ASSEMBLYMEMBER TED LIEU
53RD ASSEMBLY DISTRICT
For Immediate Release: April 16, 2008
Contact: Sheri Pemberton
Phone: (916) 319-2053

Assembly Health Committee Passes Landmark Lieu Bill to Alleviate Emergency Room Overcrowding

Sacramento, CA – Late yesterday, the Assembly Health Committee passed AB 2207 by Assemblymember Ted Lieu (D-Torrance), which would significantly reduce dangerous overcrowding in California emergency rooms. 

“The emergency room overcrowding crisis reaches across all facets of society, from the wealthiest to the very poorest,” said Assemblymember Lieu. “There simply are not enough emergency services to cover our states critically ill under the current system.  People have died unnecessary deaths because they either had to wait too long for treatment in the emergency room or had to be diverted to another hospital because the ER was at overcapacity.” 

California is currently dead last in the nation as far as the number of emergency rooms available per capita, providing 6 ERs for every 1 million people.  The situation will only get worse because more and more trauma centers are closing.   Due to the low number of facilities available, emergency rooms are dangerously overcrowded and creating a crisis in the state.  Studies show that the most significant cause of overcrowding is not uninsured patients, but rather the boarding of admitted patients in the Emergency Department.  Boarding is the practice of keeping patients who have been treated and no longer need emergency care treatment, but still need to remain in the hospital.  

AB 2207 would require all California hospitals to create surge plans for moving patients when the emergency room hits overcapacity, and to evaluate the status of the ER every three hours.  It would also allow hopsitals to use additional rooms, such as conference rooms, hallways and waiting rooms, as patient care areas, which is currently prohibited by California law.  This would give the emergency room the ability to increase throughput of patients as facility reaches capacity.  

“The bill addresses two problems.  First, it increases bed capacity in hospitals by allowing them to use excess space to place patients who no longer need emergency care,” said Assemblymember Lieu.  “Second, emergency room doctors have reported that many times there are open beds in the regular hospital floors, but the hospital management does not move patients to those beds even when the emergency room is severely overcrowded.” 

AB 2207 is supported by numerous frontline health care providers, including the American College of Emergency Room Physicians, the California Ambulance Association, the California Medical Association and California Emergency Nurses Association. It will be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee next.