MEDICINE

The Woman Who Died in the Waiting Room

Instead of helping her, they ignored her. The story behind the videotape that shocked the country.

By Jeneen Interlandi | NEWSWEEK
Published Jul 12, 2008
From the magazine issue dated Jul 21, 2008

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  • Posted By: nillapudding @ 07/15/2008 2:31:00 PM

    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.

    • Posted By: wewiseup @ 10/22/2008 11:40:01 AM

      By your comments referencing "families" in regard to their mentally ill loved ones....if you could only walk in our shoes for 1 week while our loved one is experiencing psychotic decompensation...then and only then would you know where and what the families are doing for their family member... one of the major problems in referencing families being able to help their loved one is the fact the laws are set up to protect their rights.....no matter what mental state they are in....the "systems".....Community Mental Healths (CMH's), Recipient Rights (RR's), Probate Courts, Governors, are of no help for us parents in assisting our seriously mentally ill....especiially those that experience lack of insight (anosognosia) to their illiness.....this is one family that can open up their "home" records....which would validate the corrupt manner in which the "systems" do very little if not nothing in the way of meaningful services for our loved ones. Stories such as pushing loved ones across state lines just so their precious dollars will not have to be spent on some one in their system that is a cost issue.....we even have proof that probate courts do not uphold their orders and allow CMH's to do whatever their whims are.....our answer to all of this is a class action lawsuit set up by each state (due to the laws of each state not being the same) and then and only then will the truth come out and change be met for those who so need and deserve it..

    • Posted By: Sophia85 @ 08/04/2008 12:38:57 AM

      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.

  • Posted By: abbey in nc @ 10/18/2008 8:41:59 AM

    all i have to say is this.you would be surprised at what goes on in hospitals.doctors misdiagnosing,nurses giveng wrong medication because of the misdiagnosing,how patients are left to lie in their own feces,etc.i have seen it all!!!nter Your Comment

  • Posted By: abbey in nc @ 10/18/2008 8:40:38 AM

    all i have to say is this.you would be surprised at what goes on in hospitals.doctors misdiagnosing,nurses giveng wrong medication because of the misdiagnosing,how patients are left to lie in their own feces,etc.i have seen it all!!!nter Your Comment

  • Posted By: PREDICTIONET @ 08/16/2008 7:55:51 AM

    TRY WWW.PREDICTIONET.COM

  • Posted By: Nomad123 @ 08/15/2008 11:36:15 AM

    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.

  • Posted By: Nomad123 @ 08/15/2008 11:20:37 AM

    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.

  • Posted By: loriw @ 07/12/2008 5:45:44 PM

    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.

    • Posted By: angie370 @ 07/13/2008 2:45:40 AM

      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.

      • Posted By: 1whocares @ 07/19/2008 9:43:06 AM

        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.

        • Posted By: Nomad123 @ 08/15/2008 11:17:33 AM

          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.

    • Posted By: A9ta @ 07/27/2008 2:50:28 AM

      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.

  • Posted By: cpcath @ 08/07/2008 10:59:15 AM

    Quick response for aa heart attack

  • Posted By: cpcath @ 08/07/2008 10:52:24 AM

    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...........

  • Posted By: eyemakeupneeded @ 07/15/2008 12:33:26 PM

    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.

    • Posted By: Sophia85 @ 08/04/2008 12:47:51 AM

      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.

  • Posted By: Meryl @ 07/30/2008 4:18:48 PM

    I thank you and may God bless you
    Pastor Johnson

  • Posted By: Meryl @ 07/30/2008 4:14:20 PM

    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.

  • Posted By: FarrahAshline @ 07/28/2008 11:30:43 AM

    A most disturbing example of how the Western approach to medical health care is not providing equal care for American citizens nationwide.

    Farrah Ashline

  • Posted By: OnlyCureJGK @ 07/21/2008 8:52:42 PM

    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.

  • Posted By: Stop the Clot @ 07/20/2008 7:25:35 AM

    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!

  • Posted By: Stop the Clot @ 07/20/2008 7:22:27 AM

    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.

  • Posted By: Stop the Clot @ 07/20/2008 7:20:35 AM

    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.

  • Posted By: sbtrooper114 @ 07/13/2008 9:06:50 AM

    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.

    • Posted By: 1whocares @ 07/19/2008 9:33:07 AM

      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

  • Posted By: 1whocares @ 07/19/2008 9:18:49 AM

    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?

  • Posted By: greengeekpdx @ 07/12/2008 7:31:37 PM

    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!!!

    • Posted By: rec19724u @ 07/17/2008 2:14:05 PM

      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

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