or disease outbreak?” the letter asks.
The letter was also sent to the U.S. secretaries of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services.
This morning, we sounded the alarm on the patient boarding crisis that has brought ERs across our country to a breaking point. In our joint letter to @POTUS, we shared real-life stories showing the threat to our health care safety net. [1/4]
— Emergency Physicians (@EmergencyDocs) November 7, 2022
Full letter: https://t.co/p1kydtphUJ pic.twitter.com/jHywn86uwq
Doctors have been praising the effort and pressing for change.
We are splinting broken arms and aspirating septic joints in the ED waiting room and taking children to the OR for reductions that used to be done in the ED under conscious sedation. Real problem @WhiteHouse https://t.co/ZpCevornzB
— saranya (@saranxrap) November 7, 2022
Emergency department doors never close. We are at a breaking point with boarding and overcrowding that limits our ability to provide the best care to patients. The stories in this letter to @POTUS from @ACEPNow and numerous partners in patient care are unfortunately too familiar. https://t.co/eliR2zpDzR
— Kristy Schwartz, MD, MPH (@kaynani32) November 8, 2022
Critically important letter to @POTUS from emergency medicine physicians & multiple other medical & public health professional organizations regarding urgent need for immediate action to resolve the crisis in our emergency departments & hospitals.
— Jeffrey Duchin, MD (@DocJeffD) November 8, 2022
This affects all of us. https://t.co/8mjIQ7xzFX