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Tape: 911 operators did little to help dying woman in ER »
Posted by: david_nwpa 2 years, 4 months agoA 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.
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david_nwpa
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Comments: 111
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david_nwpa
June 14, 2007, 11:01 a.m.This story is a follow-up to previously posted stories about this case. Edith Rodriguez died needlessly in an ER in Los Angeles. The staff and administrators promise a full investigation. Where is Michael Moore when we need him? He should have had his camera crew taping this.
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dandt1612
June 14, 2007, 11:13 a.m.What the hell are hospitals for??? They need to do a full investigation for sure.
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zaph22
June 14, 2007, 11:38 a.m.I can sort of understand the 911 operator acting this way, since the woman was in a hospital emergency room, one would assume the staff there would help her. And as much as we complain about how long we have to wait in emergeny rooms when we do need to go to one, with each complaint a little more credibility in those complaints is lost. I see how the 911 operators actions are a problem, but I'm not quite sure why people are focusing so much on that and not on what to me would appear to be the bigger issue. What was going on with the hospital she was in, shouldn't that hospital, where the woman was, be the real issue here? What in the world was wrong with that hospital staff that they let this happen right in front of them, and the people calling 911, when that didnt' help why didn't someone grab one of the medical staff and drag them to the woman and demand they help her immediately?
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not2needy
June 14, 2007, 12:39 p.m.What they did to that woman was abhorable, i just can't imagine what type of person it takes to stand and watch someone die, after taking an oath to save lives.
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jordan11
June 14, 2007, 12:49 p.m.I swear, if that had been a member of my family, I'd be looking up those 911 operators.
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david_nwpa
June 14, 2007, 1:33 p.m.What I do not understand more than anything is how this ER runs its triage service. Rather than checking to see who has insurance first, they should be helping the sickest patients first. If the hospital had trouble keeping up with the overflow of patients, they should have transported some to other hospitals to help with the crowding.
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itsme2
June 14, 2007, 2:15 p.m.I wonder is this that same hospital that was being investigated for dumping the homeless people?
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Gransater
June 14, 2007, 2:16 p.m.I have to agree with zaph 22 above, that the 911 operators really should be out of the picture at this point. Picking up a person from ER would be very out of the ordinary.
I also feel that this particular situation was miles above the triage stage. When blood is coming out from somebody, to the point where a janitor is needed, the time for talking is over, and time for action started 5 minutes ago.
I'm not certain as to why there wasn't any action, I can only guess, and my guess involves insurance and payment for services issues, but it could be something else. However, whatever the reason, I cannot se that it SHOULD have taken precedence over saving a human life. It scares the daylight out of me thinking of what's down the line, if situations like this one becomes s.o.p.
Personaly, I feel that the Dr and Nurse in charge should be triad on manslaughter, and the hospital made to pay a huge apeasement fee to the family of the unfortunate victim.
G
:(
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BronxBomber
June 14, 2007, 2:55 p.m.This is just case of negligence,incompetence, and outright apathy at it's worst! The 911 operators, and that blasted hospital should be held to accountability to it's fullest! I saw this on the news yesterday, and it seems more and more likely that animals have more compassion than mankind! (Hah! 'man-kind,' talk about an oxymoron!) It never ceases to amaze me of the nature of some people,maybe these creatures hasn't caught up with the rest of society in terms of evolution.
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david_nwpa
June 14, 2007, 3:39 p.m.The article also notes that the Feds are threatening the hospital with taking away Federal dollars. Stop threatening and do it. Apparently the only thing that administrators hear is the sound of money leaving their offices.
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marlenebomer
June 14, 2007, 4:19 p.m.First of all, this hospital is known in the neighborhood as "Killer King", because of all the negligence that's happened in the past which has seen a number of patients dying.
Second, I too can understand the 911 operators' position, but if I was in the center, I'd be making a call to the ER and alerting the staff, and if the person wasn't treated the police would be showing up to arrest the staff!
Third, the one male operator who was slammed by the woman who called and said god would strike him for his indifference, needs to have another training session in regards to compassion. He definitely was not understanding the situation and was in fact rude to the extreme!
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djn3nunez3
June 14, 2007, 4:37 p.m.Last summer my wife left work to go to a nearby hospital emergency room(Woodlands Memorial), complaining of chest pains, shortness of breath and numbness in her left sholder and arm. They told her it would be a 4 hour wait, have a seat. By the time I got there she left the place in disgust. I took her to another hospital who took her right away. She had full blockage in one art. Thank God they saved her life with a stint.
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SS454
June 14, 2007, 5:31 p.m.And most likly the worst part of all this will be that you cant sue the Hospital Due to the Republicons setting limits on wronfull DEATH..!This Hospital should be Closed.
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quackpot
June 14, 2007, 6:03 p.m.Any other buisness that had such a lapse in matters that affect public-health would be shut down immediately and THEN investigated.
