Crowding puts stress on ERs in Kansas City

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Kansas City Star, February 19, 2008

Ambulance diversions have long served as crucial safety valves for busy emergency rooms in the Kansas City area. But as ER overcrowding reaches ever-higher levels, the tactic is becoming routine. Overall, Kansas City-area hospitals diverted ambulances an average of 6.25 percent of the time in 2007, a significant increase from 3.95 percent in 2004.

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