Review of Code Black (2014) by Sandy K — 15 Oct 2015

An eye-opening documentary on emergency room medicine, seen through the lens of the Los Angeles County Hospital. It does a great job of vividly showing the challenges and rewards for the ER doctors, but lacks focus.

It looks at how medical students learn their craft in this environment, staffing/funding challenges, how burdensome regulations impacts care (but with little or no discussion to possible solutions), and points to the need for more medical facilities that provide free medical care (not just ER care) to all people.

Details are missing that would have made the documentary more powerful. For example, it states the problems in keeping nurses in county hospitals because of low pay and challenging work conditions, but doesn't offer statistics with salary comparisons.

Individual doctors (and a few nurses) profiled come across as distinct and likable personalities, with heart-felt stories about what drew them into medicine and why their devotion to caring for the sick remains strong despite the challenges.

This by itself makes the film worth watching, but it's disappointing that the main take-away at the end is a vague admonishment that more communities should take up LA's commitment to serving its neediest people.