More hospital horrors

jimpeel

jimpeel

Well-Known Member
This time in New York, a woman was left to die on a hospital ER floor. She had been there for 24 hours in the waiting room. The staff falsified the record to reflect that she was sitting up in the room when in actuality she had already expired.

Hospital staff, other patients, and a security officer ignored her lying there until one of the other patients finally brought a staff member.

Video:

Hospital Video Shows Neglect In Woman's Death

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?cl=8601813
 
I can't wait for BMV service at my local quack in the box...since private doctors will be non-existent.
 
The print story:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,374321,00.html

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Stunning video from a surveillance camera at a Brooklyn hospital shows a woman dying on the floor of a psychiatric emergency room while staffers ignore her.

The video was released by lawyers suing Kings County Hospital alleging neglect and abuse of mental health patients at the medical facility.

The video shows the 49-year-old woman falling out of her chair at about 5:30 a.m. June 19, then lying face-down on the floor and thrashing around before going still. The woman died.

People nearby, including two security guards, do nothing to help. An hour passes before a fellow patient finally gets the attention of a staffer.

The tape also suggests that staff at the hospital might have faked medical charts belonging to the victim, Esmin Green, to cover her lack of treatment, the New York Daily News reported.

Her medical chart claims the Jamaica native got up to walk to the bathroom when she was actually writhing on the floor, the News reported. The records also have Green sitting quietly in her chair when she was already dead.
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While this is just an awful tradgedy, socialized medicines is not the answer. Doing a clean sweep of uneffective hospital workers would be the first step I'd think of. Loosing the stigmas attatched with mental illnesses couldn't hurt either. But none of that is going to help this woman its too late for that.

What a sad way to have to die.
 
I wish Dave would weigh in on this.
They probably thought "the nutcase is faking"....not that I agree with the logic but I am trying to wrap my brain around the behavior.
 
tonksy said:
I wish Dave would weigh in on this.
They probably thought "the nutcase is faking"....not that I agree with the logic but I am trying to wrap my brain around the behavior.
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Bad things happen from time to time for whatever reason. Indifference, neglect, error, whatever. They always have, they always will. The difference is that now, there are video cameras virtually everywhere. This presents those so inclined with abundant opportunity to jerk their knee and huff their self-righteous indignation. I don't think there's enough information on this to make a judgment at this point although it certainly does bear investigation. :shrug:

The video was released by lawyers suing Kings County Hospital alleging neglect and abuse of mental health patients at the medical facility.
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That makes the whole business a bit suspect in my view already. Don't reckon they would have edited to present their case in a better light, do you?
 
Yeah...how did the lawyers come by the tape? You would think if the hospital had been subpoenaed for them that the case would have made news already.
 
chcr said:
I don't think there's enough information on this to make a judgment at this point although it certainly does bear investigation. :shrug:
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Apparently there is enough information to satisfy the hospital administrators. Eight hospital workers -- one of which I hope was that chair-scooting security guard -- have been summarily fired over this case.

That makes the whole business a bit suspect in my view already. Don't reckon they would have edited to present their case in a better light, do you?
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If they edited the tape it would be brought out in discovery and some heads would certainly roll at the Bar Assn. Tampering with evidence is a big no-no.
 
tonksy said:
Yeah...how did the lawyers come by the tape? You would think if the hospital had been subpoenaed for them that the case would have made news already.
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Right of discovery. The hospital must, by law, turn over any and all documents, etc. requested by the plaintiffs attorneys.
 
jimpeel said:
If they edited the tape it would be brought out in discovery and some heads would certainly roll at the Bar Assn. Tampering with evidence is a big no-no.
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but letting people die is ok.

(nothing aimed at you Jim, aimed at how those people where thinking)
 
1. How long was the woman in the emergency room?
2. How long is the tape?
3. Still think it hasn't been edited?

Note that I understood how the lawyers got the tape. I was simply noting that they released a portion of it to the press. Clearly, this would be a portion that bears out their contention without showing any possible mitigating circumstances and it is an obvious attempt to prejudice the case before the fact.

Jim, if you'd think for a moment you might understand that while they can't edit any video placed into evidence (at least they can't get caught doing it) they can do whatever they want to the one they send to the press. Not saying they did, mind you, but I'd be surprised if the tape you saw on Yahoo tells the complete story, wouldn't you? It's a deplorable situation but until the complete story is known (if it ever is) I don't think you can make a judgment.

