People needing acute psychiatric care represent a small percentage of those seeking emergency services yet they wait longer in the emergency room and find more difficulty finding follow-up attention than people with non- psychiatric problems. According to a report released by the General Accounting Office (GAO),
"on average, psychiatric patients waited in the emergency department for an inpatient bed longer than 8 hours after the decision to admit them had been made, including about 9 percent who reported that psychiatric patients waited more than 24 hours."
Esmin Green
New York announced a $2 million settlement last week with the family of Esmin Green, a 49-year old woman who died nearly a year ago after a 24-hour wait in the Kings County Hospital Center emergency room. Surveillance cameras documented staff neglect after she fell onto the floor where she remained for an hour despite the presence of hospital personnel.
