Haiti quake victims put strain on Fla. hospitals

AP via MSNBC.com ^ | 03/15/10 | Jennifer Kay

[OldDeckHand]

Medical airlifts were halted as state figured out how to deal with influx.

MIAMI - As hundreds of injured survivors of the Haiti earthquake overwhelmed Florida hospitals in January, state officials pleaded with the federal government for basic information about arriving patients but got little assistance, e-mails obtained by The Associated Press show.

[OldDeckHand]

I'm a compassionate person, but this is a mess. What's going to happen to these 18K people once they leave the hospital?

And, for a guy who says he has a plan and won't repeat "the mistakes" of Katrina, it sure does seem like the feds left a whole lot of details out in their communication with FL officials.

[Frantzie]

This is not FL or the USA’s problem. Haitians were already bankrupting FL before the earthquake.

[Hoodat]

Why aren’t they going to Cuban hospitals instead? They’re much closer, and according to Jimmy Carter, they are far superior to US hospitals.

[villagerjoel]

I’m in Chile, so it’s an obvious and stark contrast.

Chile has a retirement system that makes the US look like a socialist/progressive paradise/hell (the money you are required to put into the system actually exists, and is accumulating a decent interest rate here...what a wild concept!)

Chile just had a telethon event called “Chile helping Chile.” They raised millions. No Chileans in US hospitals.

Free market, personal responsibility, and hard work made the difference between Chile and Haiti/New Orleans.

[randomhero97]

Okay, if I brush up on my Spanish what are the job prospects like down in your neck of the woods?

I have thought about being an expat in Chile for a long time.

[CaptainK]

Exactly. Haitian patients should only sent to countries with govt supported hospitals. That will show us!

[pnh102]

Why aren’t they going to Cuban hospitals instead? They’re much closer, and according to Jimmy Carter, they are far superior to US hospitals.

I'm surprised that Cuba didn't preempt the US by taking in such patients. They could have really showed us how much superior they are to us!

[villagerjoel]

Depends on your resume. If your resume looks good, and you’re fluent, you’re set. For a young person starting out, the fact remains that the average income per person in Chile is $14000 and in the US is $40k+.