Bear 45/70 wrote:
deanf wrote:
The law requires that the EMS people take a critical truma patient to the "nearest" trauma center.
Which law would that be?
Washington state law. When the wife gets home, I'll have her look it up since she's the Para-medic for almost 20 years. But if she tells me it is the law, I will believe it.
Bear,
You are very close but not quite exact in your assertion. In Lakewood, Madigan is the closest level II trauma center so the patients would be transported there. However, up in your neck of the woods there is not much available in the way of trauma centers so paramedics (don't need a hyphen
) can call Airlift to fly patients to Harborview ( The only level I trauma center in the state, bypassing lessor qualified level ll,lll, and lV trauma centers. If Airlift is not available then the closest trauma rated hospital would do for stabilization.
I routinely bypassed Evergreen hospital (level lll), Overlake hospital (level ll) to drive or fly critical patients to Harborview. On Vashon, I never send critical patients to Tacoma hospitals or Highline, even if they are technically closer. They are driven or flown to Harborview. There are state trauma guidelines in place to determine who can go to which level of trauma center.
COBRA AND EMTALA laws also govern medical facilities actions on disposition of patients to other facilities.
DeanF, YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS AND BE ABLE TO ARTICULATE THIS as you are in the business. I shouldn't have to do this for you. :? You need to read my post in reply to you from yesterday in Agent 47's thread.
Back to the topic= As in the video's posted in this forum about not talking to the LEO's before you have a lawyer present, it seems this kid said too much when he stated his friend shot himself instead of keeping his mouth closed or at least telling the truth.
+1 on the natural selection.
My 6 year old got his first rifle at 5, can recite the safety rules to me and knows explicitly to leave any friends house if a gun is brought out to "play".
