Instead of helping her, they ignored her. The story behind the videotape that shocked the country.
Comment: TRY WWW.PREDICTIONET.COM
Comment: I think midnights comment was enlightening/accurate. I don't think race was an issue here. I do think ER personnel treat folks w/ perceived "class" a little better than others of "lower" class. So, if you are clean, dress neatly and are polite...these things are helpful. Of course, this might be carried to an extreme in some situations...but I think that the basics (clean/neat/polite) will go a long way. Of course, the poor and mentally ill can't always be in this situation and medical personnel should be trained to put such biases aside. There is a human factor here that perhaps can not always (100% of the time) work well. However, you would think in a case where a person falls on the floor...instinct would take over and a person would do the right thing. I agree, it's not an excuse at all, but an explanation of sorts. The entire thing is tragic.
Comment: It doesn't matter what her race or social standing is. Leave social issues to politicians and others. The fact is that she came to the ER seeking medical treatment. She is a human being and needed help. She was denied this help and died. I can't help but wonder if part of the problem was that she was in a psychiatric facility. It seems that we treat the mentally ill worse than animals. This is frightening. There by the grace of G-d go YOU or your loved one. Something needs to change in this country and change NOW. This is sick.
Comment: Quick response for aa heart attack
Comment: i sat for four hours in a neighborhood ER waiting for attention from staff I knew and had formerly worked (25 years) with in a closed bankrupt hospital. I heard them finally say "Yeah, we can take her, she has insurance) I waited three days drugged and strapped to gurney in the ER before any actual treatment. Ok, I am OK in spite of the neglect. anyway. Makes one wonder indeed...........
Comment: I thank you and may God bless you
Pastor Johnson
Comment: This is what you clasify as good journalism. You have covered all aspect of the Green affiar and have answered most of the questions I have about this disgusting lack of comassion that is previlent at New York City Hospitals these days.
Comment: A most disturbing example of how the Western approach to medical health care is not providing equal care for American citizens nationwide.
Farrah Ashline
Comment: Homosexuals should not be aloud to spend time with children and corrupt there minds. Homosexuality is just as wrong as Murder they are both depraved sick crimes against what is natural.
Both these crimes fly in the face of what is normal decient human behavior.
Anyone that supports homosexual activity is a contributor to it.
Homosexuality is wrong.
Its is not diversity it is perverisity
They should be given the mental help they need.
It is not about left or right wing politics its about right and wrong.
Homosexuality is wrong and always will be just because you say its not does not mean its true.
Comment: It is a tragic example of our mental health system. But, do not lose sight that she died from deep vein thrombosis..the No. 2 killer in the U.S. It's time to learn more about this silent killer. Visit: stoptheclot.org for more info!
Comment: Please let's not forget that she died from a deep vein thrombosis. This silent killer is the no. 2 killer of Americans, yet no one knows this! If the clot is not treated immediately it may become a PE and death happens swiftly.
Comment: Please remember tthat nearly 300,000 people die from deep vein thrombosis each year. It is a public health crisis! Her case sheds light on the horrific mental health system we have, but please do not lose sight
that she died from a preventabale death.
Comment: I can't believe how insensitive and disgusting some of you are when it comes to talking about a woman who sought help and was LEFT TO DIE. Why can't people be a little more caring and think about the woman who suffered here and the hundreds of others just like her who will suffer without the attention that they need and deserve?
Comment: I am sure everyone is upset about the woman that died. It is sad, but almost unpreventable in a hospital... it happens. What is disgusting is the response from the family. You don't see any of them in the video holding mom's hand, waiting for the doctor... but they are everywhere when it's press conference time and they have caught the scent of settlement cash. THAT is what is insensitive and disgusting.
TORT REFORM! TODAY!
Comment: Let me say first that I too, am a tax payer, I also pay for health insurance through my employer, I absolutely cannot fathom the idea of families and children widthout health care.
How heartless, and cruel for you to make such a statement that because you as a taxpayer, assuming that you have carried her bill, have covered her and thus, the family should not be compensated for their loss.
No amount of money will ever bring their loved one back, no amount of money could replace her, however, I do not believe that the staff should not be held responsible, this law suit in my opinion is not a profit by any means.
Comment: OF COURSE the lawsuit is about money. If they were trying to force the hospital to change it's security and safety policies, that would be one thing. But no, that's not what they want. It's not good enough to make sure it doesn't happen to someone else, these greedy foreigners want money. They even decided what mom was worth before her corpse cooled down: 25 million.
In personal injury or death, don't ever think it's not about the money. It's ONLY about the money.
Want to save America? Tort reform would be an excellent start.
Comment: If we taxpayers were footing the billing for this woman, then why should the family profit from her death?
Comment: Where were the family members shown in the picture at the funeral while Ms. Green was suffering? Is Ms. Green a legal resident of the US? If so, why no green card? Why did she leave such a "successful dress shop" in her home town and leave her family to come to the US? I feel Interlandi missed a few items of interest when writing the story. It is a tragic tale and no one should suffer such a fate. Her eldest daughter ought to take personal responsibility for the tragedy rather than $25 million from the hospital.
Comment: So is that the Jamaican dream? Come to America, sacrifice your mom and win big in court?
