Old ER Habits Hard To Break For Parkland Patients
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DALLAS (CBS11) - In spite of the non-stop media blitz surrounding Parkland hospital's three day move, apparently some potential patients still aren't getting the message: the old emergency room is closed.
"We've sent fliers, posted on community billboards," says John Pease, MD, Parkland's Chief of Emergency Services. "We don't want to delay care… by showing up to the improper emergency department it could potentially delay your care." Dr. Pease says when the old emergency room closed last week, an ambulance was positioned outside the entrance--just as a precaution--expecting that some patients would be confused. "We have police officers and other staff stationed outside the old emergency department--which is currently an outpatient clinic-- to direct patients to the new emergency room on the new hospital campus."
And while re-directing non-critical patients works in a pinch. Doctors worry that arriving at a closed ER could be a fatal mistake when minutes, even seconds matter. Already paramedics have been called to transport patients from the old ER nearly a dozen times in the past week. "Time does matter and we want to make sure that we get the care to you as fast as possible," says Dr. Pease.
Signs are posted at the entrance to the old ER and on nearby streets warning that the emergency room has moved. But, doctors admit: people wrestling with a crisis aren't always likely to take the time to read. They're encouraging the community to become familiar with the hospital's new location on Harry Hines. It's just across the street from what was the front entrance to the old hospital. But, in a true emergency, doctors stress that the safest best is to call 911. The paramedics know the way.
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