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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThere's a hospital ship waiting for sick Puerto Ricans -- but no one knows how to get on it
San Juan, Puerto Rico (CNN)Sammy Rolon is living in a makeshift clinic set up at a school. He has cerebral palsy and epilepsy and is bedridden. He's waiting for surgery that was scheduled before Hurricane Maria smashed into Puerto Rico. Now, he can't even get the oxygen he needs.
There is help available for the 18-year-old -- right offshore. A floating state-of-the-art hospital, the USNS Comfort, could provide critical care, his doctor says.
But nobody knows how to get him there. And Sammy is not alone.
Clinics that are overwhelmed with patients and staff say they don't even know how to begin sending cases to the ship. Doctors say there's a rumor that patients have to be admitted to a central hospital before they can be transferred to the Comfort.
Only 33 of the 250 beds on the Comfort -- 13% -- are being used, nearly two weeks after the ship arrived.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the official protocol is for patients in need to go to their nearest medical facility. If that facility is unable to provide care, a doctor there should contact the medical coordinating center in San Juan.
Someone there will then determine whether a patient needs to be transferred to a hospital on the island and which one. In some cases, a determination will be made to transfer a patient to the US Army Combat Support Hospital in Humacao, which has 44 beds and has been operational since Sunday.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/16/health/puerto-rico-hospital-ship/index.html
bdamomma
(63,658 posts)They have a protocol???? WTF! for people to go their nearest medical facility what happens if the medical facility is no longer there?? They don't have any means of communication???? Charges against this regime should be enacted these are Americans who are being neglected.
Not Ruth
(3,613 posts)"According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the official protocol is for patients in need to go to their nearest medical facility. If that facility is unable to provide care, a doctor there should contact the medical coordinating center in San Juan."
It sounds like Sammy needs to go to a medical facility and have a doctor there contact the medical coordinating center in San Juan.
DK504
(3,847 posts)Why are there no shuttles being run hourly from the ship to the island to bring patients over and bring CLEAN water back? Are there no MRE's available on board? WTF is going on?
This is as bad as Katrina, the only difference is the number of deaths at this time. There will be more because of their incompetence.
How fucking hard is it to shuttle or fly supplies over to the island and spread out to help people? So much for the great Christians of this country. Foreign nations are doing more for Americans than the Moron. He is a disaster as is every single person that works in this administration.
This ain't brain surgery. Find out what the need, order it, deliver it. We have the most expensive military in the world and we can fly supplies to a small island? We are failing on every level.
Tatiana
(14,167 posts)There should be federal medical staff helping to coordinate triage at the hospitals and approving transport to the ship for the neediest patients.
This seems like simple logic. The fact that this isn't happening makes me feel like this administration wants the PRican people to suffer.
May God give them what they so richly deserve.