Contact:
Ann Kettering Sincox
517.349.5640 ext. 242 or 517.256-2312 (cell)
ann.sincox@minurses.org

or

Ken Fletcher
517.349.5640 ext. 226 or 517.449-1513

April 4, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Michigan Nurses Point Out Flaws in Walberg's View of Emergency Rooms

Walberg encourages already overextended ERs to accept more patients

Okemos, MI -- Last week, Congressman Tim Walberg (R-Tipton) participated in a town hall in Hillsdale and proved yet again how out of touch he is with Michigan families forced to choose between going to the doctor and putting food on the table during these tough economic times. Walberg told his audience that, “Everyone can walk in an emergency room and receive basic health care.”

The problem – people who can’t afford health care are relying on the emergency room for everything from their child’s ear infection to chronic disease management. This in turn is leading to a serious problem with overcrowding, putting at risk patients who have true emergencies. The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) reports that in the United States, an ambulance is diverted to a different hospital every minute because emergency departments are overcrowded. The ENA believes that “when emergency department crowding occurs, the number of patients in care outweighs the availability of resources, potentially resulting in diminished quality and safety of patient care and increased stress and dissatisfaction of staff.”

“I see on a daily basis patients who have no business in the emergency room,” says Renee Curtis, RN, an emergency room nurse from the Tipton area and Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) member. “These patients should be receiving care for chronic illnesses such as diabetes or high blood pressure under the guidance of a primary caregiver, not through emergency room personnel. The emergency room should be reserved for emergencies, not primary care issues.”

“Just because Congressman Walberg has access to world-class health care at the taxpayer’s expense does not mean he can pretend his constituents receive all the basic care they need when they visit an overcrowded, understaffed emergency room,” said Ken Fletcher, MNA Director of Government Affairs. “As any health care provider will tell you, unlike Walberg’s own health care, ER patients don’t receive the preventive treatment like vaccines and diabetes medications that keep health care costs lower in the long run and increase patients’ quality of life.”

Congressman Walberg has repeatedly voted against proposals that make health care more affordable and accessible to Michigan residents and has a history of making callous claims. During a 2006 debate, Walberg stated that, “It [health care] is not a right, it is an opportunity that we have.” [Adrian Daily Telegraph, 10/18/06]

An audio recording of Walberg’s comments is available by request.

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