Code Black is the universal hospital shorthand for alerting staff to the presence of an explosive. In Ryan McGarry’s award-winning documentary of the same name, the American health care system is the ticking bomb and the Emergency Room is the epicenter of the impending explosion.
In “Code Black,” which will be screened at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Cascade Theatre, McGarry takes viewers on an up close and personal tour of Los Angeles County Hospital’s ER—reportedly the busiest trauma bay in the country—and follows a team of young doctors-in-training as they balance their ideals with the harsh realities of working within an overburdened system.
McGarry, who directed and wrote “Code Black,” is a physician and assistant professor of emergency medicine at Cornell University. Produced during his training at Los Angeles County Hospital, the film “is, above all, an experiential documentary. I went to great lengths to capture the noise, the adrenaline, the commotion, and the fear of what life is really like in the ER. I wanted the audience to feel like they are there with us, experiencing the highs, the lows, and all the frustration in between,” McGarry said in a prepared statement.
“I hope the film will also provide some crucial perspective on the current healthcare debate. To see what it’s like to be on the front line of providing care in this country shows just how difficult it is for physicians and nurses: try telling a patient that they need to see a specialist for their rotting foot, only to find out that the specialist will only accept a certain level of insurance. Or ask them to choose between being late for their night shift or wait yet another hour in the ER in the hope that they will see a doctor, who may not have a permanent solution for their illness anyway,” McGarry said.
Redding resident Pamela Ikuta, an ER doctor at Mercy Medical Center, spearheaded the effort to bring the documentary to the Cascade. Originally, she intended to show the film to fellow ER crew members. “However, it became abundantly clear early on that this film had a far-reaching message to a much wider audience, so it additionally morphed into an awareness piece to bring to our community,” Ikuta said.
Ikuta hopes the film sparks a conversation on the state of health care here in the north state, and toward that end she has scheduled a Q&A session after the screening with Mount Shasta physician Nate Parker, who is the son of the late Richard Parker and a member of the original “Code Black” crew.
Other doctors participating in the session will be Bill Reeder, president of the North Valley Medical Association; Paul Davis, the Redding Rancheria’s medical director; Jesse Wells, an emergency medicine specialist at Mercy; and Fran Schlatter, an emergency room doctor at Shasta Regional Medical Center.
“The film raises a lot of questions. Participation in the post-show Q&A will help. The sky isn’t falling, but it will take a concerted effort,” Ikuta said. “We need an informed discussion.”
The fundamental issue is access to healthcare, Ikuta said. “There are only so many doctors and only so much time.” A three-month waiting period is common for any community health clinic in the region, she said, despite the frantic efforts of general practitioners. “They’re working their butts off. They are working so hard, and seeing so many patients a day—and these are patients with complicated issues.”
Many patients delayed seeing a doctor because they lacked health insurance; now that they are covered through expanded Medicare or a subsidized policy through Covered California, “they are coming to the doctor’s office, which is great, but it creates a huge backlog. Those patients then come to the ER, which is fine, but it poses a huge problem when it comes to wait times in the ER,” Ikuta said.
“The public, the patients, need to be aware we’re trying to provide excellent care for everyone. We can’t bat .300. Our standard has to be 100 percent. We want people to be aware: we are on your side. We’re trying. The wait time is frustrating for people. It’s wasted time. We know that. We value their time, but we can’t always make something happen as quickly as it does on TV.
“We are all working through a system that is new to us and the patients, and a system that is overburdened by the lack of access to healthcare. The medical community is working on solutions to those issues,” Ikuta said.
Tickets to see “Code Black” are $10 and available at the box office, by phone at 243-8877 or by visiting www.cascadetheatre.org. The screening will also serve as a fundraiser with 100 percent of the profit from the evening donated to local health-related projects and organizations.
“My colleagues and I are absolutely dedicated to this community, both while within and from outside of the hospital walls–and share that commitment with our sponsors,” Ikuta said.
Major sponsors include The McConnell Foundation; Don Schepps, M.D., Mercy’s chief of trauma services; Shasta Regional Medical Center; PHI Air Medical; Redding Rancheria Tribal Health Clinic; Judith and Lee Salter; Women’s Healthcare Associates of Redding; Shasta Physical Therapy; Williams’ Therapy Rehabilitation for Seniors; Walker Printing; North Valley Medical Association; North Valley Medical Association Alliance; and California Emergency Physicians.
In addition, Market Street Steakhouse will donate 15 percent of Saturday night’s sales and filmgoers are encouraged to visit for dinner, drinks or dessert. A two-night stay in Ashland, Ore., will be raffled off as well.
Photos courtesy of Long Shot Factory.
Jon Lewis is a freelance writer living in Redding. He has more than 30 years experience writing for newspapers and magazines. Contact him at jonpaullewis@gmail.com.
