Woman left to die on hospital floor

[midlifebear]

It's tragic and unconscionable, but what do you expect from a medical tradition that is now more concerned about your wallet biopsy than the results from your liver or prostate biopsy?

There was a time when those in the USA who had serious mental illnesses or were "intellectually challenged" were cared for (albeit, minimally) by a combination of State and Federal Government funding. Then the Great Communicator won the Presidency, and within two years of Reagan as Chief of Naps, the social programs (social nets) that existed to care for such individuals were disassembled by Republican-led Congress and no longer funded. In 2003 there were several months of news about how many more "homeless" people were on the streets of NYC. These were folks who previously were warehoused in mental institutions, but at least they were cared for and received medication. No longer. The country, as a whole, just acclimatized to the situation. The situation has continued to worsen since then. In the early 1980's the Neocons who pushed for repealing so many social programs put in place during FDR's, Trumans', Eisenhowers', LBJ's and even Nixon's Presidency the promise by the that American church groups would pick up the slack, taking the newly disenfranchised mentally challenged into their Christian folds where they would be humanely cared for. Sadly, it never happened.

However, a bunch of us commie pinko "liberals" started donating money and volunteering at homeless shelters all over the USA. However, we could barely put a dent in the new problem created by the less charitable Republican agenda. And so it still goes.

During the first two decades of my life, (1950 -1970), individuals who suffered serious mental illness (schizophrenia, for example) were cared for part-time at home and part-time in State-run institutions. In many cases the State-run institutions were even more inhuman than just leaving the mentally ill to fend for them selves on the streets. Regardless, there was care available and it was slowly improving. Now, these same folks are just left to find their own heat vent on a side walk. In the western States, it's a game of Chess where the police in Tuscon and Phoenix buy them one-way bus tickets to Las Vegas. Las Vegas buys them one-way bus tickets Salt Lake City in the spring. Salt Lake Insists they don't buy any bus tickets, but just go downtown to the Greyline Bus Station and check out how many homeless have one-way tickets to Boise, Portland, and Seattle. Somebody bought those tickets for them. Those unlucky to get stranded along Interstate 80 from Wendover to Reno, Nevada, most often end up county jail, until they are evaluated as mentally ill/homeless. Some outreach groups patrol the county jails and try to help. More often than not, once the Sherriff's Office determines there is no way they will be able to continue to fund the housing of a homeless, mentally ill hitch hiker, they are magically transported to Sacramento, or at least to the Western Slope of the Sierras. Those closer to the Ewetaw State Line are frequently seen sweltering int 100+ degree heat trying to get across the Salt Flats.

Of course, there are many on this site who are going to deny any of this is true. However, I'll bet large sums of devalued US Dollars that they've never helped anyone less fortunate than them selves in their entire lives beyond, "Oh, but I give at Church. Sniff, sniff."

Have a special day. :smile:

 

[dong20]

My first post in this thread was very justified and it was not a swipe at you. You then chose to take an unjustified swipe at me.

You still fail to see the irony in your comment.

Your comment was unjustified in the context of the story posted, something remarked on by another poster. Further, you not only cited a portion of my post, but specifically bolded a section of it. Now, with that in mind, do you want to try 'it wasn't aimed at you' again?

You do tend to create a large(ish) number of thread, often about trivial issues - though less than you did. Obviously that's IMO, but it's something that has been been commented on by others. While it wasn't meant to be taken hatefully I stand by the essence of the statement.

And in that thread I did not mention your apparently sub-conscious American bashing.

Yawn, read on did we ... all I can say is boy did you both misread that one. Are we done with this now, I know I am?

 

[WifeOfBath]

Yes, appalling indeed. But this was a psychiatric hospital, right? Psychiatric patients in the U.S. and elsewhere are still treated like dirt, basically.

This doesn't come as a surprise.

Me neither. Anytime a patient is admitted on a psychiatric basis doctors seem to automatically assume that whatever they are manifesting is either attention-seeking, acting out, or having a purely psychological event. I've been to the ER more than once with psych patients having potentially very serious reactions to their medications and the doctors just shrugged their shoulders and sent them on their way.

I always said that in an ER, the only way you get attention is of you're dying. Apparently even this isn't the case.

People do this (except they are acting) in the ER all the time so they can get in before the others.

