Top trauma doc re: Richardson death: Montreal's "system isn't set up for traumas"

[pnwmom]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/20/kin-friends-gather-for-ri_n_177517.html

SNIP

Montreal's top head trauma doctor said Friday that the lack of medical helicopters in the province of Quebec may have played a role in Richardson's death.

"It's impossible for me to comment specifically about her case, but what I could say is ... driving to Mont Tremblant from the city (Montreal) is a 2 1/2-hour trip, and the closest trauma center is in the city. Our system isn't set up for traumas and doesn't match what's available in other Canadian cities, let alone in the States," said Tarek Razek, director of trauma services for the McGill University Health Centre, which represents six of Montreal's hospitals.

Being driven by ambulance to two separate hospitals, rather than airlifted by helicopter directly to a trauma center, could have cost Richardson crucial moments, he said.

SNIP