Voice of the People - February 5, 2009
What to expect from 30-minute ER
First, I would like to thank our dedicated Emergency Department and Emergency Medical Services team members for working hard every day to provide crucial 24/7 emergency services to our community. They are committed to maintaining a top-quality Level III trauma program.
We launched our 30-minute ER program in November 2008 to expedite emergency care by improving our processes. The goal of our 30-minute initiative is for patients to be seen by a health care professional (LPN, RN, NP, PA or physician) within 30 minutes of arrival. Patients are taken to a triage area where they receive an initial assessment to determine the severity of their conditions. As you would hope to expect, patients who arrive with critical or serious injuries or illnesses are always our first priority.
Our 30-minute initiative does not mean patients will be examined and discharged within 30 minutes. The total time a patient spends in any emergency room can fluctuate based on several variables, including severity of patients' illnesses or injuries, ordered tests and procedures and whether additional medical specialists are consulted.
Our wait times are lower than national and state averages. According to the national patient satisfaction measurement firm, Press Ganey, the average time a patient spends in the emergency department from arrival to departure is about four hours, up from 3.7 hours in 2006. The average emergency department wait time in South Carolina is 4.4 hours. In comparison, the average wait time in our emergency department in 2008 was about three hours.
The most effective way to reduce wait times in the emergency department is for patients to utilize health care facilities that provide the most appropriate level of care for their medical needs. Minor illnesses or injuries are best treated at an urgent care center or a doctor's office.
Overall, patient satisfaction for our emergency services continues to improve. I am proud to say that Piedmont Medical Center's overall quality score exceeds national, North Carolina and South Carolina averages (based on data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services).
We are committed to continually improving our care and expanding our services to meet the needs of our community. Thank you for allowing us to serve you.
Charlie Miller
President & CEO
Piedmont Medical Center
Rock Hill
Don't cut scholarships funded by lottery
We were told that acceptance of the lottery was to help in higher education. That is why they called it the "education lottery." Now the assistance that was promised through this lottery is going to be cut! Even though more and more are using it.
We received a letter from our son's college saying that the funds would be drastically cut. We all need to write to our area legislators and stop this. Even if you child is in high school, you may require this in the future.
There are far too many who count on this for help to higher education for their children, especially in these economic times. Don't let them get away with this! We have all been slapped with hardships because of the economy, and some only have this to look to for future help. We have seen our investments go away, our 401(k)s and countless others. Let's not allow them to make yet another poor decision on this one.
What happened to no child left behind?
Paul J. Church
Rock Hill
Ministers should help those in need
I would like to respond to two articles in The Herald. One was about the NAACP's Annual Emancipation Program, the other was about nine ministers who slept with the homeless. After moving here from New Jersey two years ago, I have come to realize that preachers down here are the same as they are in New Jersey. On the one hand, you have those preachers who sit back and complain about things without making an effort to aid in change, and then you have those who don't just talk, but actually get out in the streets and live what they preach.
I was very offended by the comments made by one of the pastors who attended the Emancipation Program on Jan. 1. Pastor Buy stated that we, as African Americans, were still slaves and that we need to be emancipated. He also went on about the current election and asked, "Now what?" My question to Pastor Buy and the other pastors who attended the program is simple. Now that you have established that we are still slaves, what are you going to do to help our people in seeking freedom? Are you going to open up your churches for training sessions for young men getting out of jail to get a fresh start? Are you going to open up your churches for the homeless to have a place to stay when it gets under 38 degrees. Maybe, instead of waiting until next year, those pastors can come together and talk about programs to aid our single mothers, or allow their deacons to mentor a little boy whose father is not around.
Mahjay Dejha'l Dervin
Fort Mill
This story was originally published February 5, 2009 at 12:57 AM with the headline "Voice of the People - February 5, 2009."