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NelsonR
June 14, 2007, 6:53 p.m.If that was Paris Hilton vomitting on the gurney she would have numerous medical personal at her beck and call. This is America. The Americans glued to their tv's watching another star to satiate their appetite for tripe. All abysmal but the elite rule while the average person sucks this nonsense up like a dry sponge.
Whats the next episode in the media quest for idol worship, my suggestion, go to the tabloids for current events to increase your viewership.
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tyronefl1
June 14, 2007, 7 p.m.If I called 911, there would be so many bleeps on the tape that it could not be played over the airwaves!
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spikecwc
June 14, 2007, 8:16 p.m.Did little? They didn't do a thing. They should be arrested and prosecuted. Reckless endangerment at least.
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Gransater
June 14, 2007, 9:46 p.m.Miami
I'm sure there is a lot more to the sory than was reported. I agree with you that he hospital may have been overrun, and that this may be common.
"IF" that is the case, then the sytem is way ot f whack. We project ourslves as the wealthiest country in the world, with endless resources, and yet, people die in the ER. What's wrong with tis picture?
Why can't we at least be honest, an admit that unless you have payment resources available, you may or may not get needed care. Let's stop pretening that we have "The Best Healthcare In The World", and see what can be done to improve the situation.
Our world class care is relly a hit or miss, often for the benefit of people with money.
I still think the hospital's personnel at fault. Time to draw a line in the sand, and stop the buck passing with excuses. Those don't belong where peoples life's are in the outcome basket.
G
:(
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david_nwpa
June 14, 2007, 9:57 p.m.If this article has done nothing else, it has drawn attention to the overcrowded, understaffed and poor conditions that exist in some large city hospitals. Those who can afford quality health care, such as Paris Hilton can rush off and pay for it by whipping out a credit card. Others have to rely on insurance or the government. Still others work 3 jobs to have an income, but no longer qualify for health coverage because they work too much. I am sorry, but that is totally messed up.
It pleases me to no end to see how many people responded to this article and have stood on one common principle. Health care in this country is in disrepair.
One nagging problem with the woman who died is ...for how long was she aware of the condition she suffered? The article said she had a perforated bowel. That kind of injury does not happen overnight, or can it? Does anyone here know?
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blksentra2
June 14, 2007, 10:02 p.m.I heard today about this story. They say that there were police officers presents, but they were actually checking the woman about a parole violation while she lay dying there on the hospital floor.
At least that is what I saw on GMA this morning.
Quite sad and outrageous at the same time.
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aceofspades1
June 14, 2007, 10:29 p.m.Miami you have the compassion of a doorknob - my fantasy is to be the 911 operator or ER nurse when a specimen like you asks for help.
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aceofspades1
June 14, 2007, 10:37 p.m.The problem of poor care in ER's is endemic it is not only in inner city hospitals, but in suburban & affluent areas as well. This is because the ER has become what the general practitioner's office was just a few years ago. If you are taken to the hospital for any reason other than elective you must go through the ER. The Dr. with his black bag making a house call is a thing of the past, so even if you have a cold you have to go to the ER. Car accident, asthma attack, heart attack, cut finger, drug OD all ER- but now just common sickness's have become the provenance of the ER - the system sux.
And the people working in the ER have become callous to the needs of the patients in many cases due to the sheer overload of work.
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ningyo
June 14, 2007, 10:54 p.m.maybe if she were an illegal criminal with the sniffles she would have gotten care
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evelyna
June 15, 2007, 12:24 a.m.She only lasted 45 minutes everyone involved did all they could do. Specialists are not allowed to be called into the ers because of malpractice insurance.
I do not see a problem here. This is how people are treated in any hospital.
I was in the er years ago for appendicitis. The only way I got care was I had my DR, call.
It was busy and they go in order of emergency. Sometimes people die. Not their fault if they did not have the staff.
Compassion? I do not think that this is in the code book for remibursement.
You have only the government and society to thank. Caring jobs recieve less pay and appreciation than other kinds of work.
How compassionate do you expect the caregivers to be when the hospital treats them like garbage cutting over-time and health insurance. Do you think that is compassionate?
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me_2
June 15, 2007, 4:44 a.m.honestly anyone who says that all the problems are based of the fact its because its "free health care" needs to give their head a good shake. We have free health care up here in Canada we have a good number of people come here on vacation, the states, and illegals who never pay their bills (no we dont pay for peoples health care if they dont live here) and we still with overrun hospital manage to treat people who walk in off the street with NO HEALTH COVERAGE without neglecting others! Heck it was so bad here last year when I delievered my son (8 weeks premature) the hospitals NICU and emerg was shut down and they STILL managed to treat me and deliever and treat my son even without beds for us!
Anyone especailly a hospital that watched a person die because they dont feel like treating them deserves to be charged and that hospital deserves to be shut down! Take a good look at their oath....they violated it!
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