Veteran Dies After Waiting For Ambulance At VA Hospital

A veteran died while waiting for an ambulance to transport him from a VA hospital cafeteria to the emergency room.
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A veteran died Monday after collapsing in the cafeteria of a Veterans Affairs hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico and waiting 30 minutes for an ambulance, the Associated Press reported.

Hospital officials confirmed Thursday to the AP that it took half an hour for an ambulance to be dispatched and transport the man to the emergency room. The other building was 500 yards, or a five minute walk, from the cafeteria.

VA spokeswoman Sonja Brown told the AP that staff had followed protocol by calling 911 when the veteran collapsed. That policy was under review, she said.

The agency has come under scrutiny in recent months amid allegations of long wait times and other systemic problems with veterans’ access to care.

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  1. Well, he died but at least protocol was followed, which I’m sure is a comfort to his grieving family.

  2. To be fair - as an RN - people die in hospitals all the time, sometimes, even when they’re already in the ER.

    That said, the 911/Code Blue policy should probably be reviewed. Not saying that would have saved him, however.

  3. Where are the Three Stooges and a gurney when you need them?

  4. Well, alert the media. Someone died waiting for an ambulance.
    That has NEVER HAPPENED EVER BEFORE IN THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE (except for when it does, all the time. Especially when the For-Profit hospital refuses to admit the patient because they have no insurance and they die while being bounced from hospital to hospital.)
    Total. Non. Story.
    Guy has heart attack and dies. Gee that never happens except under OBAMACARE (which doesn’t apply to the VA anyway.)
    What Ambulance service was it? Where was the closest Ambulance? Who dispatched the Ambulance (likely the Police 911 operator)? from where?

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