Comment: While what happened to Ms. Green was apalling in its totallity, the notion that a NURSE would check the conciousness status of a patient by poking her with a foot was beyond the pale. What callousness! As to the mekeup needing eyeball below, Ms. Johnson had repeatedly provided support to Ms. Green, according to the article, often enough to know the hospital would not allow her to stay with Ms. Green. She reports that Ms. Green was calling to Jesus as the attendants helped her into the ambulance so what's your answer on Christianity now? Such drivel. Go pray that you grow a brain.
Comment: it's a damn shame that anbody can die for the lack of funds.... and it's a damn shame that family starts crying and showing concern when there's money involved!
Comment: So it's the family's fault she died? How do you know they never showed any concern before her death? I see you didn't mention anything about the a$$holes who just let her die!
Comment: Comment: OF COURSE the lawsuit is about money. If they were trying to force the hospital to change it's security and safety policies, that would be one thing. But no, that's not what they want. It's not good enough to make sure it doesn't happen to someone else, these greedy foreigners want money. They even decided what mom was worth before her corpse cooled down: 25 million.
In personal injury or death, don't ever think it's not about the money. It's ONLY about the money.
Want to save America? Tort reform would be an excellent start.
Comment: My heart goes out to ms green family and many praises to paster johnson, she did the best she could for ms green and there is no reason she should feel the blame for ms greens death. we need more caring people in the world, just imagine if paster jonhson was not in her life . it is a cryingshame that she had to die like that .
Comment: I do not in any way excuse the failure of the Health Care Professional (I'm using that word loosely) to take care of Ms. Green.
But I do take exception to SamiAlise's comment. Sure, Canadians get "Free" health care (they pay about 40% of their income in taxes to pay for it). But there are planty of factual incidents where Canadians, who have already paid taxes to support their health care system, have been completely let down by an uncaring system.
1. McCreith experienced seizures on Jan. 2, 2006, and was diagnosed with a benign tumor based on a CT scan. A physician at a Canadian hospital declined to order an MRI to rule out a malignancy. McCreith???s family doctor agreed to request the more-definitive scan, but McCreith was told he would have to wait over four months for the appointment.
According to McCreith, had he been patient and followed the Canadian system, he would have died. Instead, McCreith went to Buffalo (New York, USA) to receive treatment the very next day. In Buffalo, he was told he had a malignant tumor, which required a biopsy. After trying the Canadian system again, he was told they would not allow the biopsy for another three months. McCreith, having a good friend die waiting for heart surgery, decided to see if the American private system could save his life. It did just that.
2. Evidently, this long waiting period is not uncommon. For instance, patients in Ontario wait an average of 22 weeks for cataract surgery and 34 weeks for a hip replacement, according to statistics from the Ontario Ministry of Health. Cities like Cleveland and Buffalo seem to be booming in those areas of medical care with Canadians coming across the boarder for treatment.
3. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/26/international/americas/26canada.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin
The country's publicly financed health insurance system ??? frequently described as the third rail of its political system and a core value of its national identity ??? is gradually breaking down. Private clinics are opening around the country by an estimated one a week, and private insurance companies are about to find a gold mine.
Dr. Day, for instance, is planning to open more private hospitals, first in Toronto and Ottawa, then in Montreal, Calgary and Edmonton. Ontario provincial officials are already threatening stiff fines. Dr. Day says he is eager to see them in court.
"We've taken the position that the law is illegal," Dr. Day, 59, says. "This is a country in which dogs can get a hip replacement in under a week and in which humans can wait two to three years."
SamiAlise should try looking into actual facts before shouting opinions from the rooftops. Or prehaps SamiAlise is happy with a system where dogs get better care than humans.
Comment: We definitely treat people better than dogs. When your dog dies, you don't get 25 million.
Comment: Canadians get free heath care...and how often do you hear about big issues there? rarely...cuz they take care of their people while america takes care of its money
Comment: The comments seem to be blaming the family. What those making the comments aren't considering are the conditions in Jamaica. If you leave the tourist areas it is dirty, everyone is poor, there is high violence and high crime. Think New York but worse. She was successful there, but read the article - she sometimes had to take her family and live in the church they attended. She likely came here hoping to be as successful here as there, here where there is better pay, a government that helps its citizens, and that one day might allow her to bring her family over to her when she could afford it. And look what happened, the government here simply got her killed. Mental Healthcare has long needed reform, and this is just the kind of thing people need to see to understand that. It's a shame this caring woman had to die for America to see it.
Comment: Why is it the responsibility of the tax payers of this country to provide health care for every immigrant here? Where was her family? According to the article she was "homesick and depressed" Why didn't they bring her back to Jamaica? Shame on her family. They do not deserve anything.
Comment: So you're another idiot who blames the family for this woman's death?
Comment: Where were her children and sisters and brothers in all of this???
Oh, now they want compensation.
Perhaps the media didn't cover how hard they did or didn't try.
Comment: Why ever did this poor woman leave 6 children and a successful life to come here and be impovrished??
That's reason enough to go insane...being away from your own children and familiar countryside.
INS would have been merciful to send her home.
Let that be a lesson...the grass is not greener on the other side!
Comment: As an RN at Metropolitan Hospital in the 70s with friends working at other city hospitals,we were always short of supplies and understaffed.The state and city always underestimated the cost of caring for a largely indigent population.Taxpayers don't want the burden of paying the health care costs.Where is her family, who say, "she was their light"? money spent on that settlement would better be spent on patient care.
