I spent 21yrs as a Firefighter/EMT in CT and we had a department run ambulance service. Of the three hospitals we would take patients to two of them had similar rooms where there would be two beds in the room with a curtain separating each bed. As mentioned pretty much no privacy for either patient. Since I left the Fire Service in 1999 I certainly hope both of those hospitals have remodeled their emergency rooms.
Earlier this year we were up north visiting my folks when my Dad took ill and went to the hospital via ambulance. That hospital had recently built a new ER which I was impressed with as there were some 15 or so private patient rooms. But there also was a steady stream of ambulances bringing in patients and soon all rooms were full.
Sadly I remember days when we would have to put a patient in the waiting room due to no available rooms or even on a gurney in the ER hallway. And it was common to see a full ER waiting room at any of those hospitals. I was hoping times had changed but when I went to the ER with my Dad the ER waiting room was pretty full and one of the nurses told me that was fairly common.
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