Oh for goodness sake - how cheap can you get?!?!

[hedgehog]

According to the BBC world News this morning, there is concern that the Spanish nurse with Ebola could have exposed other patients. Wouldn't you think that if you had a case of Ebola in your hospital, part of ensuring that the Ebola doesn't spread would be to ensure that there is a dedicated nursing staff for your Ebola patient? Nothing says we care like having a nurse care for an Ebola case, then come into your room to take care of you!

[JustAnotherGen]

1. They are under an Austerity Budget

It's not right that they didn't have a dedicated staff - I'm in TOTAL agreement.

But we have to look at it from that point of view. Another country is Italy - and there have been many hospitals shut down there in the past two years. Example - the one in Acri - you now have to drive over an hour down the mountain to get to Cosenza city's hospital. And it's not as well staffed as it needs to be.

[hedgehog]

2. Well, we wouldn't want to ask the rich folk to loosen their purse strings, would we?

Better that the rest of us tighten our belts - and run away from anyone who looks sick!

[JustAnotherGen]

3. They've tried

There needs to be a reach out to Germany who has been the leader in this punishment of the every day folks hurt by the banking crisis a few years back.

When I say the hospital in Acri Italy sits empty - I mean only of people. All of the equipment, the file cabinets, etc. etc. - it's all still there.

It's why Republicans who talk about 'tightening our belts' drive me bonkers. If they could see first hand how it punishes people . . .

[hedgehog]

4. Oh, you and me both!

[SheilaT]

5. In this country we are not actually under an austerity budget,

but many, maybe most, hospitals are minimally staffed. In recent years hospitals have been run as if they're an ordinary business, and so they employee as few people as they can get away with. And it shows.

[JustAnotherGen]

6. I've noticed the stark difference

Based on where you live/local hospital. . .

Having visited someone in Newark - vs my own visits/procedures in Somerset County Medical Center . .. Where you live depends on how your hospital is staffed and what your experience is.

My husband is an Italian citizen and our primary residence is in NJ.

And funny - our taxes have gone up in Italy - to include property taxes - yet more and more restriction on services.

It's coming from the EU - it's not coming from within.

[SheilaT]

7. I'm sure that's true.

The one and only hospital here in Santa Fe, which is owned by a large corporation but is nontheless "not for profit", is in a real battle with the nurses' union over staffing. This particular hospital, as I understand it, is the only one in the chain that has a union, and the corporation would dearly love to bust the union.

As a side note, I am very bothered by the fact that so many nurses and other direct patient care people work a ten or twelve hour shift. Even if they only work four or three days a week -- and a lot of them simply pick up overtime shifts -- no one is as remotely as fresh and alert after ten or twelve hours as they are after only six or so.