Comment: I was an RN at Metropolitan Hospital in the '70s.I had friends at Kings County and Harlem Hospitals.We were always short of supplies and understaffed..The City and State always underestimated the cost to service the populations (who had no other health care option but a city ER). Taxpayers don't want to pay for health care for the poor.Where was her family,who say," she was their light." IN COURT to collect...
W
W
Comment: Psychaitric care involves more than being admitted, treated and discharged from a hospital. It also involves follow-up care, counselling, occupational therapy, family involvement - case conferences etc.
I am not sure that I understand how staff could pass a patient who is not only on the floor but face down n the floor. It would not be convenient to observe the paient especially if face down. Being on the floor is enough reason for the health worker to stop and check the patient. Not having access to medical insurance should not prevent someone who is really in need of care to get that care.
Comment: So the family that ignored mom's needs and shoved her into a waiting room then high tailed it out of there have now recognized the true value of their relationship with dear old mom: CHA CHING!
There is a lesson to be learned here: If you have a spare mom that you care nothing about, tuck her away into a nuthouse waiting room until she keels over and provides you with the great America dream: The big juicy settlement check. Thanks, mom! NOW we love you!
Comment: I can't believe how insensitive and disgusting some of you are when it comes to talking about a woman who sought help and was LEFT TO DIE. Why can't people be a little more caring and think about the woman who suffered here and the hundreds of others just like her who will suffer without the attention that they need and deserve?
Comment: I dont think any one person or entity is to blame. Where was her loving family while she sat in the ER for so long by herself, knowing she had continuously suffered from bouts of psychiatric problems? She should have been admitted to a long term care facility long before this happened. And there ARE programs out there to help people who are financially unable to pay for such care themselves. The blood clots in her legs caused her death, not the wait in the ER. I do, however, agree that the staff was negligent. Someone should have checked on her when she fell. Maybe she would still be alive.
Comment: It is very very hard to just get admitted into a "long term care facility" for mental health reasons. There are very few "long term" psychiatric facilities left in this country. The ones that remain are either run by the state in which case she was on the only path to get there without insurance (go to the ER and sit there for hours-- I myself once sat in a psych ER for 12 hours without a staff member checking on me once) or the long term facilities are private and extremely costly. For example I spent a brief period of time at Mclean in Boston. Six weeks there cost around $50,000 out of pocket after the insurance pays their part. Long gone are the days of walking in the door and just being admitted for long term treatment. There is a severe shortage of Psychiatric beds in this country and as such they have to triage and assign them carefully. Most people do not stay in a hospital for more than 5 days (on average). So to say that her family shoudl have had her in a long term facility already is simply unrealistic and shows a lack of knowledge of how the system actually works.
Comment: THe odds that most of the staff on duty at the time of Ms greens death not being christian are very slim so the comments that psychiatry had any thing to do in this case is bunk. The vreal cause of Ms. greens death is plain old fashoned down home amirican right greed, we all know that only those willing and able to put money above all other things incliuding human life are the only ones to be " succesfull in this country
Comment: Psychiatric care does not constitute only admission to hospital, treatment in hospital, and discharge from hospital. It is an ongoing process with follow-up care, counselling/therapy, family involvement and church involvement. I think the pastor did more than her fair share - the hospital is responsible for what happened to this patient.
Regardless of Miss Green's psychiatric condition, she did not deserve the 'non-treatment' that she got from the emergency room staff. How could doctors/nurses/other hospital staff pass 'on-the-other-side' while Miss Green was lying on the cold floor - FACE DOWN!!! In such a situation a staff member should at least want to see if the patient is breathing! The suffering meted out to uninsured persons in the United States is unbelievable. In such a country with lots of resources, persons should not suffer from lack of medical care because they have no health insurance.
I hope the health staff will take lessons from this tragedy. My condolences to Miss Green's family/relatives.
Posted by someonewhofeelssadaboutthisincident-15/07/08
Comment: This is what happens when psychiatry takes over from Christianity . Had Pastor Johnson been an adequate pastor, these repeated incidents would not have happened, but they did . Apparently, love for a fellow human being means more than just providing shelter . When her pastor failed her, Ms. Green became an object for the forces that feed on human suffering. Her story is a case study on how medical science, politics, the law and, last but not least, the media, objectify human suffering and turn it into lucrative, self-serving occupations that make billions for them but have failed to save one human being . Shame on all of them.
Comment: I fail to see the connection between mental illnes and christianity or a pastor's "inadequacy". I have a mental illness and a Christian and have some amazing religious leaders in my life and even with their presence I have still had my share of struggles. It would be wrong for me to blame them for the biochemical reactions that are occurring in my brain. In fact it would just be absurd to put it mildly. Mental Illnesses are biopsychosocial issues. They are not a manifestation of a person's lack of faith. To imply that they are serves only to create shame and further public bias against the mentally ill.
Comment: xxx
Comment: What was done to this woman was totally uncalled for. Everyone deserve a right to medical attention. No matter what their race or mental issues are. The people at that hospital just ignore her, plan and simple. If that was one of are family member, How would you feel? Hope the family sue's the heck out of them.
