when the system fails one person it fails us all =(

[MissJacksonCA]

911 Dispatchers Denied Dying Woman Help
Hospital Investigated for Breakdowns in Patient Care
AP
LOS ANGELES (June 13) - A woman who lay bleeding on the emergency room floor of a troubled inner-city hospital died after 911 dispatchers refused to contact paramedics or an ambulance to take her to another facility, newly released tapes of the emergency calls reveal.

Edith Isabel Rodriguez, 43, died of a perforated bowel on May 9 at Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital. Her death was ruled accidental by the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

Relatives said Rodriguez was bleeding from the mouth and writhing in pain for 45 minutes while she was at a hospital waiting area. Experts have said she could have survived had she been treated early enough.

County and state authorities are now investigating Rodriguez's death. Relatives reported she died as police were wheeling her out of the hospital after the officers they had asked to help Rodriguez arrested her instead on a parole violation. Sheriff's Department spokesman Duane Allen said Wednesday that the investigation is ongoing.

In the recordings of two 911 calls that day, first obtained by the Los Angeles Times under a California Public Records Act request, callers pleaded for help for Rodriguez but were referred to hospital staff instead.

"I'm in the emergency room. My wife is dying and the nurses don't want to help her out," Rodriguez's boyfriend, Jose Prado, is heard saying in Spanish through an interpreter on the tapes.

"What's wrong with her?" a female dispatcher asked.

"She's vomiting blood," Prado said.

"OK, and why aren't they helping her?" the dispatcher asked.

"They're watching her there and they're not doing anything. They're just watching her," Prado said.

The dispatcher told Prado to contact a doctor and then said paramedics wouldn't pick her up because she was already in a hospital. She later told him to contact county police officers at a security desk.
A second 911 call was placed eight minutes later by a bystander who requested that an ambulance be sent to take Rodriguez to another hospital for care.

"She's definitely sick and there's a guy that's ignoring her," the woman told a male dispatcher.

During the call, the dispatcher argued with the woman over whether there really was an emergency.

"I cannot do anything for you for the quality of the hospital. ... It is not an emergency. It is not an emergency ma'am," he said.

"You're not here to see how they're treating her," the woman replied.

The dispatcher refused to call paramedics and told the woman that she should contact hospital supervisors "and let them know" if she is unhappy.

"May God strike you too for acting the way you just acted," the woman said finally.

"No, negative ma'am, you're the one," he said.

The incident was the latest high-profile lapse at King-Harbor, formerly known as King/Drew. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is investigating claims of recent patient care breakdowns, including Rodriguez's case.

Federal inspectors last week said emergency room patients were in "immediate jeopardy" of harm or death, and King-Harbor was given 23 days to shape up or risk losing federal funding.

Dr. Bruce Chernof, director of the county Department of Health Services, which oversees the facility, has called Rodriguez's death "inexcusable" and said it was "important to understand that this was fundamentally a failure of caring." He has said conditions are improving, though.

A call Wednesday seeking comment about the 911 tapes from the department's communications office, which handles information about the hospital, was not immediately returned.

Dr. Roger Peeks, the chief medical officer at the hospital, was placed on "ordered absence" Monday, the Times reported. Health officials declined to elaborate, saying it was a personnel matter. Dr. Robert Splawn, chief medical officer for the health department, was named interim chief medical officer, the newspaper said.


I can't believe they'd arrest her on a parole violation while she's got blood coming out of her mouth. I mean I can believe it but it sickens me because it happens a lot. People go into the hospital and they make them wait too long til they die, or they talk down to them and dont listen to their symptoms and thus improperly diagnose something, etc. Its a growing problem but taking away funding isn't going to help the community at all... our government needs to take action at hospitals all over... :rolleyes:

[coma]

Not surprised. Hospitals are filled with scumbags. For every great nurse there are a ton of rotten nurse ratchets. Doctors, Aides, Administrators. No one gives a s**t. It's truly terrifying. It's actually worse than you could imagine.
I can only imagine how hard it is for the dedicated people to be engulfed with those lowlife staff.