I don't care how many people fake and how overworked the staff is, there should be someone to at least check on patients like this. It doesn't take an MD or a nurse to take vital signs.

Unfortunately, the U.S. protects doctors from any wrongdoing...so they're like the police - think that they're invincible and untouchable.

I don't agree with this. My friends who are doctors pay out the nose for malpractice insurance because we are, as a society, so litigious when it comes to healthcare. With that said, I've also experienced problems with doctors while caring for my mother and grandmother, and they mostly fell into the communication category. The biggest problem is that doctors are no longer allowed to be doctors anymore-- the bloated health insurance industry and hospital bureaucracy take way more time and energy than they ever should.

The emergency rooms are a joke. They should make all non-critical care people go to a different office entirely. People bleeding on the floor should always take precedence over some Low income piece of trash that has the sniffles, looking for his next medicine "Fix"

This is definitely true. There should be some sort of triage for this as well as walk-in clinics for people who need not-so-urgent care.

 

[B_johnschlong]

To the OP: I wouldn't turn this into an America-bashing topic, though.

There have been countless experiments and studies showing the social cruelty and numbness of urban people in the West, that is, not only in the U.S.

For example, I vividly remember a video shown to us in our course on social psychology.

-The experiment showed an unshaved man wearing rather shabby clothes, having a serious problem, collapsing on the sidewalk of a very busy street. Hundreds of people just walked by. Occasionally someone turned and looked at him. But that was it. The vast majority didn't even do that.

-Then the same was replicated, but the cleanly shaved man now wore a suit and a tie. In this scenario, all the people walking by were ready to help instantly.

The experiment obviously showed that social status is extremely important, and can be life-saving. Moreover, the anonymity of public places in urban environments sorta "legitimizes" the destruction of the most basic social ties; it allows people to escape the most basic of humane responsibilities. It entirely redefines who's important and who's not.


Other well known experiments, testing group behavior, show that in groups people are extremely passive. You know, typical experiments with someone supposedly drowning: people alert each other, but nobody acts. The cliches get confirmed all the time.


I think the woman in the hospital was the victim of both these things: subconscious discrimination on the basis of her lack of high status (she's black and wore shabby clothes); and group paralysis.

This is probably a universal type of madness, found wherever people get numbed down by the a-social reality of urban life.

 

[dong20]

To the OP: I wouldn't turn this into an America-bashing topic, though.

Sigh ... where's a 'villagers brandishing pitchforks and torches' emoticon when you need one.

 

[B_johnschlong]

Sigh ... where's a 'villagers brandishing pitchforks and torches' emoticon when you need one.

Okay, my English is not well enough to understand your meaning.

But there are countless factors, evidences or events with which to build a credible case of anti-Americanism. Just not this one.

The superior Europeans do also let people die on the streets, only not that often or that brutally. For example, when a homeless person is found living in a carton box over here, the social services bring him to hospital, treat him, clothe him, offer him an appartment, school him and find him a decent job. That would never happen in the U.S.

But the mechanism of social cowardice is the same in the US and the EU. Only, in superior Europe, this cowardice has been counter-acted by all kinds of social mechanisms that provide solidarity and security.

So yes, Europeans are vastly superior on all fronts. But we are only human, you know. We are not yet another species. We still have brains that vaguely resemble the brains of these primitive Americans.

 

[Mem]

Sigh ... where's a 'villagers brandishing pitchforks and torches' emoticon when you need one.

Okay, my English is not well enough to understand your meaning.

I'll translate:

Where is the cute little emoticon (smilies) :wizard: that I can use that shows the scene from the Frankenstein movie where the villagers are chasing the monster with torches.

 

[D_Thoraxis_Biggulp]

Well the other problem is the 911 operators don't do anything anyway.

The other problem is, the health care system in general is corrupt.

I lost my father to a corrupt system. It's everywhere, not just the U.S.

Unfortunately, the U.S. protects doctors from any wrongdoing...so they're like the police - think that they're invincible and untouchable.