Comment: I worked in a Department of Psychiatry at a city hospital for 18 years and most patients got decent care when they presented to our separate and dedicated psychiatric emergency room. The ER was staffed by residents when I was there and a senior psychiatrist was on call or actually physically presnt 24/7, The indifference in this case is heaertbreaking and not necessary. The people responsible should indeed be fired and possibly charged with criminally negligent homicide. Just don't tar and feather everyone because of this case. Learn from it and prevent the death of the next patient. I hope that the family collects a bundle but also has the satisfaction that their loved one's death results in better care for everyone in her situation.
Comment: let me guess? this place is still in business right?
Comment: Might want to spell-check your heading for this article from
"Medecine" to "Medicine". THX
Comment: I am not at all surprised by what happened here, sadly. I am a white middle-class attractive young woman with health insurance. Not long ago I had a nervous breakdown and was committed to a psychiatric ward. While I was there, I developed a terrible headache and shakiness as a result of my hypoglycemia. The nurse in charge refused to feed me, falsely claimed the food was all locked up and it was impossible for me to have any, and finally told me to go away. All this, even after I explained that I had a medical condition. I lay in my bed in pain for hours, when a simple snack of crackers and cheese would have greatly alleviated my symptoms. And this was at a "good" hospital!
Comment: Where was ANY of her family, that now wants to sue???
Comment: I was led to believe this would only happen if we went to a universal health care plan.
Comment: It is a shame that she had to go this way. I pray that the family will forgive. Becasue the truth is that the nurse that kicked her and saw her lifeless will never forget that day and will live with her forever. Let that be the difference that healthcare workers make going forward nurses are caregivers that are supposed to care not kick a person in distress as it could have been the nurse's mother father or sister. Tania R/Florida
Comment: It is a shame that she had to go this way. I pray that the family will forgive. Becasue the truth is that the nurse that kicked her and saw her lifeless will never forget that day and will live with her forever. Let that be the difference that healthcare workers make going forward nurses are caregivers that are supposed to care not kick a person in distress as it could have been the nurse's mother father or sister. Tania R/Florida
Comment: Tania: I worked in medicine w/primarily black patients and I can tell you that the nurse probably doesn't feel that bad about it. After 20 years I was pretty mch desensitized or burned-out or whatever but I knew from early on - that ghastly things were going to happen and they did. While it was a shame that the woman was in that situation I have also seen 3 year olds who had gasoline poured all over them and a match lit (by their mother and father). I have seen Grandmothers left to sit in a bare room in the dark. When a lilght was turned on the *** roaches scattered - from in and around her braided hair. The list goes on and on. So the honest truth (while politically incorrect) is that bad things happen every day and kids die and adults die and this lady's death was just one more. It just happens to be on video tape.
Comment: In response to Dr. Doug- I certainly pray that you are no longer in the medical field, How could you with a clear conscience state that bad things happen daily, as if your making light to such atrocities?
I could never allow myself to become so desensitized that these things are taken so lightly.
I also don't understand your highlighting the issue of working with primarily black patients, you find good and bad in all, it's never okay and statitics show that there is mistreatment found both in the wealthy and the poor, to allow yourself to "accept" it , "It's life it happens".
Is a sad day !
Comment: Firstly, my prayers to the family over the loss of a woman dying in this manner. I wonder why posting such a We need to really take a good look at this issue, and our jails and streets would be cleaned up, crime would go down. We, as a country DO NOT want to know about mental illness. Shame on us.It is next to impossible to get help for mental patients. I know, as my daughter is
Comment: This is one of the most terrible things I have ever seen. It is so tremendously sad and pitiful. God bless her soul and bless her family. This is so tragic.
Comment: The last part of my comment was that was cut off: you don't have to be illegal or legal not to get good help in the system. Being mentally ill I have found out targets you for the worst treatments that society and the mental hospital will give you. I have been in Ms. Green's shoes and I was one of the lucky ones that through the Grace of God made it. So I only hope that by posting my comments some will understand it through someone who has "been there done that before", but came out on the other side. I am no longer ashamed of myself, I love me for me and that's enough for me.
Comment: I looked at most of the comments and being someone that years ago fit into needing help like this and having so called insurance that played out the same day that my "good job" did is really something. Ms. Green was treated like she was nothing because when you have mental illness most people including family and the person think and feel that you are week, in pure, cursed, full of demons, that you did something wrong so you are being punished by God or my all time favorite that my own mother felt that "she didn't want anybody to know because it would reflect poorly on her". As you see families and society including us the mentally ill are made to feel like we did something wrong in being ill. If you admit that you have a mental illness in Texas where I'm from they have a medical review board decide if you can keep your drivers license then they medically red flag your license so that anytime you go and renew it all of your business is out there for the people giving you your license. Jobs when they find out about your mental illness they tell you that "they can't get insurance to cover you working there and that no one will want to work or sit next to you". Then the care that you get even in the hospitals that your so called insurance covers it was driven by how many days of care that the insurance would cover and you had to beg to be commited.Then the state run hospital, I was in there so doped up that once I thought that I was in there for 3 days it turned out to be 3 wks. The doctor played mind games so that she could report to the law that you was going to come out and hurt others, she told you that she was going to do just that and did, I got arrested behind her so called treatment,but wasn't she the one that was in trusted to helping me? Now you are doubly in the system. Family can take full advantage of you so I can see why Ms. Green wouldn't want others to know about her illness. Family can call MHMR deputies on you anytime because as you know everyone believes that there is a "majic pill" out there that will make you normal again. Children have to be kept away from you least it rub off on them. Jobs well they treat you like *** and filth because they can abuse you so that you will go away, I got sexually and mentally abused on one job, but hey who is going to believe a crazy criminal over them? I???m legal I was approached by a MHMR doctor with shock treatments on his mind and one told me that "I had to work out here in the real world like normal people did" gee thanks alot doc's for all of that help! So as you can see not only did her family let her down, and now wants to sue, but the system let her down and now some members of her church wants to judge the pastor, where was you members when you noticed how strange she was acting? Did they try to help the pastor out, nope ???its her job not mine just looked the other way??? now so quick to point the finger.You don't have to be an ill
Comment: King county Hospital employees have no heart! be it black white or yellow! it doesnt matter what color or race you belong to, to get aid in a hospital!
