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Hospital....ER....anything?
#1
What's the latest on the Puna emergency room that medical folks in the community were trying to get constructed? Any updates? It is not beyond reason to believe that another hospital is needed on this side of the island.

It is alarming to say the least that we have no other facility other than urgent care in Puna.
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#2
No problem, the ambulance can always drive to Hilo.
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#3
...and if Hilo isn't an option, there's always Kohala:

http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/news/loca...difference
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#4
Puna emergency room

How would this even be possible?

* Emergency rooms are the most expensive to construct
* They are the most difficult to staff with doctors and nurses. Due to the stress of treating one emergency after another, staff are paid about 3 times more than in other medical facilities, and even then it's hard to find them.
* Emergency rooms are where uninsured patients go for medical care. They don't pay. Where would the money come from to treat people for free, especially considering most procedures in an emergency room cost 5 to 10 times more than when you see a doctor at his office?

“Facts fall from the poetic observer as ripe seeds.” -Henry Thoreau
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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#5
where uninsured patients go for medical care. They don't pay. ... most procedures in an emergency room cost 5 to 10 times more

Correct: that's the hospital subsidizing "free" medical care by "taxing" the insurance companies. Far from an ideal solution, but it's what the industry lobbyists have decided is appropriate for us to have, much in the same way that County has decided that everything (including emergency medical care) should be in Hilo, despite the larger population (and greater need) in lower Puna.
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#6
The vast majority of the "poor folk" in Puna do have coverage, although it is via Quest (Medicaid)....
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#7
People get a great deal on real estate in Puna and then complain about the lack of services and amenities that depressed the price of their home/land in the first place. Classic Puna.
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#8
People shouldn't want things to improve. Got it.

You know, they say things like hospitals and colleges are anchor institutions that bring jobs, money, and other businesses into an area. Perhaps a medical facility would be a good investment in Pahoa.
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#9
People get a great deal on real estate in Puna and then complain about the lack of services and amenities

This tired old argument again.

If Puna subdivisions were actually being used for their "stated purpose", the population density wouldn't be high enough for the lack of services to become a problem.

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#10
The whole reason there are subdivisions in the first place is that the land is mostly no good for its "stated purpose" (agriculture).
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