Prince George's County takes action to improve excessive ER wait times
LARGO, Md. - Alarming research reveals Maryland has the longest emergency room wait times in the entire country.
FOX 5 first reported on this growing problem back in March.
Now, Prince George’s County is working to fix the problem.
Many residents feel like their taxpayer dollars are going to waste because they’re not getting the healthcare they deserve.
Longtime resident, 62-year-old Phyllis Wright, said her experience was a nightmare.
"I can believe it because it happened to me. I waited in the emergency room for 17 hours and still did not get medical treatment," Wright said. "I’m a living witness and I thank God I’m still here because I was in so much pain. I wouldn’t wish that on nobody. When you sick, and you need a doctor, and you have to go through that it’s awful. It’s just pretty awful. They need to do better."
During a meeting on Monday, Prince George’s County Council mentioned they are getting a lot of complaints about the University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center. It’s a new hospital.
"I’ve heard just flat out horror stories from my constituents," said Prince George’s County Council Member Edward Burroughs.
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Maryland has longest ER wait times in the nation: report
New data reveals the longest emergency room wait time is right here in the DMV.
Health leaders from local hospitals Monday were able to explain the problems they are dealing with and provide perspective. When asked why the issues are mounting, staffing issues was mentioned.
"Just like hospitals nationwide, we struggle with finding team members to work in our areas; skilled team members, experienced nurses – specifically," said Joel Sandler, senior vice president and chief nursing officer for the University of Maryland Capital Region Health. "We have a large number of vacancies especially in the emergency which we have to backfill with very expensive agency and travel nurses which obviously impacts the financial standing of the hospital."
Unfortunately, Sandler says this is causing a vicious domino effect.
According to the Prince George’s County Fire and EMS Department, in June 2023, an ambulance crew had to wait for 6 hours and 5 minutes before a patient was able to get transferred to a hospital bed. That decreases the number of units available to respond to other emergencies.
"The exhaustion from our members is reaching a breaking point causing many to either leave our department or the profession entirely," said Grant Walker, vice president, Professional Firefighters and Paramedics of Prince George’s County.
Prince George’s County Council is looking for ways to both support and hold hospitals accountable.
At this time, there is no clear solution. However, the council is listening and trying to be understanding as a first step in fixing the problem.
This is a developing story. Check back with FOX 5 for updates.