The emergency rooms are a joke. They should make all non-critical care people go to a different office entirely.
People bleeding on the floor should always take precedence over some Low income piece of trash that has the sniffles, looking for his next medicine "Fix"

So someone with a low income is just a drug addict looking for a fix? Nice. We're talking about an ER here, not the free clinic. That's where people go to fake for a fix.
Besides, symptoms far more serious than external bleeding won't always be as readily apparent as bleeding. That's why people typically get seen in order by arrival (or completed paperwork) rather than relative seriousness of symptoms.

 

[D_Thoraxis_Biggulp]

The superior Europeans do also let people die on the streets, only not that often or that brutally. For example, when a homeless person is found living in a carton box over here, the social services bring him to hospital, treat him, clothe him, offer him an appartment, school him and find him a decent job. That would never happen in the U.S.

That's more a mark against our government than our people. (Yes, I know we elect most of them, but nobody ever talks about what they're going to do for the homeless.) Many cities have shelters that offer a bed for the night and a free breakfast in the morning, all on a first come first serve basis. It's not much, but with poor tax spending more people are forced to penny-pinch, and that limits our options.

 

[The Dragon]

Here in My city here in North Queensland our healthcare is free but it is far from perfect.
Our city does not have a mental health facility.
The mentally ill when they have an episode have to be taken into custody by the the police (*2).
The patient is then kept in a holding cell.
The local government hopsital is contacted and the two police officers muscle the patient into a police car(*1) and take them to the emergency room where they are held down by the police officers, and an orderly(*1) while a doctor(*1) can inject them with a sedative with out being punched, kicked or bitten.
An Ambulance is then called because the nearest mental health facility is in the next town-over 1 1/2 hours drive away.
There are (*2) paramedics in the amublance and the sedated patient is loaded in to the Amulance but must be accompanied by a trained trauma nurse(*1).
She is to reinject the patient if he becomes fully lucid on the trip.

So lets do the math here.
This one mentally ill person has tied up the following resourses-
2 police officers
1 holding cell
1 police car
1 orderly
1 doctor
and
I ambulance, 2 paramedics, 1 trauma nurse and a aumublance for 4 hours for the trip up to the facility, administration of the patient into the facility and the trip back to town.

I in no way blame the ill person because the system is imperfect.

 

[Meniscus]

I am reminded of a case a little over a year ago in which hospital staff refused to help a woman who was screaming and vomiting blood. The woman's boyfriend and a bystander separately called 911 to try to get help for the woman, but the dispatchers refused to help on the basis that the woman was already at the hospital. (Actually, I can see their dilemma.) The triage nurse called the police saying that the woman was creating a disturbance. She died as police were taking her into custody.

Woman dies in ER lobby as 911 refuses to help - More health news - MSNBC.com
msnbc.com Video Player
Tragic Catch-911 for dying woman - Los Angeles Times
Edith Rodriguez - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You can listen to the complete 911 calls here:
village-idiot.org -- Edith Isabel Rodriguez

 

[marleyisalegend]

thats why i don't like hospitals. yet another place to be reminded that you're a minority in the care of people who don't care

 

[D_Tintagel_Demondong]

http://www.lpsg.org/76416-disposable-people.html

 

[TurkeyWithaSunburn]

This is truely sad.
it's the EMERGENCY Psychiatric room... and this happened.

Woman falls over out of chair lays there for half an hour is seen by a security guard laying on the floor and ignored. another half hr goes by before another patient goes and gets someone. Come on people... it's sad when the crazy people are more sane and caring than the staff!

Oh and the record logs were falsified, something to the effect of
6:00am Sitting quietly, got up to use the rest room
6:30am Sitting quietly {this is when she's been lying face down on the floor for a freakin' half hr}
7:00 patient found dead

 

[Guy-jin]

What?

If you think this is an 'America Bashing' thread when I went out of my way to illustrate it wasn't - you highlighted the relevant commentary yourself* ... wait you're joking, right?

*The 'does nobody read the news' jibe was an evidently too subtle attempt at sardonic humour - based on the 'timelag' I've seen in people posting topical items - an observation I have made here before.

before you jumped in the deep end making accusations you should have asked yourself; have I ever 'bashed' America as an end itself and/or in the vein of others here?

People will of course infer what they will, and the track record on the validity of said inferences is self evident. I do think there is an over sensitivity, as you have just demonstrated.:tongue:

You said you were "hoping" someone from America would post this, but now you wonder, do any Americans read the news?

The implication (note how that's different from inference) is that Americans don't read the news or care about atrocities, etc.

