Euthanasia Post-Katrina?

From CNN.com:

More than one medical professional is under scrutiny as a possible person of interest as Louisiana’s attorney general investigates whether hospital workers resorted to euthanasia in the chaotic days after Hurricane Katrina shattered New Orleans, a source familiar with the investigation has told CNN.

CNN first reported in October that staff members at Memorial Medical Center had discussions about euthanizing patients after the hurricane flooded the city on Monday, August 29, cutting off power and stranding hundreds of thousands of residents. Now, for the first time, Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti has told CNN that allegations of possible euthanasia at Memorial Medical Center are “credible and worth investigating.”

Billboard and Bus

From (Chicago) NBC5.com:

The billboard encourages uninsured people to call for information about free health care, but the group, Advocate said it encourages people to use emergency rooms when they should be seeing private doctors or free clinics.

“It is a disservice to have patients who have non-urgent problems present to the emergency room, because it really delays care to those who need it the most,” said Dr. Michael Davenport of Advocate Trinity Hospital.

Particularly hard hit has been Advocate System Hospitals like Lutheran General where on two occasions, people from as far as 40 miles away have allegedly been bused to their emergency room. NBC5′s Charlie Wojciechowski reported.

“That’s dangerous,” said Dr. Douglas Propp of Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. “That’s bad — that’s wrong. So when that bus arrived at our facility, we added those seven or eight patients to our typical load at that particular time of day.”

Advocate officials said they have seen seven similar incidents in the past three months. In one incident, a nurse said the patients appeared scripted and had a coach along with them.