[MissJacksonCA]

I'm watching Nancy Grace and there's some law enforcement official who's defending the police officers arresting her because there was a no bail warrant out for her arrest... OMG are you kidding me?

NG says the very definition of involuntary manshlaughter is seen with this case

The problem I find is there's a great deal of people who join the healthcare industry is they're joining it for the money... not even doctors so much as there's a ton of RNs, LVns, LPNs, and the like who are going after their jobs not for their interest in helipng others but for the huge salary. It really bugs me.

The other day I was even reading an article about how to pick a physician and there were people talking about personal bad experiences with doctors like their Dr was telling them not to get a second opinion and refused to reccomend one... and doctors refusing to show them their personal medical file... and of course doctors who charge you to see a doctor but sack you with an medical assistant or nurse and they themselves only see you for mere moments (which is funny cos my dad does that)... its just sad when we depend on 911 operators and emergency rooms treating you but when you need them its like they can't be bothered to help you...

again i'm feelin a lil vigilante justice tingling

[coma]

and of course doctors who charge you to see a doctor but sack you with an medical assistant or nurse and they themselves only see you for mere moments
I HATE That. I never met a physicians assistant who wasnt a total asshole. They are NOT doctors. Hell, I have more school than they do, but somehow they think they have erned the right to act superior. They are useless.
I cannot stand they way drs rush you out, even during SUPER important stuff , like Life and death decisions. "Blah, blah, blah, F*** you, pay me, Im going out to golf"

[MissJacksonCA]

I once visited a medical office where there was a tip jar for the receptionist who (at the rates they charged) prolly makes 15 an hour... I actually demanded to talk to the doctor to voice my utter disgust at their audacity to allow that before storming out of there... with a few people behind me who felt similarly... greedyness knows no bounds in the u s of a

[darth los]

It's the american way. It's part of capitalism.

[coma]

I once visited a medical office where there was a tip jar
Christ, thats tacky.
I have and am going through a multi tired hellfire of the useless glory that is American Health Care. I have a new and unrelenting batch of horror stories related but they are too fresh and painful to relate to youse guys. Its like the seven levels of hell.

Nurse's aids, when they are supposed to be caring for the severely ill. sleep, talk on the phone and actually are not required to know anything about the specifics of the afflicted they are ignoring, I mean, caring for.
Its f**king sickening. I have witnesses atrocities I will never recover from.

The debasement is so deep, so everpresent and so frighteningly blase that is makes me want to eject out of this whole sh**ty system to somewhere else. The society is so bereft of humanity and good will, I want no part of it anymore. It feels like a non stop parade of mans inhumanity to man. The self appointed and well paid caretakers of society take care of their car payments and the rest of us can go screw. And WE DO go get screwed. Getting your Justice and humane treatment is like literally GOING TO WAR for your human rights. From the smallest detail to the biggest picture the American system is a sh**ty mess. I refuse to be defeated. Refuse! Too much is at stake
Obstinate staff are not your friend. They are the ENEMY that needs to be crushed for the good of you, your loved ones, and the poor bastards that follow in your path.


It's the american way. It's part of capitalism.
f**k laissez faire Capitalism. It ain't don nothin' for this boy.

[MissJacksonCA]

The thing that bothers me too is that its not just in the states but in Canada as well. In Canada i'm not sure if its because the free healthcare seems to create a free-for-all lets go abuse the privilege where everyone goes to the hospital all the time and so hospital staffers are stretched thin (not to mention how many health care pros they lose to the states) or if its due to a lack of humanity amongst the hospital staff.

I too have been witness to many healthcare atrocities in both hospitals, private medical facilities, and nursing homes... its truly god awful. I've even seen caretakers in nursing homes eat the food thats meant for the patients and then write down that the patient consumed the food. I mean wtf?

