Vegas...Life is real cheap there.

[kyburg]

Heard on the radio going home yesterday that Las Vegas has closed the only trauma center they have.

That means that if you get whacked in Vegas, your nearest trauma center is...wait for it...Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda, California.

232 miles away. Here, this is the map for those of you unfamiliar with the geography...

And now, parts of the 15 interstate feeding into Las Vegas from Los Angeles are completely without any EMT services as the last volunteer group can't repair or field calls any longer. 2 hour or longer response times will be the result. I'd say if you're lucky enough to get a call placed at all. Ever tried to make a cell call on that road?

Fat chance I'm going to Vegas anytime soon. BITE me.

Comments

[auntiesiannan.livejournal.com]

egads! you'd think they'd have something in place for the old farts who have coronaries when their machine pays out. *clinkclinkclinkclink*

that's scary

[juan70x.livejournal.com]

Damn. I live 200 miles outside of Seattle, and this area has a small but decent population. Even if it was a minor emergency, it would mean that I'd have to go on a helicopter for decent treatment if I needed to go to Seattle.

Considering there's a huge nuclear plant here, the reality that our local hospitals would not be fully capable of handling something as serious as a nuclear explosion or a leak is scary.

Re: that's scary

[kamakanani.livejournal.com]

where you live?

Re: that's scary

[juan70x.livejournal.com]

Tri-Cities, Washington. The Hanford nuclear plant is just outside of Richland.

When my sister was pregnant, she had some health-related issues (seizures, long story) that none of the local hospitals could handle. One day, about a month months before she was to give birth, her seizures were acting up and she came very close to dying. No one here knew what to do, so they had to fly her by helicopter to a hospital in Spokane, about 150 miles away. My mom and I drove up there by car, and the hospital up there applied a new treatment no one had ever used before. But we stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, seeing things I hope I'll never see.

But my sister is fine today, my nephew turns 5 next month. Just remember, if you have to drive through the Tri-Cities in southeastern Washington, make sure you do it quick, easy, and safely.

On a slight twist of things, there is a local highway that I can see from my bedroom window that is known as the highway with the most accidents per year, which to me would mean essential medical care. Oh no. As a former news reporter, I used to hear reports of hospitals not having enough equipment or even a helicopter with enough gas to transport people to a better hospital. Scary indeed.

HOLY CR@P.

[digitaldraco.livejournal.com]

That's just re-god-damn-diculous. Thank goodness I don't have any desire whatsoever to gamble or see two guys prancing about on stage with tigers.

~Draco

Re: HOLY CR@P.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Isn't it? And the worst part is that trauma center also served most of the state, plus parts of Arizona and everything inbetween Vegas and say, Ridgecrest.

Scary ain't half the word for it. Stupid and short-sighted comes to mind.

The saddest part is that the hospital has (had?) one of the best trauma centers in the country. Fantastic work was done there.

Crap.