What other point was there in you kicking off your post with such a statement? Would your post have suffered any without you saying that you had "hoped" an American would post this thread? I can't see a purpose in your stating that beyond taking a pot-shot at Americans here. But please explain what your point was in that statement if that's incorrect.

Also, I'm not talking about your history here. I bolded the part of your post that bugged me to make it clear to you. And evidently I'm not the only one here who took offense, so maybe instead of accusing us of interpretting you wrongly, you ought to look at what you said and try to see how it comes across to some people and why a few people are reading it that way. And yes, keeping in mind that a lot of people on the forum will go out of there way to bash America at every chance they get might be a smart idea.

 

[ManlyBanisters]

If you think this is an 'America Bashing' thread when I went out of my way to illustrate it wasn't

Don't think of a pink elephant!!

What just crossed your mind?

You did to yourself, dong... :wink:

 

[dong20]

You said you were "hoping" someone from America would post this, but now you wonder, do any Americans read the news?

Yes, to save me having to do so. It was a 'damn, does no-one read the news so I don't open myself up to accusations' comment - I wrote it as thought it. With the benefit of hindsight and the contrived overreaction that ensured, I probably shouldn't have written it. Wait, again - it was only you.

The implication (note how that's different from inference) is that Americans don't read the news or care about atrocities, etc.

Actually, the second inference you draw is flawed (and no doubt added for effect) - one cannot reliably conclude that not reading the news equates to not caring about atrocities, nor the converse. However, with regard to the first, in that case you inferred something I didn't [intend to] imply.

Thanks for the English 'lesson', though I'd say the words best suited to describe it are patronising and unecessary.

What other point was there in you kicking off your post with such a statement? Would your post have suffered any without you saying that you had "hoped" an American would post this thread? I can't see a purpose in your stating that beyond taking a pot-shot at Americans here. But please explain what your point was in that statement if that's incorrect.

Just because you can't see any other reason is your problem, not mine. I explained why already, twice at least. If you choose to ignore or disbelieve said explanation, that is of course, your prerogative. I'd rather you believed me, but do believe me when I say I won't lose sleep over it.

Also, I'm not talking about your history here. I bolded the part of your post that bugged me to make it clear to you. And evidently I'm not the only one here who took offense, so maybe instead of accusing us of interpretting you wrongly, you ought to look at what you said and try to see how it comes across to some people and why a few people are reading it that way.

Apart from Mem's copycat 'edited in later after he read your reply' comment, I see no evidence that it was taken as America bashing - especially as it wasn't. In that sense, I'm not accusing you of misinterpreting what I wrote, you did misinterpret it.

But let me add, in the context of the above - if you don't think it was intended that way (as deliberate, in character America Bashing), why make such a song and dance of your reply, why not just say, "it's not like you to ... so what did you mean by?" Viewed in that light your response seems somewhat disingenuous.

And yes, keeping in mind that a lot of people on the forum will go out of there way to bash America at every chance they get might be a smart idea.

I'm well aware of that, so I ask you again, do I fall into that category, and if so, based on what evidence? Because you know that isn't the case it could reasonably be inferred by me that you simply wanted to poke a stick at someone for come contrived 'Anti American' offence(s) (here or elsewhere), and I was a convenient target. if so that's as sad as it is unecessary.

The day I alter my posting style to avoid upsetting a few delicate flowers on the other side of the pond (or you) will be the day they serve Pimms in Hades, or perhaps the day after you do 'likewise'. Being misunderstood here is par for the course and some here are quick, unecessarily quick to take 'faux' offence.

I'm done with this 'explanation' - don't expect a futher response on this issue.

Don't think of a pink elephant!!

What just crossed your mind?

You did to yourself, dong... :wink:

Yeah, to a degree (but see above), but talk about a hair trigger response ... :wink:

 

[Mem]

:unitedstates:

You still fail to see the irony in your comment.

Your comment was unjustified in the context of the story posted, something remarked on by another poster. Further, you not only cited a portion of my post, but specifically bolded a section of it. Now, with that in mind, do you want to try 'it wasn't aimed at you' again?

You do tend to create a large(ish) number of thread, often about trivial issues - though less than you did. Obviously that's IMO, but it's something that has been been commented on by others. While it wasn't meant to be taken hatefully I stand by the essence of the statement.