What's also interesting about hospitals is how many people die in them not from their injuries or illnesses but due to bacterial infections they get FROM the hospital equipment. Its almost like you're going there to die.

To be a lil fair there's a great deal of people I know who have a genuine interest in caring for people and pursuing a career in medicine in order to take care of people and not for the paycheck. I've also seen doctors perish because of their devotion to helping people.

[darth los]

f**k laissez faire Capitalism. It ain't don nothin' for this boy.



They ain't putting no clothes on your back, food on your table or sneakers on your feet,huh?:lol: I heard that sh8t. The whole concept behind capitalism is everyman for themselves so it's like a feeding frenzy. People just don't care about the next man's situation. You really think your neighbor cares if you're out of work or not? People don't care about anything unless it affects them directly in some way. You can write that down.

[coma]

They ain't putting no clothes on your back, food on your table or sneakers on your feet,huh?:lol: I heard that sh8t. The whole concept behind capitalism is everyman for themselves so it's like a feeding frenzy. People just don't care about the next man's situation. You really think your neighbor cares if you're out of work or not? People don't care about anything unless it affects them directly in some way. You can write that down.
Wrote down, annotated, footnoted and cross referenced.
people dont care about the next man UNTIL THEY are the next man. Then it's "Why nobody care 'bout lil ol' me". Because you created the problem, dickhead. It's sad that when you cry out about injustice YOU are the asshole. But all those same people line up first to reap the benefits.
Ah, another New Yorker whose hatin' on s**t. Righteous. Ya know what I mean, it's easy to find people who crap on the system here, cause we have been eaten up by it daily.

Its all so onerous, that to get help when you are someone whose sick, you get even MORE sick from the trauma of the battle. And it IS a battle.

It reminds me of when you are on the subway bitchin about transit. A MTA worker will say "Its the best system in the world"
I say
"NO, it's the BIGGEST. And btw, have you ever even taken a Mass Transit ANYWHERE else?"
The answer, is always, no. Or they copmpare it to Guatemala.

I have had the same conversations about healthcare. You'd think a plate of dog crap was delish if it was the only thing you ever had. And even serverly abused children still love Mommy and think she's the best mommy ever

[Kaos]

The hospital has reported that the victim had been to the emergency 3 times that week trying to score pain killers. :rolleyes:I can't figure how they missed the fact that the 4th time she was bleeding all over the place. :confused: I suppose if the DEA weren't on doctor's asses all the time about prescribing painkillers, they would have looked at her through the filter of "a junkie that could get me in trouble". The hospital deserves to be sued to high heaven, but the DEA is partially culpable in my opinion. :|

The DEA should be dismantled. They are parasites that perpetuate "the war" desperately trying to justify their existence. Like it or not, America was a better place to live prior to the DEA.:moon:

[MissJacksonCA]

Well whats funny is the painkillers she was given only exacerbated the problem she was having and could well have contributed to her death

[Tied2thetracks]

911 Dispatchers Denied Dying Woman Help
Hospital Investigated for Breakdowns in Patient Care
AP
LOS ANGELES (June 13) - A woman who lay bleeding on the emergency room floor of a troubled inner-city hospital died after 911 dispatchers refused to contact paramedics or an ambulance to take her to another facility, newly released tapes of the emergency calls reveal.

Edith Isabel Rodriguez, 43, died of a perforated bowel on May 9 at Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital. Her death was ruled accidental by the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

Relatives said Rodriguez was bleeding from the mouth and writhing in pain for 45 minutes while she was at a hospital waiting area. Experts have said she could have survived had she been treated early enough.

County and state authorities are now investigating Rodriguez's death. Relatives reported she died as police were wheeling her out of the hospital after the officers they had asked to help Rodriguez arrested her instead on a parole violation. Sheriff's Department spokesman Duane Allen said Wednesday that the investigation is ongoing.

In the recordings of two 911 calls that day, first obtained by the Los Angeles Times under a California Public Records Act request, callers pleaded for help for Rodriguez but were referred to hospital staff instead.

