The borough of Queens in New York City saw two hospitals close in 2009, which led to an outpouring of ED visits to other hospitals. ED visits increased by 40 percent for the borough’s Forest Hills Hospital, a North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System facility.
To reduce demand on local EDs, North Shore has opened an urgent-care clinic in the Regro Park neighborhood of Queens. The center will offer physician care for patients with minor burns or fractures, but patients suffering from more serious traumas, like gun shot wounds, will be transported to the nearest hospital.
Some officials are displeased with the development, saying the new clinic will compete with private medical practices that are struggling, and that hospital systems should focus on inpatient services rather than outpatient care, according to a source cited in the report.
Read the New York Daily News report on Queens’ new clinic.
Read more about hospital EDs:
–Michigan’s Saint Joseph Mercy Designs EDs for Senior Citizens
–UC Davis Opens $32M Emergency Department
–4 Best Practices for Increasing Efficiency in Emergency Departments With Information Technology