Even developng countries like India, who do not even have a separate emergency department DO NOT KEEP PATIENTS WAITING! 24 hours Mrs. Green was waiting!! this is ridicilous!!!!!! May her soul rest in peace
Comment: well then maybe so if whole staff was colorerd too, but i knows that even some blacks have racisism against other blacks too, i has white friends and we gets along good ,no racism in our circle ,but then none of us pretends it dont exist elswherre. it sure do ,and we sees examples of it all the time .and folks that think it dont be wearin rose colorerd glasses,and got theyr heads in the clouds. makes me so mad about this poor womans.
Comment: ngy--And I bet you think you're funny--don't you, JACKA$$? You're not a black person. Even if you were and you talked like that, it wouldn't be written like that, so you're just showing yourself to be the racist idiot you really are.
Comment: why is everything about racism..... this woman was a PERSON, and she deserved attention and more dignity than she received..... and you, my dear need a phonics book--fast---WOW!!!!!!1
Comment: Response to teryjay123, Do you really believe that this is an accurate account, first and foremost, blacks generally do not consider themselves as "colored". (This is a term used many years ago, you are unlikely to find a black person today who would still use such a term)
This is believable to you perhaps because deep inside you actually relate such dialogue to that of African Americans, I do agree with you in that this lady was a human being who deserved to be treated with respect in regards to having her medical needs addressed.
Also, I don't believe that everything is about racism, this country has come a long way in regards to race relations, unfortunately, there is still need for improvement.
I don't live my life by highlighting the injustices of this world (I am African American) however, I do not deny the fact that we live in a world where people are sometimes looked down upon or treated less than human, due to race, financial status, and so forth.
This woman's death was unneccessary, if in your heart of hearts you believe that society treats each and every individual with the same respect and admiration, then, my friend, you are sadly mistaken.
Sadly enough, people are sometimes looked down on moreso because of mental illness, your comment about the person needing a phonics book...
How about you registering for a course in Socialogy or race relations!
Comment: Your grammar (AND this poor woman) make me mad...and to think I actually support public schools.
Comment: Your an idiot too! Can't you tell that this is so not an accurate account, this is someone trying with very little effort to protray someone of African American heritage as ignorant, Secondly, would you be harboring some sort of stereotype?
What role do puplic schools have regarding improper English?
Your statement almost reflects your beliefs in private schools being superior over public, your an @#!!!&#$
Comment: thats ok, yoe_mama but somebody maybe think y'all racist by makin fun of how us negroes talk,, not me ,,but some maybe do. we be products of segragated Mississippi school system ,so dont think y'all supported that..we understands each other ,so that be all that counts.
Comment: It really is sad that people can't communicate without being judgemental, sure the grammer isn't exactly standard English, but can't we all have an opinion?
I am so tired of both sides of the race issue, blacks who consume their lives with the fact that we as a people are sometimes treated indifferently, be it inadvertently or overtly, race issues have immproved but let's not deny that there is room for growth.
I teach my children to use negativity as an incentive to accede and master whatever difficulties they may approach, to use indifference as a fuel to ascertain their goals.
I am also sick and tired of bigots who deny the fact that people are sometimes treated wrong for no other reason than their skin color or income bracket.
In closing, the poor has never been enveloped since the beginning of time, I pray that if ever you should come across someone in need, that you be a good samaritan- be very careful how you intertain a stranger as it could very well be an angel of God.
Comment: "somebody maybe think y'all racist by makin fun of how us negroes talk"
I guess that would make me Dave Chapelle's Black White Supremecist (look it up....it's a classic)
Comment: Your an idiot, all your comments add up to the racist pig that you are, you may say what you will about Dave Chapelle, check his background, his parents were both very intelligent individuals (they were educatiors) I believe that Chapelle finally came to his senses when he accepted the fact that no amount of money is worth the disrespect of your culture, and the roads that were paved in order to have the opportunities that are available to African Americans now.
Perhaps Chappelle lost track of the respect and morals that were instilled in him, you on the other hand seem to be both dumb and incorrigible.
