The AP has reported the painful death of a woman who died of a perforated bowel as she lay in a waiting room at Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital in Los Angeles. The patient who was in agony waited for 45 minutes to see a physician. This inner-city hospital has now replaced its chief medical officer. It must correct long-running problems or close. Tapes of 911 calls document a dieing woman laying on the floor of the emergency room. Dispatchers refused to contact paramedics or an ambulance to take her to another facility. The woman's treatment was "callous, it was a horrible thing," Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Burke said Wednesday. A federal inspection also concluded that ER patients were in "immediate jeopardy." The federal report included a patient with a brain tumor who waited four days in the ER before being transferred to another facility for lifesaving brain surgery. Medicare and Medicaid Services gave the hospital 23 days to correct problems or lose federal funding.
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14 comments:
Blond Bombshell said...
These poor patients. I imagine it is a poor area and they need to have some health care. Unfortunately, it sounds like this hospital has turned into a death trap. Say, Paris, what do you say we make a donation to this hospital? Might be a good way for some better P.R.?
Shell
Doubt if Paris will respond until she gets out of jail. Even then, who knows? If she responds on the blog then you can read it. If she emails, I will share it.
Why do these serious stories get less comments?
Jill
California Surfer Dude said...
Because it's hard for even me to find something funny about this blatant malpractice. I do wonder, what were the doctors doing, playing golf?
Surfer Dude
I would take a case like this against a hospital, not just because it may be a money maker, but more importantly because someone needs to send a message and get this problem fixed.
Jill,
I think we are bombarded with bad news all day, so that's why most of us need the fluff to enjoy a chuckle every now and then. I heard about this last night and was appalled but I think there's not much I can do about it, so I try to fix only what I can . . .
You can fix it Ms. C, when you are called for jury duty serve. So many good people try to get out of jury duty. If the Defendant has a defense, listen carefully. If they do not have defense, render a verdict against them. It is the great American system of justice.
And Jill, I appreciate your comment. I think just as many people read the serious articles, they just don't post as often. I am trying to give you a mix, within reason. The content is targeted more as a magazine then as a newspaper. But again, thanks for your comments.
Security video and recorded 911 calls have provoked outrage following the death of a woman at an inner-city Los Angeles emergency room. The video depicts the woman violently twisting on the floor of the emergency room lobby while hospital employees worked around her. A recorded 911 call documented one dispatcher telling a witness that nothing could be done because the woman was already at the hospital. The incident has raised serious nationwide concern about emergency care, especially in inner-city neighborhoods. Charles Ornstein, LA Times 06/15/2007
I'm back! Your secret reader from L.A.
Secret L.A. reader, welcome back from your "absence." Now, how about making this donation thing happen among the circle of L.A. stars?
Legal Pub challenges Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton to organize some type of a benefit for this hospital.
A perforated bowel, if untreated, can be a fatal condition. It can occur as a complication of almost any surgery in the area of the bowel. If treated immediately, it can often be repaired without major ordeal. If it goes untreated for more than a few hours, there is a need for major surgery and perhaps a colostomy bag.
Doc
Maybe Goran, the star from ER could do a fund raiser for this apparently run down hospital?
A New York hospital waiting room death case has now been settled. Attorney, Sanford Rubenstein, said the family of Esmin Green reached a settlementof $2 million for her death.
Alan Aviles, the president and CEO of Health and Hospital Corp., said in a written statement that the company -- which operates Kings County Hospital, where Esmin Green, 49, died last year takes full responsibility for her Esmin Green's death and offers a "full apology."
Aviles said the settlement "is not meant to put a value on a life and the loss of a loved one. That remains priceless."
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