Note that the fired employees is strictly a PR thing. Maybe they deserved it, maybe not. They probably did. The point is that no investigation could have been complete by that point. They did it because of the hue and cry, nothing more. I'm not defending them, I'm just saying sometimes it's worthwhile to remember Richard Jewell.

Guilty until proven innocent?
 
jimpeel said:
Right of discovery. The hospital must, by law, turn over any and all documents, etc. requested by the plaintiffs attorneys.
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I understand how a court case works.
My point is that you would think we would have heard of this incident before the case had gotten this far along.
If the lawyers got the tape any other way (ie. directly from a hospital employee) that would seem a little sketchy.
 
chcr said:
1. How long was the woman in the emergency room?
2. How long is the tape?
3. Still think it hasn't been edited?

Note that I understood how the lawyers got the tape. I was simply noting that they released a portion of it to the press. Clearly, this would be a portion that bears out their contention without showing any possible mitigating circumstances and it is an obvious attempt to prejudice the case before the fact.

Jim, if you'd think for a moment you might understand that while they can't edit any video placed into evidence (at least they can't get caught doing it) they can do whatever they want to the one they send to the press. Not saying they did, mind you, but I'd be surprised if the tape you saw on Yahoo tells the complete story, wouldn't you? It's a deplorable situation but until the complete story is known (if it ever is) I don't think you can make a judgment.

Note that the fired employees is strictly a PR thing. Maybe they deserved it, maybe not. They probably did. The point is that no investigation could have been complete by that point. They did it because of the hue and cry, nothing more. I'm not defending them, I'm just saying sometimes it's worthwhile to remember Richard Jewell.

Guilty until proven innocent?
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Point taken.
 
jim were you going anywhere with the original post, or was this simply an "isn't this tragic" posting?
 
tonksy said:
I wish Dave would weigh in on this.
They probably thought "the nutcase is faking"....not that I agree with the logic but I am trying to wrap my brain around the behavior.
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Your wish is my command :)

I just watched the clip from the Yahoo link.
Tough to tell exactly what was happening there with the editing. It looked like security did check her a couple of times to at least see if she was breathing, but thats about it. It didn't appear that she was having a Gran Mal seizure though she could have been having a less convulsive type for that long a period. Someone having that type of seizure could appear to be sleeping it off if you don't look closely or just don't know what you're looking at.
Actually, a seizure is a good possibility as it was a psych hospital and a lot of psych patients are on fairly large doses of benzos like Ativan or Klonopin. Stopping them suddenly after being on them for extended periods can cause seizures and death.
She could very well have been the "boy who cried wolf" too many times. Always there for no apparent reason. It could explain the lack of concern from the security staff. Not defending them, but it does happen.

There is a list of things that could have happened there. She could have been a known drug seeker. The ER could have been bedlam. All it takes sometimes is for one person to start acting up than chaos ensues as the rest join in. Could just simply be complete incompetence of the staff too.

I'll have to watch for other news of this. I'm curious to see what else makes it to the media after the lawyers are finished with it.
 
2minkey said:
jim were you going anywhere with the original post, or was this simply an "isn't this tragic" posting?
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Both. Isn't this tragic that this will be the norm under socialized health care as thre ERs fill up with people bringing little johnnie in for his 101 temperature while the real sick people lie dying on the floor?
 
jimpeel said:
Both. Isn't this tragic that this will be the norm under socialized health care as thre ERs fill up with people bringing little johnnie in for his 101 temperature while the real sick people lie dying on the floor?
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Triage.

If you go to Emergency with an emergency the wait time is very short, if it is a life threatening emergency there is no wait if you go with the sniffles there is a hell of a long wait, because there are clinics you can go to for things like that (if you don't have a family doctor.)

Your idea of what socialized medicine is WAY off.

On to socialized medicine....

I saw Sicko (now I don't like ALL of Micheal Moores movies, and I do take them with a grain of salt) and what he showed about Canada in it is true, and if what he showed about the US is true, that is some scary shit, loosing your house cause you are sick and can't afford medical treatment. Or HMOs trying to stop you from gettiing treatment. I know if I get hurt I will get taken care of.
 
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