Comment: ngy... i doubt it made a difference whether she was black or white... to think that hospitals treat one person better than another because of thier race is pretty stereotypical, and maybe you should rethink your perception of racism, as it sounds like maybe you are a bit hateful of whites based on color, making you a racist as well. Racism comed in all colors. Be an example by judging people by the content of thier character, and NOT the color of thier skin. I am a white woman, I went to a mostly black school in a mostly black community. When I was a child, I couldnt understand racism, and did not know anyone who was. I had many black friends growing up. I had no idea that racism was so powerful still in this day and age untill I reached highschool in the city. I was hated because I was white, and some of my friends turned against me b/c of thier new freinds whom would make fun of them for befriending a white girl. Racism comes in all colors. I am not bitter b/c of this, I am saddened by it. Thgere is a stereo type that all white people are racist and do not want to see other racses in positions of power. it is not true. Yes, there are alot of people who feel that way, I am not blind to that., Just though as there are other races who believe that all whites are making any person whom is not white life as hard as they can just b/c of thier race. All people have different opinions, and all poeple are not alike. Being te victim of predjudice did not make me bitter or hateful, I t made me very sad for everyone that the diseased train of thought has touched, and i have made it my goal in life to change peoples minds about such ignorance,
Comment: Md, I don't know what race you are, but that is a pretty ferocious and derogatory comment. Race does not determine a persons competence. the nurses are probably over worked, underpaid, and actually probably arent RN's. Most likley, hired by an outside company w/ a short bit of training... the psyc dept probably staffs very little actual Dr's ad RN's. In either case, the staff should be fired, and those that sat and watched this poor woman die, should be arrested and charged with some kind of homocide or neglegence. Those aides that let that woman die, cold and awful people. I hope the memory of her death and thier part in it haunt them for eternity, though I doubt they feel an inch of guilt.
Comment: Am I mistaken, or did it say in the article that only patients were allowed in the waiting room? That would make those witnesses people who most likely needed help addressing mental health issues as well. You cannot revictimize these people by arresting them. And another thing, since the 25mil is bothering people, this hasn't even started in the legal system yet. Maybe the family will mandate that money be used to revamp the system or use the money to educate this country about mental health issues...
A
Comment: Jean G. Leon, RN, MPA, Senior Vice President, Central Brooklyn Family Network and Executive Director, Kings County Hospital Center
Should be fired
Comment: Any excessive payment to an uninvolved family for compensation of this tragedy would only make the services in this hospital poorer and or shut down. Use the money to improve the hospital and kick out the hospital adminstration.
Comment: The staff in G Building is 100% Black and the security guards are NYPD yes New York City Police Department, Hospital Police officers. This unfortunate episode shows us that colored people should treat other colored people better and with repect. This cannot be blamed on government, rich or white people.
One big reason all this happened was Jean Leon who is the Chief of Kings County Hospital, protects the incompetent nurses, doctors and staff because of their race ( mostly black) (and there are many competent black staff but promoting the undeserving and hiring people who do nothing but shout disparity when asked to work ) which leads to substandard care for the black folks. And there more than adequate funds and recources in this hospital.
Comment: Are you really this stupid? I'm honestly curious.
Comment: yes, MD really is THIS stupid....
Comment: well she was negro womans ,thas why they didnt do nothin,if she been white womans ,they might have,maybe,, they were several colorerd folks sittin in the room in that picture ,why didnt theys do somethin?
but wait if they say anything probably calls po-lice to come and arrest them, this is the attitude today ,,it needs to change ,,whole medical system needs to change and shipup, bg lawsuits ,and i means BIG ones! is nly thing will change ,to they bees to scared not to help someone .in need . sue everybody connected ,for billions!
Comment: I am a young and attractive white woman and I have insurance. I was left to sit for over 12 hours in a state of high distress in a psych ER waiting room. At 8 hours I was sobbing hysterically becasue I was so distressed (was having a medication reaction) and they still didnt' let me be seen by a doctor. When they finally let me see a nurse practitioner at hour 13 she told me that I should just go home and I refused to leave until my meds had been changed (my normal psychiatrist was out of town and couldn't write me an order). She kept refusing so I picked up the phone in the consult room and dialed my psychiatrist and put her on speaker phone and made the nurse practitioner talk to her. Thats the only way I got any treatment. So its not all about race. Its about our mental health system as a whole needing major improvements.
Comment: In my experience (18 years in a New York City HHC psychiatric unit reporting accidents and incidents of danger to the patients), race was not an issue as much as the relationship between the patient's presentation and the staff's values. A person of color who was "dignified" and ablle to address the staff in terms the staff understood would be given superb care while a rundown, poorly dressed, inarticulate patient of any race might not be listened to as carefully when he/she signalled distress.
It wasn't race, IOW, but perceived class. The more difference between the perceived classes, the more likelly a patient would not be given full attention IN THE PRESENCE OF AN OVERCROWDED SITUATION. In situations of normal case load, this would not happen. The staff was overwhelmed (the lady had been inthe ER area for over 24 hours, which is obscene). This is not an excuse but an explanation of sorts.
Comment: This is tragic of course but it leaves me with questions: (1) Why didn't she go back to Jamaica if she was so homesick? (2) In the photograph I notice that there are other people in the waiting room who are just sitting there doing nothing. Why didn't they check on their fellow patient laying on the floor? (3) Her daughter Trecia is very fast to file a lawsuit - but why are there no family members waiting with the lady? Also, from the text of the article - family members are not mentioned as involved with the lady's care. Why not? I have to say that it is typical for some to rush to the lawyer to get money out of an unfortunate situation but it doesn't appear in this case (from the article) that the family did much to help their mom.
