Ironically enough, I was on my way to email you this story when I noticed that you had posted this entry. Congrats on being that much faster than me. I think we all can agree that this story is despicable, and that it highlights some of the problems that the US has with its health care. I do hope that the States are on the right path to fix what is wrong. However, I find myself wondering if this sort of situation could possibly be endemic to those in the health care field as a whole, regardless of nationality. While I am sure that the vast majority of doctors, nurses, paramedics, etc. are excellent caregivers, I wonder how easy it is for a professional to drop into the fatigue of thinking "oh, it's just another crackhead." NB: I wanted to give some personal thanks to you for the services you provide to the public. I recently returned to the USA from spending a year in London, and unfortunately I ended up having to call the LAS in two separate occasions during that year. Both times the staff I interacted with were professional, caring, and informative, and I hope that that is indicative of the LAS as a whole. Again, thank you!