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Massachusetts wants to reduce ER use

Healthcare Strategist Trend Watch, February 23, 2007

Approximately $4 million will be given to community health centers in Massachusetts this year, as state officials hope to ease the crunch at crowded emergency rooms.

Thirty-two health centers-21 of them in Boston-will use the funds to increase their operating hours. The money will also contribute to an educational campaign that will encourage those with minor injuries and flu-like symptoms to visit the health centers instead of the ER.

Amy Lischko, the state's commissioner of health care finance and policy, told The Boston Globe that unnecessary emergency room visits contribute to rising costs and long waits. Massachusetts has seen more than 40% of its hospital beds disappear in the last decade, as hospitals have folded throughout the state, making ERs more crowded each year.

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