Comment: Her family was back in Jamaica and she hid her illness from all but a very small handfull.
Comment: This woman had 6 children and no one was in the waiting room with her for 24 hrs? Any thoughts that the more illegals we have drawing on our community services might be causing financial and staffing hardships? Go ahead and give her daughter 25 million, that will solve the problem. Can you actually sue if you are not in the country legally? Wow, sounds like a flaw in the system, ya think?
Comment: I believe they said no one but patients are allowed in the waiting room. Go figure.
Comment: Stated just like a white person, there was a flaw in the system during slavery, the holocaust, , and when the illegals were working under the tables white businesses to profit there was not a problem, now that these illegals are interested in medical coverage education etc, OOPS.... sounds like a flaw in the system!
Comment: Any one of us could be labeled with a psychiatric diagnosis and subjected to inhumane 'treatment' if we are thought to be 'agitated', particularly if we are poor.
David Oaks, Executive Director of MindFreedom International states, "I encourage us all to reflect on the need for a deep nonviolent revolution in the field of mental health, far beyond the "reforms" that have gotten us to where we are today, with televised death via neglect of a mother of six".
In 1875, a New York Times article cites abuses of inmates at the Kings County Asylum, spurred by Mr. Nelson Magee, a former inmate. Then-Commissioner Norris reacts to the investigation, "This sort of thing is very common among lunatics; they are always imagining themselves in great danger of being killed by their keepers"v. How many more centuries have to go by before action is taken to end these abuses and neglect?
Massive human rights violations happen every day in psychiatric institutions but this horrific inaction was captured on videotape. We will call attention to the every day tortures committed in the name of psychiatric "help" including diagnosing life's challenges as ''illness," forced pharmaceuticals, restraint, seclusion, and electric shock treatment (ECT) .
We must stand united to demand social justice, equal rights, and environments free from torture and detention.
On July 25, 2008, we invite all people to join us and stand united in support of the demand that everyone receive the full benefit of their human rights and the preservation of their liberty, dignity and respect.
Who: All People.
What: Candle Light Vigil to mourn the loss of Ms. Esmin Elizabeth Green and condemn violations of human rights.
Why: WE THE PEOPLE call for an end of abuse, torture, and neglect in the wake of Ms. Green's Death on June 19, 2008, while detained at Kings County Hospital Center's Psychiatric Emergency Room.
Where: Kings County Hospital Center, Psychiatric Emergency Room, Building G. 606 Winthrop Street Brooklyn, NY 11203
Date: July 25, 2008
Time: 5 PM - 10 PM, Candle Light Vigil, 8:30 PM
We welcome your involvement as an organizational co-sponsor or an individual endorser of this effort. If you would like to speak at this event, please contact us.
WE THE PEOPLE
###
For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Contact: Lauren J. Tenney
Cell: 516-319-4295
e-mail: lauren@theopalproject.org
website: www.theopalproject.org
Contact: David W. Oaks
Phone: 541-345-9106
e-mail: office@mindfreedom.org
website: www.mindfreedom.org
[v] Retrieved July 9, 2008 from http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F00E6D8103CE63ABC4851DFBE66838E669FDE
Comment: Your intelligence shows, repeat posts.
Comment: How dare you pieces of c345 use the phrase "We The Poeple". Ms. Green's Death on June 19, 2008, while detained at Kings County Hospital Center's. Liers, no one was detained. If you can't even follow the facts do not invoke the Constitution.
Comment: Please join us or send an e-mail to lauren@theopalproject.org to express your support ABRIDGED:
VIGIL TO MOURN THE LOSS OF MS. ESMIN ELIZABETH GREEN AND CONDEMN VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS
WE THE PEOPLE Call for an End of Abuse, Torture, and Neglect in the Wake of Ms. Green's Death While Detained at Kings County Hospital Center's Psychiatric Emergency Room.
All people must be treated with dignity, humanity, and respect. We must not tolerate violations of human rights that individuals who are assigned psychiatric labels often endure.
In 1875, a New York Times article cites abuses of inmates at the Kings County Asylum, spurred by Mr. Nelson Magee, a former inmate. Then-Commissioner Norris reacts to the investigation, "This sort of thing is very common among lunatics; they are always imagining themselves in great danger of being killed by their keepers"v. How many more centuries have to go by before action is taken to end these abuses and neglect?
We must stand united to demand social justice, equal rights, and environments free from torture and detention.
On July 25, 2008, we invite all people to join us and stand united in support of the demand that everyone receive the full benefit of their human rights and the preservation of their liberty, dignity and respect.
Who: All People.
What: Candle Light Vigil to mourn the loss of Ms. Esmin Elizabeth Green and condemn violations of human rights.
Why: WE THE PEOPLE call for an end of abuse, torture, and neglect in the wake of Ms. Green's Death on June 19, 2008, while detained at Kings County Hospital Center's Psychiatric Emergency Room.
Where: Kings County Hospital Center, Psychiatric Emergency Room, Building G. 606 Winthrop Street Brooklyn, NY 11203
Date: July 25, 2008
Time: 5 PM - 10 PM, Candle Light Vigil, 8:30 PM
We welcome your involvement as an organizational co-sponsor or an individual endorser of this effort. If you would like to speak at this event, please contact us.
