BALTIMORE, MD – Maryland tops the national list for states with the longest average emergency room wait times, according to recent data. Patients in the state spend an average of 4 hours and 2 minutes in emergency departments before being discharged or admitted. This occurs despite Maryland housing some of the nation’s top medical facilities, including Johns Hopkins Hospital. The state also grapples with a nursing shortage, with one in every four hospital nursing positions remaining vacant.
Rhode Island follows Maryland, with patients waiting an average of 3 hours and 34 minutes. The state has 19 hospitals serving its population of just over one million people. Massachusetts ranks third, with a 3-hour and 33-minute average wait, exacerbated by recent staffing shortages and high turnover rates.
Delaware takes the fourth spot, where the average ER wait time is 3 hours and 30 minutes. Additionally, the state lacks any hospitals with a grade A rating for overall performance. New York rounds out the top five with an average wait time of 3 hours and 21 minutes and several poorly rated hospitals.
Arizona ranks sixth with an average wait of 3 hours and 13 minutes. The state allocates only $79 per person on public health, among the lowest rates in the U.S. New Jersey places seventh, with an average wait time of 3 hours and 11 minutes, and hospitals are critically understaffed. Connecticut comes in eighth, with a 3-hour and 2-minute average wait, even as it hosts some of the nation’s best hospitals, such as Yale New Haven Hospital.
Pennsylvania and California are tied for ninth place, both having an average wait time of 3 hours. Pennsylvania’s rural communities face a shortage of physicians, while California has fewer emergency departments than a decade ago. Vermont closes the top 10 list with a 2-hour and 58-minute average wait.
A spokesperson from Injured in Florida commented on the rankings, noting the stark contrasts among states in terms of healthcare facilities and public health spending. The data highlights not only the challenges for residents in these states but also pinpoints areas in dire need of healthcare improvements.