The Medical Freedom Channel

“Emergency rooms at many hospitals are routinely stretched to the breaking point, raising concerns that they would not be able to handle victims during a terrorist attack or natural disaster, according to congressional testimony yesterday and a new federal study. Between 40 percent and 50 percent of emergency departments experienced crowding during 2003 and 2004, the study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. It deemed an emergency room to be crowded if so many patients flooded in that ambulances had to be diverted to other hospitals; if people in urgent need of care had to wait an average of more than an hour; or if at least 3 percent of patients simply gave up and left before being seen.” (09/28/06)