Minorities hit hardest by CA hospital overcrowding, study finds

California hospital overcrowding disproportionately affects minority patients, according to a study published today. The study by UC San Francisco, Stanford University and UCLA researchers measured hospital overcrowding in 202 California facilities by analyzing ambulance diversion rates, or how often ambulances are turned away from an emergency department. They found that hospitals that serve large minority populations were more likely to divert ambulances to other hospitals.