"I'm in the emergency room. My wife is dying and the nurses don't want to help her out," Rodriguez's boyfriend, Jose Prado, is heard saying in Spanish through an interpreter on the tapes.

"What's wrong with her?" a female dispatcher asked.

"She's vomiting blood," Prado said.

"OK, and why aren't they helping her?" the dispatcher asked.

"They're watching her there and they're not doing anything. They're just watching her," Prado said.

The dispatcher told Prado to contact a doctor and then said paramedics wouldn't pick her up because she was already in a hospital. She later told him to contact county police officers at a security desk.
A second 911 call was placed eight minutes later by a bystander who requested that an ambulance be sent to take Rodriguez to another hospital for care.

"She's definitely sick and there's a guy that's ignoring her," the woman told a male dispatcher.

During the call, the dispatcher argued with the woman over whether there really was an emergency.

"I cannot do anything for you for the quality of the hospital. ... It is not an emergency. It is not an emergency ma'am," he said.

"You're not here to see how they're treating her," the woman replied.

The dispatcher refused to call paramedics and told the woman that she should contact hospital supervisors "and let them know" if she is unhappy.

"May God strike you too for acting the way you just acted," the woman said finally.

"No, negative ma'am, you're the one," he said.

The incident was the latest high-profile lapse at King-Harbor, formerly known as King/Drew. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is investigating claims of recent patient care breakdowns, including Rodriguez's case.

Federal inspectors last week said emergency room patients were in "immediate jeopardy" of harm or death, and King-Harbor was given 23 days to shape up or risk losing federal funding.

Dr. Bruce Chernof, director of the county Department of Health Services, which oversees the facility, has called Rodriguez's death "inexcusable" and said it was "important to understand that this was fundamentally a failure of caring." He has said conditions are improving, though.

A call Wednesday seeking comment about the 911 tapes from the department's communications office, which handles information about the hospital, was not immediately returned.

Dr. Roger Peeks, the chief medical officer at the hospital, was placed on "ordered absence" Monday, the Times reported. Health officials declined to elaborate, saying it was a personnel matter. Dr. Robert Splawn, chief medical officer for the health department, was named interim chief medical officer, the newspaper said.


I can't believe they'd arrest her on a parole violation while she's got blood coming out of her mouth. I mean I can believe it but it sickens me because it happens a lot. People go into the hospital and they make them wait too long til they die, or they talk down to them and dont listen to their symptoms and thus improperly diagnose something, etc. Its a growing problem but taking away funding isn't going to help the community at all... our government needs to take action at hospitals all over... :rolleyes:



COMPLIMENTS OF MEXICO!!

Don't fret, I am sure they will close down that ER soon.

[MissJacksonCA]

It didn't say she was an illegal alien...

[Kaos]

Well whats funny is the painkillers she was given only exacerbated the problem she was having and could well have contributed to her death
Out of interest, how did the pain killers contribute to the bleeding of the perforated bowel? If she used aspirin then it could make her blood thinner, but I doubt that is what they gave her. Opiates could constipate her...but..eh nevermind that explanation would probably be too gross to discuss.

[MissJacksonCA]

they gave her some ibuprofen... I couldn't quite catch the whole explanation but if you're that interested you could grab the transcript from todays Nancy Grace off CNN i'll see if I can find them... I found it curious too but who am I to argue with the doctor on her show

[Kaos]

they gave her some ibuprofen... I couldn't quite catch the whole explanation but if you're that interested you could grab the transcript from todays Nancy Grace off CNN i'll see if I can find them... I found it curious too but who am I to argue with the doctor on her show
Ibuprofen helped do her in then...damn. Tough break. You never know what combination of circumstances will lead you to a dirt nap.

