The increase in overcrowding reported at some NYC emergency rooms was foreseeable and, with proper planning, could have been addressed (“Terrifying ‘Stat!’ ” May 18).
In Dec. 2006, my office released “Emergency Care: Will it Be There?” It concluded that the Berger Commission’s recommended closure of five city hospitals would lead to large, potentially disruptive influxes of ER patients at neighboring hospitals and reduced ambulance availability.
It would also require some New Yorkers to travel farther to reach an emergency room – extra minutes that could prove especially crucial for people needing the most urgent care.
If all five hospitals are closed, a total of 11 NYC emergency rooms will have been shut since 2001.
I call on New York City Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to fully analyze the impact of ER closures before any action is taken. Hospitals cannot create ER space overnight.
William Thompson Jr.,
NYC Comptroller
Manhattan
New Yorkers use emergency rooms because they cannot get access to needed care elsewhere. However, the majority of ER care is for conditions that could be treated in a primary-care setting.
Studies show that the city would save hundreds of millions of dollars and reduce ER overcrowding if patients suffering from non-emergency conditions went to primary-care physicians instead.
The state took an unprecedented first step this year when it allocated an additional $240 million to bolster primary care. The city is taking measures to expand primary-care capacity and improve its quality.
To make ER overcrowding a thing of the past, they both must build on these reforms so that patients look first to their family doctor instead of their local emergency room.
Ronda Kotelchuck
Manhattan