Provident Hospital To No Longer Receive Emergency Ambulances

By Chuck Sudo in News on Feb 14, 2011 10:00PM

Starting tomorrow, Provident Hospital will stop receiving ambulances at its emergency room as part of the county health system's plan to switch from inpatient care to primary and specialty services. But the move will also add to the strain of surrounding hospitals in dealing with emergencies.

Nearby University of Chicago Medical Center, which already turns away more ambulances than any other hospital in the area, is looking at a 50 percent increase in ambulance traffic. Dr. Richard Baron, dean of clinical practice at U. of C. Medical Center, said Provident's move may increase the amount of time his hospital stays on "bypass" mode for ambulances.. Provident Hospital estimates that 4,000 people were treated at the hospital who came via emergency ambulance runs. The hospital will still keep its emergency room open for patients who walk up to the emergency room or drive there themselves.