Posted by Chamber Day on December 11, 2000 at 12:12:17:
The post about the pneumothorax brings up the point again that all divers should be aware of where to get help if you think you've suffered a diving accident that might require medical/hyperbaric treatment.
Although the advice to call D.A.N. was good, in Los Angeles we are also blessed with the fact that we have the Los Angeles Medic Alert Center (MAC) on call 24 hours a day, with a hyperbaric doctor (usually Dr. Jeff Sipsey) available at a moment's notice. In addition, we also have the option of contacting the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber directly, also 24 hours a day.
Because they are local, these numbers might be even more useful to you than the D.A.N. number since, for a LOCAL accident, you'll be dealing directly with the people who will actually do your treatment. These are numbers you should keep with your dive gear, in addition to the D.A.N. numbers. Here they are:
L.A. County Medic Alert - 323/887-5310, then push "2" at the voice prompt for the hyperbaric unit
Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber diving emergencies - 310/510-1053
Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber general info - 310/510-4020
D.A.N. diving emergencies - 919/684-4326 (collect calls accepted)
D.A.N. non-diving emergencies - 800/326-3822 (for those covered by D.A.N. TravelAssist)
D.A.N. information line - 919/684-2948 (information and Q&A, available M-F, 9A-5P ET)
And as long as I'm posting under this screen name, I'll also put in the plug for Chamber Day & Chamber Evening 2001, which will be Wednesday, May 2. We've already started some of the preliminary planning for the event (daytime on the dive boats to Catalina with a walking tour of the Chamber - evening sit-down dinner at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach). It'll be hard to top last year, but hopefully, with everyone's help, we can do it.
Ken Kurtis
Chairman
Chamber Day