Yawn, read on did we ... all I can say is boy did you both misread that one. Are we done with this now, I know I am?[/quot e]

Yes, to save me having to do so. It was a 'damn, does no-one read the news so I don't open myself up to accusations' comment - I wrote it as thought it. With the benefit of hindsight and the contrived overreaction that ensured, I probably shouldn't have written it. Wait, again - it was only you.



Actually, the second inference you draw is flawed (and no doubt added for effect) - one cannot reliably conclude that not reading the news equates to not caring about atrocities, nor the converse. However, with regard to the first, in that case you inferred something I didn't [intend to] imply.

Thanks for the English 'lesson', though I'd say the words best suited to describe it are patronising and unecessary.



Just because you can't see any other reason is your problem, not mine. I explained why already, twice at least. If you choose to ignore or disbelieve said explanation, that is of course, your prerogative. I'd rather you believed me, but do believe me when I say I won't lose sleep over it.



Apart from Mem's copycat 'edited in later after he read your reply' comment, I see no evidence that it was taken as America bashing - especially as it wasn't. In that sense, I'm not accusing you of misinterpreting what I wrote, you did misinterpret it.

But let me add, in the context of the above - if you don't think it was intended that way (as deliberate, in character America Bashing), why make such a song and dance of your reply, why not just say, "it's not like you to ... so what did you mean by?" Viewed in that light your response seems somewhat disingenuous.



I'm well aware of that, so I ask you again, do I fall into that category, and if so, based on what evidence? Because you know that isn't the case it could reasonably be inferred by me that you simply wanted to poke a stick at someone for come contrived 'Anti American' offence(s) (here or elsewhere), and I was a convenient target. if so that's as sad as it is unecessary.

The day I alter my posting style to avoid upsetting a few delicate flowers on the other side of the pond (or you) will be the day they serve Pimms in Hades, or perhaps the day after you do 'likewise'. Being misunderstood here is par for the course and some here are quick, unecessarily quick to take 'faux' offence.

I'm done with this 'explanation' - don't expect a futher response on this issue.



Yeah, to a degree (but see above), but talk about a hair trigger response ... :wink:

:biggrin1: Don't try to backpeddal. Just be happy to stay in the hole that you dug for yourself.:unitedstates:


By the way don't take this interaction too personally. I barely know who you are.

 

[Phil Ayesho]

This poor woman is just one example of the psychological and emotional isolation that passes for modern life in this country.

We live our lives alone.... huddled up in our cars... our offices, cubicles, or our homes...

We never meet other people unless the circumstances of our jobs demand it. We don't know the names of our next door neighbors, much less those of the people we elected to govern.

And we sit, passively, in our home theaters and observe the outside world thru the artificial constructs of television shows and movies.


Everything really human is one step removed from us by the glass panel on the front of the idiot box.

The people who sat there and watched that woman slowly die on the floor, doing nothing.... they behaved exactly as if they were watching it on some reality TV show...

Television, and our solitary, self absorbed lives have taken away all ability to REACT and to ACT.

It has made of us, spectators.... unwilling and unable to meaningfully contribute anything but ratings, youtube hits, and opinions...






And... on the other topic....

As an American let me say that America DESERVES bashing.

If Americans don't like it... then get off your fat lazy, self obsessed asses and AGITATE for change...

The last time we were in a war this stupid the decent people were rioting in the streets to get it stopped.



Sorry... but from the perspective of the rest of the world, Americans seem spoiled, indolent, and amoral.

A person's standing in a community is no better than what others say about them behind their backs.

And that goes for a nation in a community of nations, too.

You want America to be thought of as being better?
ACT better.

 

[Not_Punny]

Two weeks ago, I spent 5 hours in an Emergency room when my ex- got really sick.

What I learned was that charm is the biggest coin anywhere.

Through the simple measure of politeness, I had all the attention and help that I required, as did all other people who were being "nice."

But people who were rude and demanding had a harder time getting help. I even saw them "sick" three security people on a lady who was particularly loud -- she kept yelling that her husband was bleeding... and he kept wandering around, waving his bandaged hand in the air.

Perhaps emergency room people become jaded -- maybe they think people who act weird are less worthy of help.