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SaveMyEmergencyRoom.Com Website Pinpoints Hospital Emergency Rooms at Risk

Posted on: Monday, 2 March 2009, 14:04 CST

Newly Updated Site Educates, Engages Patients on ER Crisis

SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- If you or a loved one has ever experienced a medical emergency, you probably have been grateful for the care provided in your local community hospital's emergency room. But, California's overburdened and overcrowded hospital ERs are facing an emergency of their own, with more than 70 closing in the past decade.

A newly updated website - www.SaveMyEmergencyRoom.com - now gives consumers and patients alike an opportunity to more fully understand the multiple factors that have led to California's ER crisis, and to help do something to save these precious community resources.

SaveMyEmergencyRoom.com was initially launched last fall by the California Hospital Association (CHA) as a forum for educating and engaging the public about the dwindling access to hospital emergency services. The newly updated website now offers improved features and more detailed information about the challenges confronting California's hospital emergency care system. Additionally, visitors to the site can share their own personal stories and participate in interactive surveys about their top health care concerns.

"Quality patient care is the first priority of California's community hospitals. In fact, hospitals in California provide life-saving emergency care to more than 10 million patients annually regardless of their ability to pay," said CHA President and CEO C. Duane Dauner. "But the challenges facing hospital ERs threaten the health and well-being of all Californians. By visiting SaveMyEmergencyRoom.com, you can lend your voice to the effort of protecting these important community assets."

Among the improved features of SaveMyEmergencyRoom.com is the ability to pinpoint local community hospitals that serve neighborhoods throughout the state. By entering a zip code, users can locate the closest hospital ERs in their communities. The website also features videos, special reports and news regarding the ER crisis in California, and provides users with the opportunity to join thousands of other Californians in the fight to save hospital ERs across the state.

California's ER crisis stems from a multitude of interwoven challenges including rising numbers of uninsured patients resulting from the economic downturn, Medi-Cal payment cuts and reduced benefits, a growing and aging population and a decreasing number of available on-call specialty physicians.

The SaveMyEmergencyRoom.com website will be the cornerstone of CHA's ongoing public education campaign aimed at preventing any further erosion of hospital emergency care services throughout California.

CHA, based in Sacramento, is the statewide leader representing the interests of more than 450 hospitals and health systems in California.

SOURCE California Hospital Association

Source: PR Newswire

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