WE THE PEOPLE
###
For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Contact: Lauren J. Tenney
Cell: 516-319-4295
e-mail: lauren@theopalproject.org
website: www.theopalproject.org
Contact: David W. Oaks
Phone: 541-345-9106
e-mail: office@mindfreedom.org
website: www.mindfreedom.org
REFERENCES
[i] Retrieved July 8, 2008 from http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/H/HOSPITAL_WARD_DEATH?SITE=OHRAV&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
[ii] Retrieved July 8, 2008 from http://www.nyclu.org/node/1876)
[iii] Retrieved on July 8, 2008 from http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/01/waiting.room.death/index.html.
[iv] Retrieved July 8, 2008, from http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/03/hospital.woman.death/index.html
[v] Retrieved July 9, 2008 from http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F00E6D8103CE63ABC4851DFBE66838E669FDE
Comment: She was illeagle. to effin bad. go home and get care
Comment: Where did you get information that she was "illeagle" which I think you meant to say illegal. Just because she came from another country does not mean that she never became a naturalized citizen.
Please explain.
Comment: Figured you would not answer that. So sorry I misspelled a word, I???m sure that has never happened to you.
Comment: "Without a green card, a permanent job or any health insurance, Green relied on her pastor" there ya go
Comment: What a Hitler-type thinking. This is still a HUMAN! I can see if she fell over on the sidewalk and didn't get help, but she was in a hospital for cryin' out loud! What if this happened to you or yours? What if you were on vacation in Jamaica, got hurt, and were left to die on a waiting room floor because you weren't a native? Wow.
Comment: The overall value of human life has been over-educated. In reality check, the value of life varies from case to case. The occurrance of 911 showed that Muslim terrorists do not value human lives in America; the Iraq war showed that Bush does not value lives in Iraq; Ms Green was left to die on floor showed that her life was not valued by hospital personnel. No education can change much; history goes on without casting a cold eye..
Comment: Ms. Green is no longer suffering now...She's in God's hands now...
Comment: This country isn't shocked by this story. We've ignored far worse ... a far bigger outpouring will come if the family wins this huge lawsuit. Crap, crap, crap, now my insurance premiums will be going up. Heck they'll probably go up anyway just because of this lawsuit. What's wrong with you media people anyway? Why can't you keep this story quiet, now I'm gonna be stressed all weekend cuz of this!!!
Comment: Let's just hope that when, if ,God forbid, something like this happen t o someone that you love deeply, noone considers sweeping such an injustice under the rug.
"I swore to never be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation.
We must always take sides, Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim, silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented".
Elie Wiesel
Comment: Hey, it's the American Way - fire the workers, let the management go free. More importantly in this case though, it's the medical industry you're talking about. So if this lawsuit is successful the government will pass important new laws to prevent this kind of lawsuit from happening and they will probably remove security cameras too. Politician to medical industry lobbyist ... "See you at the next annual screw the public golf tournament, duuuude!"
Comment: Pastor Johnson should be reassured that she did far more for Ms Green than it seems anyone else did. Accompanying Green to the hospital would not have saved her life since King's County did not allow family/friends to wait in the waiting room with patients and that is where Ms. Green died. This hospital and the staff are to blame. But one needs to ask where were all of Ms. Green's family members during this long mental illness- where were her younger siblings that she helped to raise and where were her children she reared? Could they not have advocated for better health/mental health treatment for her. There's a lot of blame that can be spread around but ultimately the buck stopped with the hospital's neglectful care. Likely the hospital is under funded, understaffed and over populated. However no patient should be treated this poorly.
Comment: This is a tradig story, nothing less. Seh left her children to find a better life for them by making more money in the US than in Jamaica. For me, a European citizen, it's interesting to see the "illegal" discussion. Youa re all immigrants in America, all of you came there (or your ancestors) to find better work and a better life. The only difference today is the closed borders. I like America, but the lack of a health system that includes everybody is not what you expect from a industrialized country. I feel sorry for Ms. Green, it reallt makes me sad. The reason why it happened makes me even sadder.
Comment: I believe they were in Jamaica, Ms. Green was most likely here because she was trying to make a better way for her family. If she had gotten through with a green card she would have been able to send for her children. Jamaica is a third world country and a very expensive phone call; besides the fact that she was embarrassed about her illlness. It is most likely then, communication about the truth might have been non-existant.
Comment: This country does not talk about mental health issues...she didn't want many people to know she needed help and that's a reason why her family in Jamaica didn't know. Blame shouldn't rest with Ms. Green or her family, it rests on the hospital and its indifferent staff along with those who shun those with mental health issues and refuse to acknowledge the need to address them.
Comment: I don't think it matters one bit what race she was or what her family issues are. She came to a hospital for treatment. She was obviously sick. She falls down in the waiting room and no one comes to her assistance? This seems grossly negligent. How do they know she is not some eccentric millionaire? And what difference does it make anyway? Politics/money/race should not be part of the equation. Leave that to others...leave it out...leave it alone. She was in a medical facility and it was their job/responsibility/obligation to care for her needs as a human being and this was clearly denied. I do wonder if at least part of this was due to the fact that it was psychiatric facility. It does seem that this country has "thrown away" their mentally ill like so much garbage and it is frightening to say the least. By the grace of G-d...it could be you or someone you love.
