The Waiting Room

1163 Words3 Pages

Peter Nicks and William Hirsch’s 2012 documentary film, The Waiting Room, follows the lives of patients, doctors, and staff in a hospital in California. The hospital is a safety net hospital meaning that it provides care to low-income, uninsured populations. The documentary examines the obstacles faced by people who live without healthcare in addition to showing the public what goes in a safety net hospital. The Waiting Room fits into the finger categories of government and politics and science and technology. The most relevant category is government and politics. Healthcare and insurance have played large roles in the government for years. In fact, ObamaCare, the president’s plan for health care reform was one of the root causes of the 2013 government shutdown. This draws attention to just how large and important the congressional healthcare debate truly is. The documentary also fits under the finger category of science and technology. The Waiting Room discusses the technological and scientific innovations found in today’s hospitals. Additionally, it references some of the new methods being used to treat diseases that are prevalent in society. This is particularly significant because these new technologies and treatment methods are being used to save lives every day. The implications of the Waiting Room and safety net hospitals are not limited to finger categories; they are evident in tens of thousands of hospitals throughout the world.
The influence of safety net hospitals is seen largely throughout our local community and state. Attending a Title I school (a school where forty percent or more of the students come from low-income families) myself, I am very familiar with people who live under the poverty line and the struggles ...

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...dred years ago is now equivalent to a small outpatient hospital visit. These huge advancements in medicine which save millions of lives every year are attributed to the medical industry.

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"Hospital Statistics by State." American Hospital Directory -. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2014.
"Member Hospitals." « Safetynetsflorida.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2014.
"Miami-Dade County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau." Miami-Dade County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.
"Poverty." Data. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.
"Poverty Facts and Stats." - Global Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.
"Somalia: 50,000 Children at Risk, Gov't and UN Seek Aid amid New Crises and Donor Fatigue." Fox News. FOX News Network, 25 Feb. 2014. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.

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