Deaths in Sacramento County ERs sparking concern

People die in Sacramento County emergency rooms at higher rates than in almost any other county in California, with county ERs losing 27 out of every 10,000 patients during the last three years. The statewide average is 17, and Sacramento County has a higher death rate than any California county except tiny Inyo County, according to an analysis of data from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. The analysis also shows that inland counties tend to lose more emergency patients than coastal counties, with higher death rates clustering in pockets of the Central Valley and interior Southern California.