Anyone Remember The United States Public Health Service Hospitals?

Until Ronald Regan ordered it closed back in the 1980's we had one on Staten Island, NY, and IIRC there were at least seven others.

Maybe am not looking in the proper section but don't see much talk here about them. Seems the concept (federal government owned hospitals) would be a great idea for the underserved areas of the country
So are you saying these hospitals allowed people with no health insurance to get medical care? If so, that's fantastic. It's exactly what America requires. I do wonder (I am from Australia), what happens to someone who is in labour and requires a hospital, but has no medical insurance? Is their provisions for them?

EMTALA (Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act) requires all people who seek emergency medical treat which includes labor to be seen at any facility participating in medicare regardless of ability to pay. The issue with EMTALA is that EVERYONE has to be seen from the young man who shattered his leg while skateboarding to the lady who has a paper cut and rates her pain 10/10. You are treated and discharged and later billed by the hospital in the hopes that you can pay back; most do not. In my area of the country many use the emergency room as if it was a primary care clinic.

Hey! I actually GREW UP living in one of the Quarters 7 on the hospital grounds of the USPHS Hospital on Staten Island, NY. My father was a physisican there. Lived there from 1964-1978. I remember it well. Went through there about 4 yrs. ago and was SO sad to see the state of disrepair of my childhood home....abandoned, open windows (probably full of pigeons), etc. Such a shame that a solid brink facility both the hospital itself and the quarters surrounding it have fallen into disrepair.Quote from DoGoodThenGoUntil Ronald Regan ordered it closed back in the 1980's we had one on Staten Island, NY, and IIRC there were at least seven others. Maybe am not looking in the proper section but don't see much talk here about them. Seems the concept (federal government owned hospitals) would be a great idea for the underserved areas of the country

ALSO, this hospital was initially the Marine Hospital and was the Health Corps for the US Marines. The USPHS is a branch of the military...the UNIFORMED services not the ARMED services, but those enlisted and officers in the USPHS receive military benefits.

Quote from rngeneralHey! I actually GREW UP living in one of the Quarters 7 on the hospital grounds of the USPHS Hospital on Staten Island, NY. My father was a physisican there. Lived there from 1964-1978. I remember it well. Went through there about 4 yrs. ago and was SO sad to see the state of disrepair of my childhood home....abandoned, open windows (probably full of pigeons), etc. Such a shame that a solid brink facility both the hospital itself and the quarters surrounding it have fallen into disrepair.