The entire point of emergency care is to treat patients in critical condition in a timely manner. Unfortunately for Nicole Blincoe, her mother, Penny Louise Prevezich, was not afforded this consideration when she came to an emergency room in San Mateo County. Mrs. Prevezich was left waiting in the waiting room of the county hospital’s emergency care unit, while she died of a drug overdose. She was transferred from a veteran’s mental health facility to the hospital, where she was seated by a nurse and then left unattended for over 90 minutes, at which time she was found deceased.
A recent study has shown that hospital waiting times have been increasing significantly throughout the last year. The University of California San Francisco has found that only 75% of all patients are receiving care in a safe and timely manner. Orange County personal injury attorneys warn that the problem will get worse if left ignored.
To read more about the case, see the article on AboutLawsuits.com. Image Via Reegmo [Flickr].
Tags: emergency services, hospitals, medical malpractice, negligence