[MissJacksonCA]

MORRONE: That`s not the worst part. If this was an erosion in the stomach, and she was given high prescription doses of ibuprofen, it makes the erosions worse.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0706/13/ng.01.html

[darth los]

Wrote down, annotated, footnoted and cross referenced.
people dont care about the next man UNTIL THEY are the next man. Then it's "Why nobody care 'bout lil ol' me". Because you created the problem, dickhead. It's sad that when you cry out about injustice YOU are the asshole. But all those same people line up first to reap the benefits.
Ah, another New Yorker whose hatin' on s**t. Righteous. Ya know what I mean, it's easy to find people who crap on the system here, cause we have been eaten up by it daily.

Its all so onerous, that to get help when you are someone whose sick, you get even MORE sick from the trauma of the battle. And it IS a battle.

It reminds me of when you are on the subway bitchin about transit. A MTA worker will say "Its the best system in the world"
I say
"NO, it's the BIGGEST. And btw, have you ever even taken a Mass Transit ANYWHERE else?"
The answer, is always, no. Or they copmpare it to Guatemala.

I have had the same conversations about healthcare. You'd think a plate of dog crap was delish if it was the only thing you ever had. And even serverly abused children still love Mommy and think she's the best mommy everBigger is not nescesarily better, especially when it comes to gov't. You'd think that the bigger they get the more issues they would be able to tackle, right? WRONG. If you look at it it's exactly the opposite. The bigger the Beauraucracy gets the more inept they become. It's like the old saying goes. Too many cooks in the kitchen f**k everything up.

[MissJacksonCA]

I would say bigger isn't better because its harder for people to communicate with each other in every level of government ... I say the smaller they are the less people they could pass the buck to and it would be easier for them to communicate

[darth los]

I would say bigger isn't better because its harder for people to communicate with each other in every level of government ... I say the smaller they are the less people they could pass the buck to and it would be easier for them to communicate



That's definitely a big problem. None of these agencies actually put their heads together and share info. When 9-11 happened all the pieces of the puzzle were there in order to prevent it, but nobody communicated. Here in NEW YORK the cops emt's, and fire fighters couldn't coordinate their efforts because their radios were crappy. Hey guess who was the republican mayor at the time who made tough calls like this: Your boy Rudy Gulianni, candidate for repuplican presidential nominee. Don't even get me started on that clown. No one has benefited more politically from 9-11 than this guy. He's suppossed to be this big 9-11 hero. You know who the most hated man on 9-10-01 was? You guessed it, RUDY!!! :mad: Whew. I just had to get that out. We now return to your regularly scheduled program.

[MissJacksonCA]

just let it out man... just let it out... :elol:

[coma]

That's definitely a big problem. None of these agencies actually put their heads together and share info. When 9-11 happened all the pieces of the puzzle were there in order to prevent it, but nobody communicated. Here in NEW YORK the cops emt's, and fire fighters couldn't coordinate their efforts because their radios were crappy. Hey guess who was the republican mayor at the time who made tough calls like this: Your boy Rudy Gulianni, candidate for repuplican presidential nominee. Don't even get me started on that clown. No one has benefited more politically from 9-11 than this guy. He's suppossed to be this big 9-11 hero. You know who the most hated man on 9-10-01 was? You guessed it, RUDY!!! :mad: Whew. I just had to get that out. We now return to your regularly scheduled program.
The problem with 911 was Rudy built his command center in the Tower, against all reccomendations, after the original attack. He was told to make it in Brooklyn. Guesss where it is now? BROOKLYN. The reason he was all dusty and heroic was becasue they blew up the master command center.

You are dead on about Rudy, Darth. People who call him "Americas Mayor" dont know anythign about him and that he was UNELECTABLE on 9 10 01. Remember his nickname? Ill Duce. What about "Guliani time" and the out of control AntiCrime task force that stuck guns in EVERYBODYS faces. Strip searches for Jaywalking. Rudy sucks and would be WORSE than BUSH. He gets elected, watch it happen.

Why does he jizz all over 911? Because his RECORD SUCKS.

Y'know that Police state feeling you get from the current adimiistration? We've had that since like 1990 or so when he came on.