She said many East San José residents have no insurance or are underinsured, have lower health literacy, and often face language barriers. All comorbidities that require the use of stroke, STEMI, and trauma services,” she said. HCA said in a letter to the county’s emergency services department that it has seen a 38% reduction in patients at Regional Medical Center’s trauma center. And while a county report said the trauma center handles an average of 2,450 trauma patients annually, about a quarter of all reported trauma cases for the trauma system in the county, HCA disagreed. The hospital also said it expects to lose more trauma patients as Washington Hospital in Fremont, in Alameda County, comes online as a trauma center.

Source: The Guardian June 14, 2024 01:56 UTC