Emergency medical teams in New Orleans have deep concern about the fallout from the pending shutdown of the New Orleans Adolescent Hospital.
Governor Jindal's line item veto means the hospital will only remain open for the next couple of months.
Pat Roy is an advocate for mental health and she can't believe the hospital is being forced to shut down. The 35 beds currently at NOAH will now be shifted to Southeast Louisiana Hospital near Mandeville. Roy points out that a majority of the patients already have limited or no transporation.
NOAH's closing will also have a big impact on New Olreans EMS. Doctor Juliette Saussy says hospitals are already overloaded with in-coming patients. Taking the beds away from NOAH will force even more people to seek help at other facilities.
In turn, that will create an even longer wait time for the EMT's transporting patients.
Saussy says, "What that means for the public is the call for 911, rather than the ambulance being clear.The ambulances might be on the wall."
It's a problem that the EMS has been dealing with since Katrina, but can't afford for it to get any worse.
