For Immediate Release September 26, 2010
Media Contact: Laura Gore 202-728-0610, ext 3008 Onsite Convention Press Office: 702-322-5660
Dr. Sandra Schneider Declares ER Patient Boarding and Overcrowding Deserve Highest Levels of Government Attention
Las Vegas, Nev. — The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) today announced that Sandra M. Schneider, MD, FACEP,an emergency physician from Rochester, N.Y.,has assumed the presidency of the organization during its annual meeting in Las Vegas. Thousands of emergency physicians gathered for this year’s crucial event to debate the many challenges that lie ahead regarding implementation of new federal health care reform legislation and the current economic climate.
Dr. Schneider is a professor and chair emeritus of the department of emergency medicine at the University of Rochester and attending physician at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. She has been a leader on the issue of reducing overcrowding in the nation’s emergency departments and on implementing high-impact, low-cost solutions to address the problem of holding or "boarding" patients in the emergency department.
“Patient boarding and overcrowding in emergency departments are critical problems that deserve attention at the highest levels,” said Dr. Schneider. “It is imperative that we reduce the number of patients we board in our emergency departments to ensure that all patients get the timely care they need and deserve.”
Dr. Schneider served as the founding chair of the department of emergency medicine at the University of Rochester from 1993-2007. She established a residency training program there in emergency medicine and fellowship programs in pediatric emergency medicine, sports medicine, international emergency medicine and EMS.
Dr. Schneider was elected to the ACEP Board of Directors in 2004 and re-elected in 2007. She previously served on the board of directors of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry and as president of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine and the Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Schneider earned her medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh and completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at Hospitals of the University of Pittsburgh. She is board certified in emergency medicine and is the author of over 50 peer-reviewed articles and 35 book chapters.
Dr. Schneider will serve a one-year term as president. ACEP is a national medical specialty society representing emergency medicine. ACEP is committed to advancing emergency care through continuing education, research and public education. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters representing each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. A Government Services Chapter represents emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies. # # #
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