From the archives | '24 hours in the ER' shows challenges of health system

This story originally published on Sept. 7, 2007. It is being republished as part of the commemoration of USA TODAY's 40th anniversary on Sept. 15, 2022.

Dr. Robert O'Connor had taken charge of the emergency room only minutes earlier when the cellphone in his pocket rang: The Western Albemarle Rescue Squad was on its way with a 14-month-old girl who had suffered a possible seizure.