Physical Health vs Mental Health: facilities and budgets
I had the occasion to spend two days in a Brooklyn, NY emergency room with my daughter who had mono. Then she spent a few days on a hospital ward. I was very impressed at the quality of care. Various doctors, each with different specialties, came and checked her out and ordered lab tests within their expertise. Two ER physicians, a cardiologist, an epidemiologist, etc. Although the shifts and names changed, they were always checking my adult daughter (24yo) out. I was apprehensive at being in an emergency room on a Friday night. When I was a kid in Brooklyn, ERs were dangerous places to be. People got stabbed in ER waiting rooms. Patients got into conflict with each other. This was a completely different experience. People were civil. One man, sitting with a patient, got into a loud badgering argument with the patient he was supposed to be supporting. Staff took him out of there. It was crowded with beds and patients filling every space. But it went just like it was supposed to. ...