Woman dies while being kicked out of hospital
http://www.khou.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/12/22/woman-kicked-out-of-hospital-dies/77768516/
BLOUNTSTOWN, Fla. — A woman who sought treatment at a hospital here died Monday night after police arrested and forcibly removed her.
The Tallahassee law firm of Parks and Crump is representing the family of Barbara Dawson, 56, of Blountstown. The Tallahassee NAACP chapter had an emergency meeting on the matter Tuesday.
After being taken to Liberty Calhoun Hospital for treatment for breathing problems, Dawson was stable and needed to be released, doctors said Monday. But Dawson thought that she needed to stay for additional care.
When she refused to leave, hospital staff called the Blountstown Police Department, Chief Mark Mallory said. Blountstown is about 50 miles west of Tallahassee.
Officers placed her under arrest on charges of disorderly conduct and trespassing, handcuffed her and escorted her out of the hospital. Dawson collapsed while walking to the officer’s car, he said.
She was brought back inside where emergency medical staff attempted to save her, hospital officials said.
“They did their best trying to save her,” said Ruth Attaway, the 25-bed hospital’s administrator and chief executive. “Our staff was very aggressive with her treatment. They did everything they could.”
Darryl Parks said his firm intends to sue either the hospital or the police department for their involvement in Dawson’s death.
Parks said he was very concerned about the conduct of both sets of officials. He contended that once law enforcement got involved, medical personnel and officers did not take proper precautions given Dawson’s medical situation.
Parks claims that Dawson required ongoing medical attention. Her family said she had a longstanding history of breathing problems.
“Even the early facts should cause grave concern for her family but also grave concern for the public,” he said.
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Filed under: General Problems
No, the real epidemic is that doctors care more about quota then quality. Sounds like this particular hospital has totally disregarded their sworn duties as health care professionals and thrown their hypocritical oaths out the car window while driving to work that day. That patient knew that there was something the matter with her and the hospital staff failed to listen. Next they failed to treat her medical problems and attempted to rush her out the door because they needed a bed. Profit over patients is going to keep killing people and maybe someone should do a pole on this subject and compare the numbers against opiate deaths per year.
More evidence that coercion is addictive.
There’s the real epidemic right there. Coercion.