New Granny Dumping Law Excites Doctors and Nurses.

Minneapolis, MN - Hospitalists and ER doctors clapped loudly Monday after Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton signed legislation SF 18342, making it illegal for families to drop elderly relatives off in the ER and then leave.  The offense is a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $2,500.Dubbed the Granny Dumping Law, officials hope this puts an end to the practice of using expensive emergency rooms and hospitals as a holding tank for the state's at-risk elderly community while their children take family vacations to warmer climates or simply want a weekend alone without their parents or in-laws.Doctors and nurses say they can see a granny dumping case from a mile away and are tired of being used as daycare staff by uncaring children who use the state's hospital system as their vacation kennel."At least once or twice a day every winter, we see families decked out in Tommy Bahamas, driving slowly through the ER parking lot in a minivan pilled high with suitcases before calmly wheeling granny up to triage to say something is wrong with nana and then driving off, " said ER triage nurse Adrian Bremer.The legislation allows doctors and nurses to hand out fines on the spot, after being deputized by the state, when they suspect cases of granny littering in the ER.   The minimum fine is $1,000 but quickly rises to $2,500 for cases involving poocanos or toxic foot syndrome.In today's age of entitlement, some families don't even try to hide their desire to rid grandma for the week...
Source: The Happy Hospitalist - Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Source Type: blogs