HEALTH CARE: ER study identifies state’s shortcomings
Georgia’s emergency rooms are facing a shortage of specialists, increasing patient need, and policies that create barriers to emergency medical care, according to a just-released report card, “America’s Emergency Care Environment,” by the American College of Emergency Physicians. Overall, Georgia earned a near-failing grade of D+ for support of emergency care and ranked 29th in the nation.
For “Access to Emergency Care” (part of the overall grade), Georgia ranked 46th in the nation, reflecting shortages of emergency physicians, neurosurgeons, orthopedists and registered nurses, among others. In addition, the state has too few physicians accepting Medicare patients, a high rate of pedestrian and bicycle fatalities, poor access to mental health care, and a high uninsured rate: 22.2 percent of adults and 10.9 percent of children.
As an ER doctor, I continue to strive to give the highest level of care possible, despite the struggles with the system. However, weaknesses in our emergency care system are not something any of us can afford.
DR. DARRIA LONG GILLESPIE, Assistant Professor, Emory Department of Emergency Medicine
2ND AMENDMENT: UGA’s firearms ban may have saved lives
During my 30 years of teaching at the University of Georgia, from 1980 to 2010 and until now, there has not been a single murder by a firearm on our campus. I credit this excellent safety record to the university’s Firearms, Weapons and Explosives Policy.
Allowing students with permits to carry concealed guns is extremely reckless, given the high incidence of gun violence against women in Georgia. According to Georgia’s 2012 Domestic Violence Fatality Review Report, 46 percent of victims began their relationship with the person who eventually killed them when they were between the ages of 16 and 24.
Would you want to send your daughter into an environment where a rejected boyfriend might kill her with a concealed gun? The excellent safety record on the University of Georgia campus is a case in point that gun restrictions do protect women and save lives.
FRANCES VAN KEUREN, LAWRENCEVILLE
FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Even Iran is mocking its ‘no lose’ agreement
The Obama administration rushes into a deal that continues to make a mockery of our excuse for a foreign policy (“Iran to allow daily nuke plant inspections,” News, Jan. 13). Earlier this week, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister was widely quoted as saying the deal is a “no lose” deal for Iran. Any changes they make to their centrifuges, like the rest of the deal, can be reversed in a day, he said.
Meanwhile, Iran gets over $7 billion in frozen assets returned immediately and is in the process of new deals around the world. Our government then justifies Iran’s taunting as something Iran needs for its own consumption. That should be telling enough.
Obama and Kerry continue their naïve open-hand policy to enemies dedicated to our destruction, while pressuring and threatening our staunchest allies like Israel to make concessions that put it at existential risk. This is just madness.
DAVID SCHOEN, ATLANTA
