Actually, the reverse is true.
As a ""community health clinic"" they are not required to treat your son. The ER at Bay hospital is required, by federal law, to treat your son and cannot turn him away.
The federal law is ""EMTALA"" the Emergency medical treatment and labor act. Check this link out: world wide web dot emtala dot com
If he was as ill as you say, the ER CANNOT refuse treatment. The clinic was correct to say that he could not be treated there. This type of withdrawl requires IV fluids at the VERY MINIMUM with multiple inpatient hospital days. This cannot be done there.
Hopefully your primary care physician informed you of this law and can be of better assistance in the future. Did you ask him to see your son? I bet he would have said to go the the ER too. He could not have treated him in his office either.
Waterfall is an important clinic, but we must all respect their limitations.
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