Lea Regional Medical Center ER could not locate transport causing treatment of a colon perforation to be delayed for over 12 hours Hobbs, New Mexico

On May 1st 2009 I went to the ER with extreme abdominal pain.  Arrived a little after 10am and was quickly taken back and a contrast xray was ordered.  By noon we were told that I needed immediate surgery for a perforated colon and there was no surgeon available at Lea Regional and they were transporting me to Lubbock TTMC for a higher level of care.  They called Texas Tech Hosp and arranged for a doctor between noon and 1pm on Friday, May 1 2009.  I then waited for over 6 hrs for transportation and was loading into an ambulance at 6:45pm for the two hour drive to Lubbock.  Lea Regional did not insure that there was still a doctor available to treat me at that time, consequently, when I arrived at TTMC no one was aware of the immediate need for treatment.  What should have been a quick trip to surgery for laproscopic repair and clean up of my abdominal cavity, resulted in an emergency Hartmann Proceedure with an incision over 12" long and an extended stay in ICU....and very nearly my death.