The crowding has become so severe that county officials acknowledge something must be done. They are discussing adding inpatient beds and transferring more patients to other hospitals, among other steps.
“A nine- or 10-hour wait is never a good thing,” said Dr. Arthur Kellermann, a Rand Corp. expert on emergency medicine. “At the least, it is demeaning, frustrating, uncomfortable, and when tempers flare, it can be dangerous.”