Illinois Drops From 27th To 45th For Lack Of Support For Emergency Patients
From the Arlington Heights Daily Herald
Illinois ranked near the bottom of the nation at 45th place with a D in the 2014 American College of Emergency Physicians' (ACEP) state-by-state report card on America's emergency care environment. It's a striking decline from the 27th place and grade C it received in 2009.
"Illinois' failing grade in the Disaster Preparedness category is a call to action," said Dr. Edward Ward, president of the Illinois Chapter of ACEP. "Our policymakers must focus on raising our disaster preparedness efforts to achieve the gold standard set by Boston after the Marathon bombing."
Illinois 43rd in the nation in the category of Disaster Preparedness, reflecting that the state has not kept pace with other states' efforts to update their disaster policies and procedures. According to the Report Card, to improve this grade, Illinois should work to increase the per capita number of physicians, nurses and behavioral health professionals registered in the Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals, which are currently among the lowest in the nation. In addition, improvements in the state's medical liability environment are recommended to encourage more participation in this disaster response registry.
Illinois' best grade was a C+ in the category of Quality and Patient Safety Environment. The state's strengths in this area include a prescription drug monitoring program and a statewide trauma registry. In addition, Illinois is currently adopting new trauma triage guidelines for pre-hospital and trauma center activation.
The D+ Illinois received in the category of Public Health and Injury Prevention reflects high rates of chronic disease and illness, very low rates of immunization and a high rate of binge drinking among adults. By contrast, the state's strong child safety seat and seatbelt laws have resulted in one of the lowest rates of traffic fatalities in the country.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Arlington Heights Daily Herald
Illinois ranked near the bottom of the nation at 45th place with a D in the 2014 American College of Emergency Physicians' (ACEP) state-by-state report card on America's emergency care environment. It's a striking decline from the 27th place and grade C it received in 2009.
"Illinois' failing grade in the Disaster Preparedness category is a call to action," said Dr. Edward Ward, president of the Illinois Chapter of ACEP. "Our policymakers must focus on raising our disaster preparedness efforts to achieve the gold standard set by Boston after the Marathon bombing."
Illinois 43rd in the nation in the category of Disaster Preparedness, reflecting that the state has not kept pace with other states' efforts to update their disaster policies and procedures. According to the Report Card, to improve this grade, Illinois should work to increase the per capita number of physicians, nurses and behavioral health professionals registered in the Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals, which are currently among the lowest in the nation. In addition, improvements in the state's medical liability environment are recommended to encourage more participation in this disaster response registry.
Illinois' best grade was a C+ in the category of Quality and Patient Safety Environment. The state's strengths in this area include a prescription drug monitoring program and a statewide trauma registry. In addition, Illinois is currently adopting new trauma triage guidelines for pre-hospital and trauma center activation.
The D+ Illinois received in the category of Public Health and Injury Prevention reflects high rates of chronic disease and illness, very low rates of immunization and a high rate of binge drinking among adults. By contrast, the state's strong child safety seat and seatbelt laws have resulted in one of the lowest rates of traffic fatalities in the country.
Read more in our daily News Update...