Thanks Dr. Mann for your public support. Letter to the Editor - TimesDaily Area needs hospital, not a first-aid station Posted: Thursday, June 6, 2013 10:31 pm Recently, a man arrived at the Eliza Coffee Memorial emergency department in shock after being stabbed in the heart. He was dying. Dr. Hill, the emergency doctor, opened his chest wound and plugged the hole in the heart with his finger. Dr. Raleigh, a cardiac surgeon, came shortly and temporarily stitched the wound so the patient could be taken to surgery, where the wound was properly repaired. In just a few days, the patient went home in satisfactory condition. This is one of many examples of the excellent care provided at ECM hospital. Frequently, patients show up while having heart attacks and undergo emergency treatment to open a blocked artery, which saves their lives or prevents long-term misery by sparing their hearts of severe damage. Unfortunately, Huntsville Hospital and others would prefer that every Shoals-area patient in this condition instead be sent to their emergency department rather than have a fully equipped hospital to treat them here. For many illnesses, traveling to a distant medical center greatly reduces the chances of getting the best results. Transfer is often difficult, depending on bed availability, weather conditions and hardship on the patient’s family. Our community would certainly best be served with a new, modern 300-bed regional hospital to be able to improve the excellent care we already have, instead of simply a first-aid station to send the sick to Huntsville. Robert Mann, M.D. Florence
Posted on: Fri, 07 Jun 2013 18:53:01 +0000
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