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After a surveillance video showed hospital staff ignoring a psychiatric patient's last dying hours in the emergency room of Kings County Hospital, city health officials say they will make a series of changes, like checking on patients every 15 minutes.
When asked what he thought of the video, Mayor Bloomberg said, "Horrified is much too nice a word. Disgusted, I think, is a better word." The patient, 49-year-old Esmin Green, had been waiting in the ER for almost 24 hours before falling to the ground and writhing. Though staffers, including two security guards and a doctor, saw her on the floor, they did nothing.
Six staffers have been fired, including the guards and doctor. After Green died, hospital records claimed she had fine during other checks, suggesting a cover-up. (See the NYCLU's description of what happens on the video compared to the hospital "records" after the jump.)
NYC's Health and Hospitals Corporation also settled a previous lawsuit from the NYCLU and other parties which claimed Kings County of horrible conditions. NYCLU executive director Donna Lieberman said, "That it took somebody keeling over and dying, and it being captured on videotape, for the city to come to the table in a meaningful way is unconscionable."
Green was described as having a nervous breakdown; her pastor said she was the sole supporter of her six children in Jamaica by working as a housekeeper and day-care worker here. Per the Daily News, the city says it will pay for Green's funeral expenses.
Above is video and below is about an hour of the NYCLU's log of the video; the bolded parts the hospital's records:
5:32:03 X seated on chair in CPEP waiting roomYou can read more about the NYCLU's lawsuit against Kings--aka "Killer"--County Hospital here.
5:32.35 X begins to lean left
5:32:43 X rolls off chair and falls to floor on arms/knees face down between benches
5:32:43-
5:32:57 X writhing on floor on hands/knees
5:32:57 X prone face down on floor still between benches
5:32:58- no sign of any KCHC staff, X periodically writhing, patients milling in and out 5:52:58 of CPEP waiting room, apparently disregarding X
5:52:58- CPEP security guard walks to entry point of waiting room and looks at X from 5:53.16 across room, no movement by X
5:53:17 CPEP security guard walks away
6 AB 62 indicates “awake, up and about, went to bathroom”
6:02:41 more writhing movement by X
6:03:32 X tries to roll onto right side, perhaps attempt to get up
6:04:13 X rolls partially onto back under bank of chairs, self-soiling visible on front of hospital gown
6:04:14- X rolling back onto stomach/face down, writhing back and forth, legs kicking 6:07:45 upwards, ongoing sporadic movements
6:07:45 X stops moving
6:10:04- CPEP security guard rolls himself on desk chair to look into waiting area/looks at 6:10:43 X, then rolls away
6:20 AB 62 indicates “sitting quietly in waiting room. BP 100/70 P – 100 R – 18 FSL 230 sg/dl” – no sign of this on tape
6:33:20 gentleman carrying folder walks into waiting space, looks at X, turns and walks 6:33:24 away
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I've been to this hospital and experienced the awful people there. Seriously, I almost beat up a nurse for the way she acted towards our situation, and her complete refusal to help with NECESSITIES. I yelled at the lady a LOT and was fighting the desire to hop over the desk to beat her down. In her defense, she apologized the following day, but her initial actions were definitely unacceptable. Whatever you do, DO NOT go there (if at all possible). The Methodist hospital in Park Slope is much better.
That video was amazing, in the worst way. I'm not sure which was the capper - the security guard rolling in on his desk chair like the old Amish guy from Witness, or the nurse who kicked her like the tire of a used car.
What the fucking fuck. Everyone involved in this needs to not only be fired but have charges brought up against them. She died of a nervous breakdown?! Waiting for help in a hospital? For 24hrs?! Unbelievable.
Hopefully this case will lead to some sort of a shakeup in the healthcare system. I still can't get over the fact that many people see this woman laying there and not one would go over and see how she's doing. The lack of compassion in people these days doesn't even surprise me anymore.
Is fired the best they can do?
How noble! Promised reforms.
Oh sure, when all of the gear is brought out and the dead lady is finally acknowledged...THEN the lady in the beige off to the bottom left corner gets involved, all huffing and puffing and moving around like she's indignant...she sat there the entire time not doing SHIT. What an ASSHOLE.
And another thing. How did this woman die, anyway? Licking the polish off of the floor? She went in for a nervous breakdown, i can't imagine that being the direct cause of death.
Yes this is a fucked up situation but has anyone ever been to a hospitaL? Imagine all the assholes on the subway but imagine them in a hospital. That's what it's like to be in a hospital. People want to be treated with dignity and respect? It's a numbers game. There aren't enough doctor's and nurses to treat these people. I took my dad to the doctor at beth israel and I could see in his eyes that his heart wasn't in it. The doctor's are burnt out, nurses burnt out from an oppressive and beauracratic healthcare system. What you are seeing is the trickle down effect of years of healthcare and insurance abuse. The entire system needs to be changed but who's going to reform it? It's easy for us to just yell loudly our disdain and criticize but nobody wants to do anything about it.
babyhitler: If you're lying on the floor convulsing, perhaps you should become a bit more than just a number in the waiting room. Plus, waiting for 24 hrs in the Emergency Room is a bit much. I agree that the healthcare system in the US is seriously broken, but to leave someone in the waiting room for 24 hours, on the floor convulsing, is completely unacceptable. They had the time to walk in, but didn't have the time to see if the woman was ok? Give me a break...
I was recently in St. Luke's ER with a broken leg (from soccer). My injuries weren't life-threatening, but the nurses/staff still checked up on me periodically. They were definitely overwhelmed--a guy game in with multiple stab wounds in his chest, and they were all scrambling to save his life. Even during this time, I was never left unchecked for more than 30 minutes. They even apologized that they couldn't give me a space (I was in the hallway)...I think the guy w/ the multiple stab wounds needed it more than I did. Regardless, I've been in way too many hospitals to know that King's County Hospital is really, really bad. Sadly, it's the one closest to me, but I'd rather risk dying by going the extra 5 minutes to the Methodist hospital than take my chances at King's County.
Where's the Rev?
this is similar to that incident a few weeks back of the guy who was hit by a car in Hartford, lying in the street, and no one did anything
http://tinyurl.com/54ys6m
what is wrong with people?
"Oh sure, when all of the gear is brought out and the dead lady is finally acknowledged...THEN the lady in the beige off to the bottom left corner gets involved, all huffing and puffing and moving around like she's indignant...she sat there the entire time not doing SHIT. What an ASSHOLE."
I said the same thing, what is this bitch yakking about? She sat there like a fat lump of crap while the woman died!
VIGIL FOR MS. GREEN 7/25/06
FOR DETAILS
www.theopalproject.org/vigil/html.
WE THE PEOPLE
###
Reforms are simply "prettifying plantations"