3 days Ago
The purpose of this letter is to bring attention to the growing need for specialty medical services available to the residents of Lewis County. Lewis County has a rapidly growing population and a higher percentage of residents ages 65+-plus compared to the Washington state average. The population in this advanced age group is at the greatest risk of not obtaining emergent life-saving medical services.
The medical services available in Lewis County do not currently include specialists who provide emergent cardiac intervention that is provided in a cardiac catheterization lab. The closest cardiac catheterization lab available is located in Thurston County. Cardiac catheterization labs are vital to people who are experiencing a cardiac-related event, and prompt intervention is required to restore adequate cardiac function.
The timing it will take to get emergency transport to a hospital in Thurston County can harshly diminish the possibility of a desirable outcome for Lewis County residents. Our county needs to prioritize funding for these specialists so that the residents in Lewis County can have equitable access to prompt emergent cardiac interventions and minimize the delay in care for these life-saving procedures. I would like to urge our city council members and hospital stakeholders to invest additional funds to provide a cardiac catheterization lab for Lewis County.
Thank you for your attention to this important issue. Tiffany Flemetis, RN Chehalis.
