For immediate release
November 15, 2004
The specialty of emergency medicine celebrates its 25th year this fall. Today, more than 110 million people seek care in the nation’s emergency departments annually – making the emergency department America’s health care safety net. Licking Memorial Emergency Medicine – the emergency department of Licking Memorial Hospital – is proud that all 12 of its physicians are emergency room residency trained. Eleven are board certified, with the twelfth – a recent residency graduate – preparing to take his boards.
Origins of the Specialty
During the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, physicians practicing on the “home front” recognized that timely triage and beginning treatment in the crucial first minutes after an injury or onset of illness also could be used to help save the lives of thousands of Americans each year. But, as late as the mid 1960s, emergency care in the United States was inconsistent. Inadequately equipped emergency rooms were frequently staffed only by non-specialized nurses and interns or on-call physicians. Pre-hospital care was almost non-existent. As a result of the public’s growing demand for access to medical services, emergency visits almost tripled between 1954 and 1964. The increased demand focused attention on improving emergency care.
Evolution of the Specialty
In 1966, the landmark report, Accidental Death and Disability: The Neglected Disease of Modern Society, described the deficiencies in the emergency care system and sparked public awareness of the importance of emergency medicine. It became clear that emergency care required skills uniquely different from general medical practice, but there simply were no training programs for young doctors interested in practicing emergency medicine. Then, on August 16, 1968, a group of eight physicians who shared a commitment to improve the quality of emergency care met in Lansing, Michigan, to form the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).
The ACEP worked to establish standards for educating and training emergency physicians and develop a certification exam, which it achieved by 1975. These accomplishments led to the American Medical Association’s recognition of emergency medicine in 1979 as the twenty-third medical specialty and to the establishment of 132 fully accredited emergency medicine residency programs and 30 osteopathic emergency medicine programs in the United States today.
In 1985, Congress enacted the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act which mandated that all patients who come to emergency departments be given a medical screening examination and be stabilized, regardless of ability to pay or insurance coverage. This regulation places great responsibility on emergency physicians to serve as the health care safety net for the nation’s most vulnerable populations, including the uninsured.
Congratulations to the Licking Memorial Emergency Medicine physicians: Thomas Baker, MD; Jeff Bare, DO; Terrill Burnworth, DO; Amy Cohagan, DO; Scott Jolly, DO; Randy Jones, MD; May Lee Robertson, DO; M. Jane Scott, MD; Stephen Sigrist, MD; Gary Sutliff, MD; John Wells, DO; and Thom Wood, MD.
Licking Memorial Hospital has served the medical needs of Licking County residents since it was founded in 1898. The 231-bed facility utilizes nearly 150 staff physicians and more than 1,200 additional clinical and support staff to meet the health care needs of the community.
Contact: Carol Hutchison
PublicRelations
740-348-1564
chutchison@LMHealth.org