Eighty-two year old Doreen Wallace waited 28 minutes for medical care after she fell and broke her leg. That doesn't sound like such a long wait for emergency care, right? The problem is: she was already in the hospital when she fell.

Wallace, who was visiting her dying husband at Greater Niagara General Hospital, fell right inside the facility's entrance. Several people walked over her, staring. Some non-hospital personnel offered their help. Why did it take so long? Wallace had to wait while hospital staff called an ambulance for her.

Turns out that is GNGH policy, and Wallace's complaint is not the first. Others have arrived at the hospital, frantic, with loved ones in tow, only to be told an ambulance would have to be called first. Tell Greater Niagara General Hospital that patients matter more than policy!

We the undersigned respectfully request that you stop wasting valuable time by calling an ambulance for somebody who is already in the hospital or the hospital's parking lot. Not only does this policy delay treatment of those who need your care, it also ties up ambulances that might well be needed much further away. Please heed the story of Doreen Wallace who hopes her recent experience at your hospital will effect an improvement in your procedures.