Your thoughts,hospitals.

[Ol-man]

Every year around this time the hospitals ask for volunteer assistance to get their staff to work in inclement weather,not to be a jerk but having been to the emergency room a few times with family members and never being offered free service and being promptly charged for their services I can't understand why they can't afford to provide transportation for the employees.
I thought about doing this years ago but never did it because of the insurance issue, what if you were involved in an accident with people in your vehicle and they are injured, besides being possibly rejected by your insurance co. you could be sued.Now with gas almost $3.00 it would be hard to get people to do this reliably.The bottom line is,Hospitals are large commercial busineses to make profits, no other large companies ask for free outside assistance from the public to perform their fuction.

 

[cwo_ghwebb]

Every year around this time the hospitals ask for volunteer assistance to get their staff to work in inclement weather,not to be a jerk but having been to the emergency room a few times with family members and never being offered free service and being promptly charged for their services I can't understand why they can't afford to provide transportation for the employees.
I thought about doing this years ago but never did it because of the insurance issue, what if you were involved in an accident with people in your vehicle and they are injured, besides being possibly rejected by your insurance co. you could be sued.Now with gas almost $3.00 it would be hard to get people to do this reliably.The bottom line is,Hospitals are large commercial busineses to make profits, no other large companies ask for free outside assistance from the public to perform their fuction.

If Hillary is elected they won't be commercial businesses anymore, they'll be called Veterans Subsidiary Hospitals, run the same way as the Veterans Hospitals and then they will need our help. /sarcasm off

I agree with your post!

 

[jhns64]

100% Agree!!!!

 

[awpitt]

If Hillary is elected they won't be commercial businesses anymore, they'll be called Veterans Subsidiary Hospitals, run the same way as the Veterans Hospitals and then they will need our help. /sarcasm off

I agree with your post!

The only candidate who is proposing conversion to a govt run health system is Kucinich. Everyone tends to confuse "universal" with govt run.

 

[Etred101]

Every year around this time the hospitals ask for volunteer assistance to get their staff to work in inclement weather,not to be a jerk but having been to the emergency room a few times with family members and never being offered free service and being promptly charged for their services I can't understand why they can't afford to provide transportation for the employees.
I thought about doing this years ago but never did it because of the insurance issue, what if you were involved in an accident with people in your vehicle and they are injured, besides being possibly rejected by your insurance co. you could be sued.Now with gas almost $3.00 it would be hard to get people to do this reliably.The bottom line is,Hospitals are large commercial busineses to make profits, no other large companies ask for free outside assistance from the public to perform their fuction.

Either you believe that it is charitable to do this or you do not. I am not prepared to research the local hospitals to determine if they are "for profit" or not, or profitable. Regardless, many citizens and communities take interest in their hospitals since they provide a service.
As to insurance, you should have enough to cover any accident for which you are negligent regardless of whether the individual is a passenger or another vehicle. You can always call your insurance agent and discuss the issue before you decide to volunteer. You should also weigh the risk of driving in bad weather. As to gas used, your tax profession would probably say that you can take a charitable deduction for the cost. I really dont know of any inclement weather transportation company but if it exists it is probably expensive and would cause the hospital to redirect resource in an already expensive industry.
Sounds like a good thing to do and might be fun.

 

[awpitt]

As to gas used, your tax profession would probably say that you can take a charitable deduction for the cost.

You can claim it if the hospital is non-profit.

 

[ImnoMensa]

I think most of the people who volunteer are just begging for it to snow so they can see how deep their SUV can plow through in it. If they werent transporting hospital people they would be out trying to find a place to get stuck in.

They have a distant relationship to people who have ATV's who go out and look for muddy places to get stuck in.

The hospital is just giving them a way to fulfill this need to play in the snow by offering up their employees as a reasonable excuse for being on the road when they should be home, safe.

 

[bcp]

I did it one year, but gave up after a doctor tried giving me a lecture for not getting to his house quick enough for his liking.

I thanked him for his concern and left him standing there with no ride.

 

[RadioPatrol]

My wife and I did that back in ? 03 when we got 3 feet of snow and the Gov'ner shut down the state ......... it was fun being the only Jeep on the Road for miles driving back into unplowed neighborhoods, where my front and rear axles left a grove in the snow from the pumpkins ...........


I did not get to drive any how nurses home ..........

but we both got $25 Gift cards for Westlake? Mall in Gaithersburg ? or was it Bethesda one per day, per Person - we both drove the wife in her 94 Exploder and I had my 83 Wagoner

 

[Beelzebaby666]

My wife and I did that back in ? 03 when we got 3 feet of snow and the Gov'ner shut down the state ......... it was fun being the only Jeep on the Road for miles driving back into unplowed neighborhoods, where my front and rear axles left a grove in the snow from the pumpkins ...........


I did not get to drive any how nurses home ..........

but we both got $25 Gift cards for Westlake? Mall in Gaithersburg ? or was it Bethesda one per day, per Person - we both drove the wife in her 94 Exploder and I had my 83 Wagoner

You're married!!!

 

[Thor]

I did it one year in St Marys county. I'll never do it again. The nurses were just plain old rude. Then of course there was the one who tried for the entire 30 minute ride to the hospital to convert me. Oh the the best one yet was the nurse I was taking home who told me I had to stop at the grocery store so she could do her shopping. When I told her no she told me she was going to report me to hospital management.

 

[itsbob]

Every year around this time the hospitals ask for volunteer assistance to get their staff to work in inclement weather,not to be a jerk but having been to the emergency room a few times with family members and never being offered free service and being promptly charged for their services I can't understand why they can't afford to provide transportation for the employees.
I thought about doing this years ago but never did it because of the insurance issue, what if you were involved in an accident with people in your vehicle and they are injured, besides being possibly rejected by your insurance co. you could be sued.Now with gas almost $3.00 it would be hard to get people to do this reliably.The bottom line is,Hospitals are large commercial busineses to make profits, no other large companies ask for free outside assistance from the public to perform their fuction.

You really aren't volunteering services for the hospital.. in that the nusrses can't leave until they replacement gets there...

The hospital will continue to operate even if the staff has to stay for days on end and sleep on site.

You'd be volunterring to bring in staff so those stuck might be able to go home, the hospital doesn't need you to bring their workers in, as they have a captive workforce.

 

[FFsFlame]

"not to be a jerk but having been to the emergency room a few times with family members and never being offered free service and being promptly charged for their services"

I agree with you, but wanted to let you know....A few years ago I was on vacation with my husband, sister and the kids. My parents had a car accident near their house in Owings. They were transported to Calvert Memorial by ambulance. They had no way home and, obviously, we could not get to them in time. One of the doctors used his "lunch break" and drove my parents home. If I was sure he was the one that needed a ride to work, I'd do it for him (LOL!).